One Life to Live minor families
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For related performers, see List of One Life to Live characters
Though the American soap opera One Life to Live has focused predominantly on the families of Victoria Lord, Asa Buchanan and Dorian Cramer, many other families have played a prominent role at one time or another in the show's long history.
[edit] The Carpenters
Reverend Andrew Carpenter took over St. James, an unspecified Protestant denominational church, in 1992. He quickly fell in love with ailing Megan Gordon Harrison and helped bring her MIA husband Jake back to Llanview before she died. Andrew then became close with Cassie Callison, the daughter of Dorian Cramer Lord, and tried to council the very troubled Marty Saybrooke.
Andrew's father Sloan Carpenter followed him to town the following year. He was a widower, and a retired four-star general turned author. Sloan had one other son William, who had died of AIDS several years earlier. A stern, reserved, conservative man, Sloan was estranged from William (who was gay) when he died, and his relationship with Andrew was tense. While writing a biography of decased millionaire publisher Victor Lord, Sloan met and became involved with Victor's daughter Viki — and made an enemy in Dorian, who was furious that Sloan's book hinted she may have killed Victor.
Llanview was torn apart by scandal when Marty accused Andrew of being a gay pedophile, and of having seduced local teenager Billy Douglas. But Andrew weathered the storm, and even brought the AIDS quilt project to Llanview. The crisis served to reconcile father and son, and prompt Andrew and Cassie to fall in love and marry. Cassie was unable to have children after a disastrous miscarriage, but she and Andrew adopted a son named River Carpenter.
Sloan stole Viki away from Clint. (Viki was unconsciously attracted to Sloan because of his similarity to her own coldly aloof father). Sloan & Viki were married (by Andrew) while Sloan was hospitalized. He died in 1994, just several weeks after the marriage was officiated. His death was a major factor in causing Viki's Multiple Personality Disorder to emerge.
Andrew's cousin Maggie Carpenter came to town in late 1995. Maggie was a former wild child seeking a new start by becoming a nun. But she was in love with Max, and couldn't fully embrace a life of faith. Part of her motivation for becoming a nun was to spite her Protestant minister father Bishop John Carpenter, who constantly belittled her. But the Bishop was eventually exposed as a hypocrite, having had a long-term affair with Eleanore Armitage. After leaving the church and hooking up with Max, Maggie tried to open a 'circus arts' school in Llanview, but was sabotaged by Max himself. Feeling betrayed, Maggie left town.
In 1997, Cassie and Andrew divorced as a result of her affair with Kevin Buchanan. Cassie went on to marry Kevin before departing Llanview for good. After several years passed, River (now a teenager) returned from living with his mother and got involved with Adriana, yet another one of Dorian's daughters. River and Adriana were horrified to discover this secret, as Dorian is his "grandmother" and Cassie Adriana's sister. After his one-night stand with Shannon McBain, Adriana dumped River, who got a scholarship to The Juilliard School for his musical talent and left town. Currently, only Reverend Andrew remains in Llanview - but he is rarely seen.
[edit] The Craigs
In 1968, Dr. Jim Craig, came to Llanview and began work at the community hospital. (Eventually he would become chief-of-staff at the hospital.) He was the supervisor and mentor figure to internists Larry Wolek and Price Trainor. Jim was a widower with a young daughter Cathy (initially an adolescent, Cathy underwent SORAS and became a teenager overnight.)
JIm fell in love with his pretty young patient, actress Carla Benari. A widower, Dr. Craig soon asked her to marry him; Carla accepted, knowing that she didn't love him as much as he did her. Jim loved Carla even after learning her secret, that she was really a black woman passing as white. Nevertheless, Carla returned his engagement ring. Soon afterward, Jim fell in love with and married Anna Wolek. Throughout the 1970s, Jim & Anna were primarily support characters, who commented on the affairs about town, and would offer wise advise to the more dynamic characters, but be very inactive in most of the storylines. Jim's daughter Cathy however became a major troublemaker.
Cathy was unusually attached to her father and didn't want to 'share' him with Anna. Cathy rebelled against her father & stepmother by using drugs, eventually becoming an addict and killing her dealer Arnie Duncan in a drug-induced mania. Cathy sought treatment for her addiction at Odyssey House in New York City (a real treatment center) in 1971. In an unusual move, OLTL had actress Jane Brandan (who portrayed Cathy at the time) sit in on genuine recovery meetings that were taped and shown as part of "One Life to Live" episodes.
After leaving the treatment center, Cathy became a writer for the Llanview Banner, and a book author as well. She considered herself a feminist and had a brief romance with Tim Siegel. But Cathy was more of a trouble-making villainess character: Cathy nursed a crush on Viki's then-husband Steve Burke, and hoped he would leave Viki for her. Later, just before Viki re-married Joe, Cathy became pregnant by Joe. Unfotunately, Cathy & Joe's baby Megan was born with a congenital heart defect that ensured she would never live to adulthood. Cathy was kept in the dark about this. And so, when the baby died while in Viki's care, Cathy believed that Viki had killed her baby out of jealousy.
Cathy married Tony Lord, Viki's half-brother, in 1976. But Tony was truly in love with Pat Ashley. Adding to Cathy's woes was the fact that Viki became pregnant herself, and gave birth to a boy Kevin in 1976; a boy who did not inherit the heart condition that plagued Megan. Cathy's mental state wavered at that point, and she became obsessed with having a baby with Tony. Unfortunately, Cathy miscarried, and at that point she went completely over the edge. She kidnapped Viki's baby and disappeared for several months. When she was finally located, Cathy was in a catatonic state and did not have the baby. Many more months went by before Cathy recovered sufficiently to tell what she did with Kevin (who was recovered after being missing for almost a year). After recovering from her breakdown, Cathy granted Tony a divorce and left Llanview.
Jim & Anna remained in Llanview to give advice to their friends for the rest of the decade. When the actor playing JIm died of a heart attack in 1980, the character was killed off as well. Anna remained for a few years into the 1980s, but faded away by 1983.
