Vince Wolek

Vincent "Vince" Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera One Life to Live. The character was originated and most notably played by Antony Ponzini, who portrayed the role continuously from the debut episode in 1968 through 1975, and reappeared in the role in 1987.

Casting

Vinny was created by series creator Agnes Nixon, who cast Ponzini in the role which debuted on the first episode of the serial July 15, 1968. Ponzini went on to play the role for over seven years, leaving the role in November 1975. Vinny was recast by then-series head writer Gordon Russell to Jordan Charney, who played the role from 1975 through 1977, and to Michael Ingram from 1977 through 1981. Antony Ponzini returned to the role briefly during a storyline involving Viki having a near-death experience of going to Heaven in 1987.

Storylines

In 1968, Vince fell in love with fun-loving party girl Niki Smith; little did he know that Niki was an alternate personality of heiress Viki Lord—the girlfriend of Vince's best friend, reporter Joe Riley.^[2] Eventually Vince learned the truth and, though heartbroken, told Viki about her alter ego. 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 Vince. When he urged Niki to marry him, however, Niki's own panic resulted in Viki regaining control. She returned to Joe.^[3]

In 1970, Vince unwittingly became involved with the Llanview drug trade, and was implicated in a drug-related murder. He was eventually cleared of wrongdoing, but not before Joe, investigating Llanview's increasing drug problem for The Banner, was presumed dead in California.^[4] Vince (and Joe's sister, Eileen) had refused to give up the hope that Joe was alive, and both were upset when Viki signed papers declaring Joe dead in 1972.^[5] They were vindicated when Joe reappeared; he had returned to Llanview ill, but had been nursed back to health by sassy tell-it-like-it-is waitress Wanda Webb (Marilyn Chris). By the time Joe and Viki reunited in 1973, Vince had become a police officer for the Llanview Police Department; that year during an investigation with then-Lt. Ed Hall, Vince was held hostage with his sister-in-law Meredith at Llanfair, in incident which would lead to her death.^[6]

Later, he fell in love with big hearted Wanda, and the two married in February 1975.^[7] Following the departure of Ponzini in the character role, Vincent became more of a canvas, supporting character, later poisoned by the adoptive father of Tina Lord, Ted Clayton, in 1981.^[8] Vince's widow, Wanda, remained in Llanview and ran a restaurant of her own after years of being a waitress. Offered her no-nonsense advice and delicious food, Wanda became a neighborhood friend throughout the 1980s. Besides Wanda dating various men after Vince's death, She also took in her nephew, Jason Webb, who eventually left town to go to Texas with LeeAnn Demerest. She crossed swords with Dorian Lord, when she had Sloan Carpenter attacked outside her restaurant and with Marty Saybrooke because Marty slept with Jason who was about to marry LeeAnn. Her restaurant, called Wanda's Place, was in the same Angel Square location which would later become home to Vega café and later the Buenos Dias Café. Wanda finally left town in 1994 when she remarried and moved to Seattle to open a bookstore.

References