Opal Cortlandt
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| Opal Cortlandt | |||||||||
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| All My Children | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Dorothy Lyman 1981-1984 Jill Larson 1989-present |
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| First appearance | 1981 | ||||||||
| Created by | Agnes Nixon | ||||||||
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| Gender | Female | ||||||||
| Occupation | Owner of the Glamorama Board member of Cortlandt Electronics |
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| Residence | Pine Valley, Pennsylvania | ||||||||
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Opal Sue Gardner Purdy Cortlandt, primarily going by Opal now, is a recurring character in from the fictional town of Pine Valley on the American daytime drama All My Children. She is currently portrayed, on a recurring basis, by Jill Larson; and was originally portrayed by award-winning actress Dorothy Lyman. Like Cher and Madonna she prefers to go by just her first name, Opal.
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[edit] Background
In the beginning, Opal was only supposed to remain on All My Children for only six weeks. But when the show's executives saw Dorothy Lyman's electric portrayal of the character, the writers continued to write for her.
"I have a true collaboration with Agnes Nixon (AMC's creator)," says Lyman between. "The writers write for me, but a lot of Opal's impulses come from me. I think what people like about Opal is that they don't know what to expect from her. There's a kind of danger to her."
– Dorothy Lyman[1]
The producers of the show disagreed with the way Lyman portrayed Opal:
"When I was hired last winter, 'they' kept calling me in every week, telling me to change my act or I'd be fired," says Lyman, referring to The Powers That Be. "I guess I just felt I could always work in the theater if I was written off. There was no point in being scared. The most important thing an actor needs is to have courage to get up everyday in front of people. To put on clothes and pretend to be somebody you're not takes a lot of guts. I think what makes Opal so popular is the fact that people can relate to her. A lot of women will come up to me and say, 'I'm Opal.' Then they'll take out a picture of their daughter and, 'This is my daughter, she's Jenny. We call each other Opal and Jenny.' And I look at this poor middle-aged woman with bleached hair and wonder, 'What must she think?' To me, Opal is the epitome of bad taste and bad manners. I can't understand why anyone would want to be like her, but I love the fact that they do. That they see to her good parts."
– Dorothy Lyman[1]
[edit] Brief character history
[edit] Early years
Opal and her daughter, Jenny, first came to Pine Valley in 1981, and Opal was intent on getting her daughter into show business. In 1984, Jenny married Greg, but the marriage was short lived as Jenny was killed in a jet ski explosion. Devastated, Opal left Pine Valley and went to Europe where she married a man named Ralph Purdy. She would later return to Pine Valley.
In the early years Opal was primarily known to the viewing audience as a woman with a Beverly Hills twang, a clumsy hooker's gait, some of the cheapest clothes this side of 42nd Street, and, most importantly, with attitude. Opal has what seems to be fearless pride - she is totally unaware that the rest of Pine Valley is laughing behind her back.[1]
[edit] Later years
By 1989, Opal and Ralph had separated and were headed for divorce when he died suddenly. She came back to Pine Valley and was engaged Stan Ulatowski, Palmer Cortlandt's partner in crime. She fell in love with Palmer, whom she teamed up with to bust up the marriage of her son Tad and his new wife Dixie. After successfully breaking them up she fell in love with Palmer and they married in November 1990 and by December 1992 they had a son Peter William Cortlandt. They divorced in 1998, due to his affair with Janet Greene, but remain close friends. Soon after, Opal learned the son Ray forced her to abandon had returned. Adrian Sword came to Pine Valley to investigate Palmer, and mother and son soon reunited. She is still close to her biological son, Tad Martin. Also, she is Erica Kane's best friend and confidante; and was close with Erica's children, Kendall Hart Slater; Bianca Montgomery; and Josh Madden.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Brown, Meredith. "Opal Shimmers!", Soap Opera Digest. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
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