[edit] The Dennisons
When Tom Dennison (Joe Riley's long-lost twin brother) came to Llanview, everyone (especially Viki) was thrown by the fact that he looked exactly like the late Joe Riley (which is why he was dubbed "Faux Joe"). It was revealed that Tom was Joe's long lost twin. Tom's daughter, Mari Lynn Dennison accompanied her father to Llanview. For a time, she was a disciple of the evil Mitch Laurence, but ultimately broke out of the cult and married Wade Coleman before becoming a star on the fictional daytime drama, "Fraternity Row" with Megan Gordon and Audrey Ames.
[edit] The Gannons
Hank Gannon came to Llanview in 1992 and replaced Herb Callison as District Attorney. Known by his old college football nickname "The Cannon", Hank was a hard-charging, driven prosecutor, and quickly became involved with Sheila Price. Hank (who was black) revealed to Sheila that he had a white ex-wife. Before long, his ex-wife Nora Hanen Gannon came to town, as did their daughter Rachel Gannon. Nora fell in love with Bo Buchanan, while Rachel dated Bo's nephew Kevin Buchanan.
In 1994, Hank's estranged, mobster brother R.J. ("Randal James") Gannon came to town and quickly established himself as a troublesome presence. When she was still married to Hank, Nora had had an affair with R.J., and the guilt over that secret cast a shadow over her relationship with Bo. R.J. chose an inopportune moment to reveal the truth to Hank about the affair — right in the middle of the reception for Hank's marriage to Sheila. Hank and Sheila's own marriage barely lasted a year. Nora's second marriage to Bo lasted significantly longer, but likewise ended in divorce.
After a long run as District Attorney, Hank eventually vacated the position in 2003 due to the bad press surrounding the Llanview Police Department's handling of the Mitch Laurence case, and began teaching law at Llanview University, albeit offscreen. Hank later moved to Chicago to be near Rachel, and was last referenced in late 2007, when R.J. indicated that he was still teaching law and had also taken up coaching college football.
Rachel's relationship with Kevin ran its course, and she dated Sheila's younger brother Dr. Ben Price for a while. But she went into a tailspin after that, flunking out of law school and becoming a drug addict. Later, she killed Georgie (who was stalking Bo, and threatening to kill Nora) and was sent to jail. Rachel served her time and was released, relocating to Chicago where she took up social work.
Over time, R.J. disassociated himself with his mob ties, and became a nightclub promoter. Liz Reynolds revealed to a stunned R.J. that he was the biological father of her daughter Keri Reynolds. R.J. tried to be a good father to the young woman, and was genuinely crushed when Keri committed suicide. R.J. believed Keri's boyfriend Antonio Vega drove her to it, and fought Antonio for custody of Keri's baby Jamie.
[edit] The Gordons
The Gordon family consisted of Roger Gordon, Victoria Lord's childhood sweetheart, and his two daughters, Megan and Sarah.
Sarah Gordon (Buchanan) was the first member of the family to arrive in Llanview. She was a therapist specializing in training blind people to live without their sight. Sarah became a counselor to Clint Buchanan, who had been blinded due to a gunshot wound to the head, in late 1987. Early on, Sarah stated that her desire to help the blind was inspired by working with an older sister Anna (never seen) who was blind since birth and died tragically young. Sarah started out as Tina's rival for Cord's affection, but Sarah & Cord never progressed far in their relationship. She later fell in love and married Bo Buchanan. Unfortunately, Sarah became a witness to the drug-trafficking activiites of Carlo Hesser, who kidnapped her, and was thought to have killed her. Sarah turned up alive (as is typical for soaps, she re-appeared just as Bo was proceeding down the altar with another woman - Cassie Callison.) Sarah & Bo divorced, but reconciled, all during a time in which Sarah was a major suspect in the (first!) murder investigation of Carlo Hesser. Tragically, Sarah was on her way to remarry Bo when she was killed for real by a hit & run driver.
Megan Gordon (Harrison) came to town a year after her sister. This was 1988, during the time when the soap-within-a-soap "Fraternity Row" was produced in Llanview. As an in-joke, Megan was an actress who played the gooder-than-gold heroine on "Fraternity Row", but was in 'real life' a petulant, self-absorbed prima dona. Soon after settling in Llanview, her father Roger revealed a secret about her paternity that changed her life forever (see below). Despite initially locking horns with him, Megan fell in love with Max Holden. But Max could never get Gabrielle out of his life, so Megan broke up with him. Megan also shared several humorous adventures with Marco Dane (although the pair never became lovers), mostly pitting them against Megan's nemesis Spring Skye, a rival soap diva. Megan briefly romanced the crown prince of Mendorra before meeting her true love - Jake Harrison (who was the half-brother of Max's half-sister Andy; Max and Jake were not related). After many exciting adventures together, Megan and Jake tied the knot. But Jake's private investigator job took him to the middle eastern country Jaba where he was imprisoned by a warlord. For months, Megan didn't know if he was alive or dead. Making matters worse, she became gravely ill with lupus. As Megan's prognosis worsened, Reverend Andrew Carpenter (who had fallen in love with Megan) went to Jaba to rescue Jake. Jake returned to Llanview in time for one last goodbye before Megan died. Megan's spirit however lives on in Llanview, and she has appeared several times in the form of a guardian angel to her friends & loved ones.
Roger Gordon, an archeologist, arrived on the scene determined to convince both his daughters to move away from Llanview with him. Just as he & Sarah were about to leave town (after having convinced Megan to follow them to California), Roger overheard news that Viki had found the long-lost daughter she had spent months searching for. Inexplicably, Roger changed his plans and refused to leave town! Roger knew that the 'long-lost daughter' was a fraud - because Megan was the real missing Lord heir.
