Michael Ross (Home and Away)

Michael Ross is a fictional character on the Australian soap opera Home and Away played by actor Dennis Coard and made his first appearance on 22 October 1990.

Storylines

Michael arrives in Summer Bay as the new owner of the boat shed and begins staying in the caravan park. Ben Lucini (Julian McMahon) takes a dislike to Michael because he intended to purchase the business himself. After making friends and settling in, Michael is soon joined by his teenage son, Haydn (Charlton Hill) who does not want to leave his posh boarding school. Pippa Fletcher (Debra Lawrence) takes a shine to Michael but is worried as her husband Tom (Roger Oakley) died six months earlier. In spite of this, Pippa and Michael begin dating. Pippa's adoptive daughter, Sally (Kate Ritchie) feels uncomfortable with their relationship as she feels Michael is trying to replace Tom but ultimately accepts him. Michael proposes to Pippa and she accepts. Prior to the wedding, Michael's ex-wife Cynthia (Belinda Giblin) arrives in the Bay to drive a wedge between Michael and Pippa but is unsuccessful and leaves taking Haydn with her for several weeks. Pippa and Michael marry and Michael adopts Pippa's son, Christopher (Shaun Wood) as well as taking responsibility for various foster children.

The following year, Michael and Pippa learn they are expecting their first child. The baby is born and they name him Dale, but within a few weeks, Dale dies of SIDS leaving them devastated. Hadyn returns to town and begins staying with the family and asks Michael for a loan so he can start a surf shop. It soon becomes clear that Haydn has a gambling problem and Michael tries to help him but Hadyn keeps falling back into his vice and eventually flees the bay. Soon after the Rosses find themselves in debt and Michael and Pippa's marriage begins to crumble. They separate over Christmas 1994 but reconcile after learning Sally has run away. Sally returns and the Rosses try to resolve things. Michael's friendship with Alf takes a hit when they fall out over a new time-share development.

When a large flood devastates Summer Bay as a result of the storm, Michael and Jack Wilson (Daniel Amalm) go out into the night to pick up Sam Marshall (Ryan Clark), who has been late in returning home. Sam falls into a stream and Michael jumps in to save him. Sam makes it safely to land but Michael find himself in difficulty. Jack tries to hold on to him but the current is too strong and Michael is swept away downstream. Several days later, Michael's body is found and Steven Matheson (Adam Willits breaks the news to Pippa.