As a child, Roger Gordon's family participated in Victor Lord's disastrous, secret 'Eterna' project (in which a small underground city was created under Llantano Mountain). Against the wishes of the Eterna citizens themselves, they were sealed off from the outside world and abandoned to die. Roger's parents managed to break their teenaged son out of imprisonment though. Once outside, Roger met and fell in love with a then-teenaged Victoria Lord. The teens married, made love, and Viki became pregnant with Roger's child. But Victor intervened, and instigated an accident that turned Viki into her alter ego 'Niki Smith' for many months. 'Niki' ran away to New York City and carried her baby to full term. Just as she was about to give birth, Victor tracked her down and forced her to return to Llanview with him. A very young Larry Wolek (still in med school at the time) delivered the baby Megan, and 'Niki' reverted to Viki immediately afterward. Victor hushed up the whole incident (including hiring a hypnotist to erase Viki's memory of the incident) and gave the baby to Roger. Roger later married Carrie Gordon, and the two passed Megan off as their own child. (Carrie was the birth mother of Sarah & Anna. She was already divorced from Roger when he arrived in Llanview. Carrie appeared only rarely.)
In the present day (1989 at the time), Roger confessed to Viki that Megan was their daughter. Megan was initially less than thrilled to hear the news (she & Viki did not get along), but then developed a close rapport with Viki and the Buchanan family (especially Viki's other daughter Jessica). Both Roger & Viki began to feel their old teenaged passions rekindling, even though Viki was married to Clint at the time. However, Roger eventually realized he could never have what he once had with Viki, so he left town and allowed Viki to get on with her life.
[edit] The Grays / The Halls
Sadie Gray was initially a maid in Llanfair, the Lord family manor. She eventually quit that job to take charge of Llanview Hospital's housekeeping department. She also lived across the hall from her good friend Anna Wolek. From the show's beginning, she was a widow and made mentions of a daughter named Clara, whom she said was 'lost to her'. Most Llanview-ites assumed that Clara had died. Sadie was a gifted gospel singer who often sang at weddings and special occasions.
A mystery woman named Carla Benari showed up in town very early into the series' run. The presumably Italian-American woman became Dr. Jim Craig's secretary and dated African-American Dr. Price Trainer. Many hosptial staffers (not to mention many OLTL viewers) were shocked at the prospect of a white woman dating a black man. About six months into the show's run though, it was revealed that 'Carla Benari' was in fact Clara Gray - Sadie's daughter, a light-skinned black woman "passing" as white. Sadie was furious that her daughter would deny her heritage, but eventually mother & daughter reconciled, and 'Ms. Benari' embraced her roots. She took back her rightful surname "Gray", although she continued to be known as 'Carla'.
Carla had several romances, including a relationship with Jim Craig. (Ironically, many of the OLTL viewers who objected to Carla dating a black man turned right around and wrote protest letters about Carla - now revealed to be African-American - dating a white man!) but eventually married police Lieutenant (eventually Captain) Ed Hall in 1973. Ed and Carla adopted a troubled street youth Josh West (who assumed the surname Hall). Ed's brother Gus Hall served as his best man, and was a recurring character through most of the 1970s/early '80s. In 1979, Carla divorced Ed to marry Dr. Jack Scott, but that marriage didn't last long.
Carla left Llanview during the early '80s, but came back in 1984 after attending law school. While embroiled in a romantic "quadrangle" with ex-husband Ed and their respective new love interests, she became the Assistant District Attorney and was forced to prosecute Ed for a police brutality charge. Josh (who'd been written out of the storyline in the late '70s) also briefly returned during the mid-80s. But by 1986, Sadie, Carla and Josh were all unceremoniously ejected from the series, with Carla departing to take a judgeship in Arizona. Ed Hall remained as a recurring character until 1988, but then he too simply disappeared.
In 2000, the Hall family made a brief resurgence on OLTL. Jared Hall, purportedly Ed and Carla's "grandson" (presumably by Josh), debuted on the show as a young ADA like his grandmother. Jared was played by actor Herve Clermont. A friend of attorney Sam Rappaport, Jared had a checkered past in his law school days, and faced review by the Pennsylvania bar. Sam represented Jared, and called his grandfather, Ed Hall, to the stand to testify on his grandson's behalf. Ed helped Jared escape being disbarred and promptly disappeared from the show again. Jared would follow later in the year, after a fizzled flirtation with Nora Buchanan's daughter Rachel. To date, the Halls have not reappeared.
[edit] The Hessers
Carlo Hesser appeared on the scene in 1990. He was suave, debonair, and appreciated high culture, but in reality he was also a ruthless mob boss. Carlo ran the local drug trade alongside Michael Grande, and had an infatuation with Renee Divine Buchanan (even though she detested him). Carlo also held a particular grudge against Viki Buchanan for her mayoral campaign against organized crime - leading to his attempt to have her assassinated - as well as her part in the death of his son (see below).
During Carlo's original reign of terror, he was joined in Llanview by his son Johnny Dee, and daughter Charlotte. Johnny Dee was Carlo's second lieutenant in the drug trade, and was obsessed with Tina Lord Roberts. He stalked her relentlessly and tried to kidnap her. At the time, Viki was suffering from a stroke (due to Carlo's assassination attempt) and seemed helpless to stop Johnny from carrying Tina away. But Viki's alternate personality Niki Smith emerged, and was not affected by the stroke as Viki was. "Niki" shot and killed Johnny before he could escape with the unconscious Tina. For months, no one could figure out who killed Johnny (as Viki, the only other person in the house, was supposedly confined to a wheelchair.) Carlo discovered the truth and several times sought to exact revenge against Viki.
Charlotte Hesser had been kept out of the 'family trade' by Carlo, but still managed to wreak a fair amount of havoc in town. Charlotte took a shine to Jake Harrison, who was in love with Megan Gordon. When Sarah Gordon was kidnapped by Carlo, Jake pretended to court her in order to wheedle information out of her. But Charlotte turned the tables on him, and hustled Jake into marrying her after claiming that Carlo had put a hit out on Megan, and the only way to protect her was to do whatever it was she demanded of him. In the end, however, true love won out, and Charlotte was forced to grant Jake his freedom.
In 1992, Carlo met his match in Alex Olanov. A one-time federal agent turned criminal, Alex used FBI surveillance tapes to blackmail Carlo into marrying her. Although he resented her at first, Carlo warmed up to Alex - who kept him interested by indulging in S&M bondage sex-games. Carlo was then gunned down in 1992, setting off a long murder mystery with numerous suspects. The culprit was at last revealed to be Stephanie Hobart, Carlo's niece who had discovered that Carlo was responsible for the deaths of her parents.
After Carlo was supposedly killed, Alex assumed control of his criminal empire, but she found running it difficult due to her background in law enforcement. She then discovered lowly, unassuming museum curator Mortimer Bern, who was a dead-ringer for Carlo, in looks if not in temperament. Alex taught 'Mort' to masquerade as Carlo, so as to solidify her control over his criminal empire. But Mort was a little too much like Carlo in one way - he was in love with Renee! Renee encouraged Mort to stand up to Alex and resist her attempts to control him. Eventually, Mortimer's 'mother' Velma Burns confessed on her deathbed that Mort had been adopted, and was indeed the twin brother of Carlo.
Several years later (in 1996), Carlo Hesser came back to town for real. ("To quote Mark Twain," he told Alex, "reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.") He wasted no time reverting to his old tricks, including carrying out a vendetta against Viki and serving as the leader of the international crime syndicate known as "the Men of 21." He also managed to trick Renee's ex, Asa Buchanan, into giving him $30 million by posing as a mysterious businessman known only as "Poseidon." When everyone else discovered that he was back, Carlo adopted a "reformed" attitude to the rest of Llanview in order to avoid trouble. After Alex divorced him to be with Asa, Carlo became enraged and teamed up with local criminal R.J. Gannon to cause trouble for the Buchanans. Carlo looked for someone worthy enough to take his place and chose newly reformed gang leader Antonio Vega to be his heir; after several events forced Antonio to turn to Carlo for help, he made him his surrogate son, but Carlo was unaware that Antonio was undercover with the Llanview Police Department. Before long, most of Llanview had ample reasons for wanting Carlo dead, and in 1997, Carlo was shot & killed (again!) and another murder mystery ensued. Mortimer Bern came back to town as a witness, and ultimately it was revealed that Alex had been the one who shot and killed Carlo. With the case closed, Mortimer disappeared with Asa's $30 million, but later returned and lured Alex out of town, with many wondering if he was actually Carlo in disguise. In 2001, Alex was found by Asa working as a stripper, and explained that Carlo had left her and disappeared with Asa's money - implicitly confirming that the man she had shot and killed was indeed Mortimer, and the real Carlo was the one whom she had gone away with.
It is unknown where Carlo was or what he was up to in the intervening years after he took off with Asa's money and left Alex. But, like a bad penny, Carlo turned up in June of 2005 - at Asa's request! Asa was a fugitive on the run in Argentina, fleeing a kidnapping charge in Llanview after having had Blair abducted and thrown into a mental institution. Looking to make his problems go away, Asa summoned Carlo and made a deal: Silence Blair, and Asa would let Carlo keep his $30 million. Carlo took Asa's offer and headed back to Llanview. While dressed as a police officer, he tried to kill Blair, but between the efforts of her fiance Todd Manning and the LPD, Blair was saved, and Carlo was carted off to prison for his innumerable crimes. Later that year, Carlo reappeared behind bars at Statesville Prison, a fellow inmate of the presumed-dead Cristian Vega. Carlo began to torment Cristian, who was psychologically scarred from the tumultuous events that had led to his wrongful imprisonment. Soon, it was revealed that Carlo was in fact responsible for brainwashing Cristian into killing Tico Santi and framing him as a "Cristian imposter". In executing this elaborate scheme, Carlo had hoped to both "clear the playing field" by eliminating the Santi crime family, as well as gain a measure of revenge against Antonio and the Vegas. While still in Statesville, Carlo incited a full-scale prison riot, planning to use the ensuing chaos to effect an escape. Employing "Killing Club" murderer Ivan Potter, a.k.a. "Hayes Barber," as an all-purpose henchman, Carlo squared off with Cristian and Llanview Chief of Detectives John McBain, briefly taking the men's mutual love Natalie Buchanan prisoner. Carlo's plans were foiled, however, and he remained incarcerated. Carlo was last mentioned by Jared Banks in August of 2007 when he tried to convince Natalie to hire him at Buchanan Enterprises by citing the many enemies of Asa who would be eager to take advantage of the family patriarch's recent death.
Carlo has been confirmed to be returning to Llanview in summer 2008.[1]
[edit] The Holdens
Max Holden came to Llanview in 1987 to seek a loan from family friend Maria Roberts, who agreed to give him the money he needed on the condition that Max lure Tina Lord away from her son, Cord. Max soon fell for Tina, but she could never get Cord out of her system; Max finally broke things off for good when, during their wedding ceremony, Tina accidentally said Cord's name. He would eventually rekindle his romance with former flame Gabrielle Medina, with whom he conceived a son, Al Holden. Max later lured Blair Cramer away from her husband of convenience, Asa Buchanan, but Max found true love in 1991 with Luna Moody, with whom he would have twin children, son Frankie and daughter Leslie. Sadly, Luna was killed in 1995. Max enjoyed future relationships with Andrew Carpenter's sister Maggie, as well as a reunion and marriage with Blair and a fling with Kelly Cramer. He also reunited with Gabrielle, but it was not to be. Later, in a drunken Vegas escapade he awoke to find himself married to Roxanne Balsom, a union that quickly fizzled. When Al died of liver failure in the fall of 2003, Max took the advice of Luna's spirit, and left Llanview to be with their twins Frank and Leslie in North Carolina. Max returned in August 2007 for the funeral of Asa Buchanan, and revealed that he, Frank and Leslie were all living in Gabrielle's home country of Argentina. He invited Blair to join him there and gave her an intense kiss, unaware of her continuing passion for Todd. Blair gently rebuffed him. Later, Asa's butler, Nigel, revealed to Max that Asa had another secret son, David Vickers, and asked for his confidence. Max gave it, but both were unaware that Alex Olanov was eavesdropping on their conversation. Wishing his best to Blair, Max returned home to Argentina.
Max's brother Steve Holden came to town in 1988 and soon became involved with (and married) Gabrielle. She still carried a torch for Max, however, and the relationship fell apart. Later that year at the double wedding of Cord and Tina and Asa and Renee Divine, Steve noticed that the wedding cake had been wired to explode (by Tina's crazy enemy, Ursula Blackwell). Steve threw himself in front to the bomb to protect his fiancee Brenda and was killed instantly as it exploded. Brenda later discovered she was pregnant with Steve's child.
Max's half-sister Andy Harrison came to town in 1989 with news of their mother Patricia's death; Max and Andy's volatile relationship eventually cooled before she left town in 1991 after marrying Hunter Guthrie. She would return in 1994 (divorced from the abusive Hunter) as a police officer, and become involved with fellow officer and ex-con Antonio Vega, who she had a whirlwind romance with, before marrying him and leaving again for Berkeley, California in 1997. Years later, Andy and Antonio's marriage ended when Andy cheated on him with her partner on the police force.
[edit] The Medinas
Gabrielle Medina and her sinister father Dante came onto the canvas in 1987 when Gabrielle's former flame Max Holden reappeared in Argentina with his new girlfriend, Tina Lord. Dante was killed, and Gabrielle's sister Debra and scheming mother Julia followed her to Llanview in 1989. Debra became involved for a time with Cord Roberts before leaving town in 1990; Julia eventually confessed to the murder of DuAnn Demerest, and went to prison in 1992.
Gabrielle had a son, Al, with Max, and was initially duped by Tina into letting Tina pass the child off as her own. Gabrielle thought Tina would be raising the child with Max; Tina actually pretended the child was hers with Cord, hoping to reconcile with him. The truth eventually came out.
Gabrielle went to jail in 1991, but returned to Llanview dramatically in 2001 as the wife of Asa Buchanan. She was tragically murdered in 2004 after suffering through the death of her son Al and finally finding happiness in a relationship with Bo Buchanan.
[edit] The Moodys
Darlene "Luna" Moody literally fell from the heavens into Llanview society in 1992. She was skydiving, and her parachute was blown off-course so that she landed on the yard of the Llanview country club during a gala event. Luna was a devoted wiccan who believed in reincarnation and the spirit world. She hosted a radio talk show and ran the Serenity Springs health spa. The spa was situated on land owned by Max Holden, whom Luna immediately fell for. Max was infatuated with Blair Daimler (who was married to his arch-enemy Asa Buchanan), but eventually realized that Luna was his soul-mate. Luna once wrestled with the spectre of Death for Max's soul, and Max in turn confronted the ghost of Luna's deceased first husband, Bobby Ever, before the two were finally wed in a joint Christian/wiccan ceremony presided over by Reverend Andrew Carpenter and a pagan priestess. Luna gave birth to twins - Frankie (who was later revealed to be deaf) and Leslie - before being killed herself when she was inadvertently struck with a bullet during a gangland fight. She was memorialized when a statue of an angel designed by Cristian Vega bearing her likeness was sculpted and put on display in Angel Square.
Several of Luna's brothers followed her to Llanview. Tyler "Ty" Moody came to work on Serenity Springs during the summer of 1993. Ty was more traditional than either Luna or Max, and objected to their living together without being married. Ty also discovered that the mischievous Alex Olanov was behind the 'haunting' of Serenity Springs (Alex was trying to drive away Max & Luna's business, so that the spa would close and Asa - whom Alex was seeking to seduce - would be able to take over). Alex led Ty on, pretending to be interested in him. But Ty finally realized that Alex didn't care about him and left town.
Dylan Moody came to town when Luna was suffering from a spinal injury. He helped her during her convalescence, and then romanced Marty Saybrooke. Dylan and Marty married, but Marty was really in love with Patrick Thornhart. Following their divorce, Dylan ran a youth center in Angel Square (a neighborhood riddled with gang violence at the time). Tragically, Luna took the bullet that was really intended for Dylan.
Luna's brother Bascombe Moody only appeared briefly in Llanview, but made his presence felt. He tended to dislike Max, whom he thought was bad for his sister. Nevertheless, he did attend Max and Luna's wedding. Bascombe blamed Max for Luna's near-crippling spinal injury and beat him up.
During her time as a Llanview radio announcer, Luna hosted an annual Valentine's Day music show spotlighting songs about love. For several years after her death, Andrew Carpenter & Renee Divine hosted the Valentine's Day show in her honor. Like Megan Harrison, Luna's spirit took on the form of a guardian angel, watching over & caring for her still-living friends and loved ones in Llanview. Upon the death of her adoptive son Al, Luna urged the grieving Max to move forward with life and return to her home of North Carolina to care for their two children. Luna was also instrumental in helping Al's soul come to inhabit the body of Michael McBain, and urged him to win Marcie Walsh's love again in his new life. When her mission was complete and Al merged with Michael for good, Luna returned to the hereafter.
[edit] The O'Neills
Harry O'Neill and his daughters Didi, Connie and Joy are a hard-working family who work at the Lord-Manning plant, which Clint and Viki Buchanan are considering closing for financial reasons in 1984. Harry has a romance with Niki Smith, unaware that she is Viki's alternate personality. [2] The relationship ends when Harry is murdered in 1985 by con man Mitch Laurence, who had intended to kill Clint and frame Viki.[3] Eldest daughter Didi marries Clint's brother Bo Buchanan in 1986, but is electrocuted on a high-voltage fence in 1988 during the climax of the "Faux Bo" storyline, in which Patrick London gets reconstructive surgery and assumes Bo's identity. Connie marries Brad Vernon, and youngest daughter Joy is one of the many disciples of Mitch Laurence during his stint as a cult leader in 1987, after he manages to get released from jail. Harry's brother Pete comes to Llanview in 1985 in the wake of his brother's death; a lawyer, he defends Tina Lord when she is accused of Harry's murder.[3] Pete later falls for Asa Buchanan's ex-wife, Pamela Stuart, leaving town with her for her home island of Malakeva in 1987.
[edit] The Prices
Sheila Price came to Llanview as the rehabilitation therapist who helped Victoria Lord recover from a stroke in 1990. Sheila became the love interest for Police Chief Troy Nichols; Sheila's younger sister Rika Price was a scholarship student at Llanview University. Enormously overprotective of Rika, Sheila objected to Rika dating Troy's troublesome son Kerry Nichols. This situation caused much tension between Sheila and Troy. Rika and Kerry left town in 1991; Troy remained until 1993. Rika was never mentioned again, not even showing up for Sheila's wedding to Hank Gannon.
Sheila's previously never-mentioned brother Dr. Ben Price came to town in 1993, and stole Rachel Gannon away from Kevin Buchanan. Ben saved Viki's life by determining the cause of the deadly flu virus that was sweeping through Llanview. Still, Rachel dumped him and he lost his job at the hospital. Ben briefly flirted with Marty Saybrooke, but nothing came of it; he left town in 1995.
After suffering a miscarriage, Sheila divorced Hank and left Llanview in 1996.
[edit] The Rappaports
Nora Buchanan's former flame Sam Rappaport came to town in 1998. That year, Nora's husband Bo Buchanan was devastated when his son Drew, a police officer, was killed in the line of duty. Nora hoped to conceive a child to give Bo a reason to live; out of desperation she turned to Sam. The pregnancy pulled Bo back onto his feet, but he and Nora later divorced when it was revealed that Nora's son Matthew had been fathered by Sam.
Sam's ex-wife Lindsay Rappaport followed him to Llanview in 1998, immediately sparking a rivalry with Nora (with whom Sam had cheated on Lindsay in the past). Much to everyone's surprise, she married Clint Buchanan suddenly in 1998; the marriage fell apart quickly as Clint tired of Lindsay's manipulative ways. Lindsay's business partnership with Dorian Lord blossomed into friendship, and Lindsay's friendship with Nora's former brother-in-law (and sometimes criminal) R.J. Gannon got her in (and out of) her share of trouble.
Sam and Lindsay's son Will Rappaport arrived in 1998 and befriended Jessica Buchanan, who later became pregnant with his child while involved with Cristian Vega. When Dorian Lord accidentally ran down Jessica with her car, Jessica survived but lost her unborn child (later named Megan).
Sam and Lindsay's rebellious daughter Jennifer Rappaport appeared in 2001, becoming involved with Al Holden, being engaged to Cristian Vega and marrying Rex Balsom and Joey Buchanan. She had a tempestuous relationship with her mother Lindsay, but became close to her father's girlfriend Nora (and Nora's son with Sam, Matthew).
Will left town in 2001, but would return briefly in 2003 and 2005 for two family tragedies. Sam died in 2003, and it was revealed that Matthew was, in fact, Bo Buchanan's son. Jennifer had somewhat settled down and started dating Riley Colson in 2005, but was murdered by Riley's father (and Nora's husband) Daniel Colson in his effort to cover up a murder he had committed (and his homosexuality).
Lindsay was arrested for the murder of Dr. Spencer Truman in Fall 2007, and Will once again returned to visit her in jail and offer his support. On 3 January 2008, Lindsay was deemed "fit to stand trial," but also "determined to have been insane" at the time of the murder. With both Bo and R.J. offering to be her legal guardian, Lindsay is returned to St. Ann's sanitarium. [4]
[edit] The Rileys
In 1968, reporter Joe Riley clashed with icy heiress Viki Lord, who had little interest in romance and focused her time and energy on her work at The Banner. They soon started falling in love, but publisher Victor Lord disapproved of his daughter becoming involved with the working-class Riley and did all he could to keep them apart. Torn between pleasing her father and following her heart, Viki began getting headaches — and mysterious, threatening notes telling her to end her relationship with Joe.
Secretly plagued by multiple personality disorder, Viki (as alter ego Niki Smith) became involved with Joe's best friend, Vincent "Vinny" Wolek. In love with Niki, a heartbroken Vinny learned the truth and told Viki about her other personality. Viki sought medical treatment and, as her mental illness seemed under control, she went ahead with her plans to marry Joe. But during the wedding in June 1969, Niki reemerged and fled the ceremony with an ecstatic Vinny. When he urged Niki to marry him, however, Niki's own panic resulted in Viki regaining control. She returned to Joe. During more intensive therapy, Viki remembered writing the notes (as Niki), and finally recalled the childhood memory that had apparently caused her personality to splinter. Now freed by the truth, Viki married Joe.
In 1970, Joe began investigating Llanview's increasing drug trade for The Banner. While making inquiries in California, Joe's car went over a cliff; his body was never found, but he was presumed dead. Viki was devastated. She signed papers declaring Joe dead in 1972, which shocked Vinny Wolek and Joe's sister Eileen, both of whom had refused to give up the hope that Joe was alive.
Joe Riley reappeared in time to watch Viki marry another man, Banner editor Steve Burke. As she and Steve returned from their honeymoon, she got the news that Joe was alive, and fainted. In love with (and married to) two different men, Viki eventually chose to remain loyal to Steve in 1973. Heartbroken and still in love with Viki, Joe took up with Cathy Craig.
[edit] The Roberts/Vasquezes
When they were both teenagers, Maria Vasquez became pregnant with Clint Buchanan's child. Clint's father Asa found out about it before she could tell him though. Because Maria was of Mexican heritage, Asa looked down on her and refused to allow her to marry Clint (as Clint would have done, had he known the truth). Asa pressured Maria into abandoning Clint without ever telling him about the baby. Maria married the sturdy, reliable ranch-hand Al Roberts instead, and gave birth to a boy named Cordero "Cord" Roberts. The Roberts family lived in El Paso, Texas. Al was a good husband and father, even though he knew Cord was not truly his son. Cord grew up believing that Al was his father. Maria however nursed a bitter grudge against Asa and spent her life pining for Clint.
In 1986, when Cord expressed an interest in photography, Maria sent Clint a telegram asking him to provide Cord a job at the Llanview Banner. Tina was in the midst of a bitter feud with Clint at the time. She intercepted the request and snooped about in El Paso, hoping to get some dirt on him. Cord met and quickly fell for Tina, and followed her back to Llanview. Tina reciprocated his interest, but had no intention of marrying a dirt-poor cowboy like Cord...until she discovered that he was Clint's biological son, and potential heir to the Buchanan mega-millions! After learning that, she wasted no time marrying him. Maria, who pegged Tina as a gold-digging tramp from their first meeting, became bitter enemies with her.
Al Roberts died of cancer very soon after Cord wed Tina. With no-one keeping her in El Paso, Maria relocated to Llanview to be near her son. By then, she had grown strong enough to hold her own against Asa's threats. Eventually she confessed to both Clint & Cord that they were father & son, and Clint welcomed Cord into the Buchanan family. Maria wheedled her way into both Clint & Viki's confidences, pretending to be just an 'old friend' to Clint. But she secretly conspired to break up their marriage. Maria had two overhwhelming desires - to win Clint's love once again, and to break up Tina & Cord. Maria brought Tom Dennison to Llanview, hoping Viki would leave Clint for him. That failed to happen. Later, Maria discovered before anyone else that Allison Perkins had kidnapped Viki's newborn baby Jessica. Maria secretly helped Allison return the baby, but arranged circumstances to make it look as if Viki had become Niki Smith again and kidnapped her own baby. Her shenanigans were ultimately discovered, and Clint railed against her for her evil deeds. Going completely off the deep end, Maria attempted to poison Viki, and frame Tina for the crime, only to become tainted by the fatal poison herself and die. (She might have been happy to know that Tina was found guilty of murdering her, and spent some time in jail because of it.)
When Clint was temporarily struck blind in 1988, Clint & Viki spent time in El Paso. Maria's brother George Vasquez came on the scene. He blamed Clint for Maria's death, and set out to get revenge. He engineered a riding accident that left Clint stranded in the desert. But the accident served to restore Clint's sight, and sent him back in time 100 years to the wild western Buchanan City. Apart from meeting Buchanan and Lord family ancestors, Clint also met Cody Vasquez, the right-hand man of Buck Buchanan. Cody married May McGillis, and they (presumably) became the great-grandparents of Maria & George. In modern day, George was killed after he discovered that 'Bo Buchanan' who returned after Clint went missing was really an imposter and attempted to blackmail him.
Meanwhile, almost as soon as they were married, Cord began to see Tina for the schemer she really was. Yet no matter what unthinkable stunt Tina pulled, Cord couldn't help loving her. Over the next several years, Cord & Tina were divorced, re-married, divorced again, and re-married again and divorced yet again. During the course of their marriage-go-round, they had two children together - Clint "C.J." Roberts Jr and Sarah Roberts. Eventually, Tina left town (with the kids in tow), then Cord left. Briefly during the new millennium, Sarah (grown to a young woman and using the alias 'Flash') came back to Llanview, and Cord revisited as well.
[edit] The Sanders
When Judith Russell Sanders first arrived in town, she and husband Charles Sanders were already separated; he quickly followed, hoping to reconcile and save their marriage. Judith (sister to Jon Russell, a private investigator involved with Dorian Lord) was a free-spirited idealistic lawyer who never truly fit into the conservative, aristocratic lifestyle maintained by Charles, who was the ambassador to the (fictional) European monarchy Mendorra. Judith also frequently locked horns with Elizabeth Sanders, Charles' domineering, manipulative mother.
Charles and Judith couldn't resolve their differences, and divorced — much to Elizabeth's delight. Judith subsequently had an affair with Herb Callison, while Charles romanced Dorian as part of a money-making scheme. When Dorian realized he was using her, she turned the tables on him by revealing that he had had an affair with a member of Mendorra's royal family. Charles was replaced as ambassador by Dorian herself. Later, Charles eloped with Lee Halpern during a drunken night in Las Vegas, and died of a heart attack on their wedding night. Judith was distraught by Charles' death and left town soon afterward. Lee Halpern Sanders, a former prostitute and business partner of Max Holden's, tormented Elizabeth even more than Judith. Lee was accidentally killed by her daughter, Mari Lynn Dennison.
Charles and Judith had two children; noble, heroic Kate and sleazy; spoiled Jamie. Kate was an anthropologist with a taste for adventure, and fell in love with Cord Roberts (who was then married to the scheming Tina Lord). When Tina was believed to be dead, Kate accepted Cord's proposal. But just as their wedding ceremony was coming to an end, Tina abruptly burst into the chapel — very much alive and carrying a baby she claimed to be Cord's son. While Cord sought a divorce from Tina, Kate became entangled with Patrick London, her ex-fiance, who stooped to insane measures to break up Cord and Kate. He didn't need to bother though; as Kate came to realize Cord loved Tina, she broke up with him and left Llanview.
Jamie was Kate's polar opposite. Mean-spirited and rotten, he played on his mother Judith's sympathies to bail him out of one fix after another. Eventually though, his criminal ways (including running a crack factory, killing a fellow cocaine dealer and kidnapping Cassie Callison) caught up with him and he was sent to Statesville Prison for a life sentence. Even in jail, he was a menace: he threatened Tina when she was wrongly imprisoned for the murder of Maria Roberts, broke out and shot Clint Buchanan, and led a widescale prison riot.
Charles had one other son — Geoff McGrath — the illegitimate product of his affair with a Mendorran royalty. Geoff kept his true identity a secret for several months while he ran a legal service for low-income, working-class people. Geoff became close to Judith, but when she left town, he simply faded out of the storyline.
Elizabeth stuck around the longest. After Asa Buchanan led a successful hostile takeover of her Sanders Industries, she sought revenge. She masterminded a bizarre takeover scheme in which an impostor (actually Patrick London), masquerading as Bo Buchanan, infiltrated the Buchanan family, drugged Asa, and stealthily sold off the Buchanan family assetts, until all that was left would be Sanders Industries. The plot was foiled however, and Elizabeth went to jail. She later appeared as part of an army of prisoners whom her grandson Jamie helped escape from jail. That adventure was the last anyone heard of the Sanders family.
[edit] The Siegels
The Siegels were daytime's first family of Jewish characters, and the first interfaith marriage, although members of this family rarely were involved in front-burner storylines. From the show's start, lawyer David Siegel was married to Eileen Riley Siegel, sister of Viki's first husband Joe. David and Eileen already had twins Julie Siegel and Timmy Siegel, who started out as adolescents but underwent SORAS in the early 70s (Timmy then became known as Tim). David was the lawyer in resident for the more dynamic characters in Llanview, representing Larry and Vince Wolek in (separate) criminal cases. Eileen mainly acted as a confidante for Joe.
In 1972, Dave managed to get Steve Burke acquitted for the accidental death of his secretary. Unbeknownst to Dave, the crucial evidence came from a surprising source: Dave's presumed-dead brother-in-law, Joe Riley. Eileen had never given up hope that Joe was alive, and she was overjoyed when he finally appeared.
Julie Siegel fell in love with a law school lothario Jack Lawford and moved in with him, without marrying him (still a scandalous act for a soap opera heroine in 1972). Julie assumed Jack would marry her upon completion of his law school work. But when she discovered Jack was sleeping with other women, and realized he never intended to tie the knot, she had a nervous breakdown. While recovering from this breakdown, Julie met Dr. Mark Toland (played by Tommy Lee Jones). They fell in love and married, but Julie was a cold fish to him.
Dave suffered a massive heart attack and died in 1973; Eileen turned to painkillers to get through the ordeal. Eventually she sought treatment from Dr. Dorian Cramer. Mark had an affair with Dorian, prompting Julie to divorce him.
Eileen briefly romanced Ben Farmer, whose own wife Rachel had died because of a hospital mishap (involving both Dorian & Mark, ironically enough). But Julie strongly objected to Eileen dating anyone and demanded that her mother remain utterly devoted to the memory of David. (Julie was unwilling to let her own mother find the love & happiness she could not seem to find herself.) Julie even went so far as trying to seduce Ben herself in order to break up her mother's relationship with him. She didn't expect to actually fall in love with him. Eventually, they left town together.
Tim Siegel (who'd been written out for a few years) returned to Llanview after having dropped out of law school. He became a construction worker and fell in love with novitiate nun Jenny Wolek. Jenny gave up the cloistured life for Tim, and the two got engaged. Her cousin Vince, outraged that Tim was "stealing" Jenny from the church, got into a fight that exacerbated a latent brain anuerisym in Tim. When it became apparent that Tim was dying, Jenny arranged for a hasty wedding ceremony in Tim's hospital room. Tim died shortly after the marriage was officiated.
With no husband or children left in Llanview, Eileen opted to part for greener pastures in 1977. Neither she nor Julie were heard from again - not even her brother Joe died...or even when Tom Dennison discovered he was the separated-at-birth identical twin brother of Joe (and therefore, Eileen's brother as well!)
[edit] The Vernons
Dr. Will Vernon was a resident psychotherapist at Llanview Hospital - which is a laugh given the twisted dynamics of his immediate family. Before arriving in Llanview in 1976, he'd already had one mistress, prompting his neurotic wife Naomi Vernon to attempt suicide. Will was genuinely remorseful over the consequences of his actions, and wanted to mend fences with his wife. However, Naomi was a passive-aggressive manipulator who never let him forget his sins. Moreover, Naomi was furiously jealous at the close relationship Will seemed to have with his assistant Jenny Wolek. Fearful that Will might leave her, Naomi concocted a fake suicide attempt in order to elicit her husband's sympathy. Unfortunately, her plan went awry and she actually did die as a result of taking too many sleeping pills.
Will and Naomi's son Brad (the Cad) Vernon was once on the fast-track to become a major tennis star. An elbow injury cut his pro-athlete dreams short though. Bitter and self-pitying, Brad became a ne'er-do-well lothario. He romanced several young women about town, chief among them cocktail waitress Lana McCain, and Jenny Wolek. Jenny resisted his advances, but that only made him all the more determined to win her over. Eventually Jenny did fall for him, but by then Lana was pregnant with Brad's child. During a quarrel, Brad accidentally caused Lana's death. Fearful that he might be blamed for murdering her, Brad coaxed Jenny into providing him an alibl for the time Lana died. The police didn't buy it and Brad went to trial. Jenny was called to testify against Brad, but refused on the grounds that she had eloped with Brad the night before - and as his wife, couldn't be asked to speak against him in court. Nevertheless, Brad went to jail for manslaughter. When she realized how she'd been used, Jenny sought an annulment. But after visiting him in jail numerous times, Jenny became convinced that he'd had changed. She stuck with the marriage when he was released from jail, and became pregnant by him. But if Brad had changed at all, it was for the worse - he raped Jenny's sister Karen, and pressured Karen into remaining quiet by telling Karen that Jenny was suffering a difficult pregnancy, and any upsetting news might cause her to miscarry. (Ironically, when Jenny learned about the rape, she went into early labor and DID end up losing the baby.) Jenny left Brad, and he eventually mellowed out. He dated Georgianna Whitmore, an auto mechanic, ran the 'Vernon Inn' for several years, and later married Joy O'Neill (sister of Didi and Connie.)
Samantha Vernon, Brad's little sister, resented her father and seemed to be always on the search for a surrogate 'dad.' She chased the much older Tony Lord around town for a while. After Tony finally lost his temper and told her off, the devastated girl got into a car crash (one that scarred her, and resulted in the death of Pamela Cross - her father's fiancee.) After leaving town for corrective plastic surgery, Samantha returned to marry the much, much, MUCH older Asa Buchanan. Unbeknown to Samantha (or Asa's sons Clint & Bo for that matter), Asa's first wife Olympia was still alive and refused to grant him a divorce. Thus Asa imprisoned her, and his marriage to Samantha was a bigamist affair. Olympia escaped several times and attempted to kill either Asa or Samantha, but was foiled and returned to her imprisonment time and again. Finally, the truth about Olympia came out, and Samantha divorced Asa. Samantha later fell in love with Rafe Garretson (Asa's nephew, who had served as Olympia's jailor) and married him. Samantha was pregnant with Rafe's child when a traumatic accident left her brain-dead. The child she was carrying was artificially inseminated into her friend Delila Ralston (another one of Asa's hapless brides), and Sam's father Will shut off her life-support. The baby that Delila eventually bore was a girl whom she & Rafe named Samantha in honor of her biological mother. Samantha was seen again however as one of many former friends who appeared to Viki as angels during the famed 'Heaven' storyline.
