Crane family

The Crane family is a fictional family on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. Seated at 14 Raven Hill Road atop Raven Hill in Harmony, New England, the wealthy Crane family amassed its fortune during the eighteenth century via the slave trade, amongst other things. The Crane family wealth is now garnered from Crane Industries, a global corporation, which does a number of things, including shipping and fishing. Over the years, the Cranes have intermarried and reproduced with a number of notable families from Harmony and New England, including the Barretts, the Winthrops, the Lopez-Fitzgeralds, the Bennetts, and the Russells.

History

The affluent and renowned Crane family emigrated from Great Britain in the seventeenth century, eventually settling in the coastal New England village of Harmony over three hundred years ago. The Cranes gained a great deal of influence in village affairs by the end of the century. In 1693, magistrate William Ephraim Crane ordered the execution of accused witch Tabitha Lenox after hearing testimony from the young Prudence Standish; as a result, Tabitha has long since held a grudge against William's descendants.

The Cranes first began to amass their multibillion-dollar fortune in the eighteenth century through their participation in the Atlantic slave trade; further wealth was derived in the early twentieth century by illegally smuggling alcohol into the United States during the Prohibition and through other unpalatable activities. In more recent generations, the Cranes' main source of reported income has been derived from Crane Industries, the family-run international conglomerate.

Upon the debut of Passions in July 1999, the Crane family and Standish family consists of patriarch Alistair; his two children, Julian and Sheridan; Julian's new wife, Ivy, and eldest child, Ethan; and Ethan's girlfriend Theresa. The Cranes are quickly established to be a dysfunctional bunch; Julian and Ivy,despite over two decades of marriage, bitterly despise one another and never, during their two years of marriage seen on-air, engage in sexual intercourse with one another, and patriarch Alistair seeks numerous times to murder Sheridan, his own daughter, often enlisting Julian's help in achieving his goal.

The Crane family seems to have largely fallen apart by early 2002 — Ethan, the heir apparent to the empire, is revealed to be the product of Ivy's adulterous affair with police chief Sam Bennett in early 2001, leading Julian to divorce Ivy in August, and Sheridan and Julian are both apparently murdered in August 2001 and January 2002, respectively. Following Julian's murder, Alistair is the only remaining member of the Crane family left until Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald has herself declared the legal Mrs. Julian Crane and takes control of Julian's estate. Theresa eventually gives birth to Julian's son, Ethan Martin Crane, in June 2002, and both Julian and Sheridan are later discovered to be alive later that summer. Theresa continues to hold control of much of the Crane estate, however, until her Bermudan wedding to Julian is revealed to have been a practical joke in March 2003.

In 2002, the writers begin introducing Julian and Ivy's frequently mentioned but heretofore never seen children into the program's storylines. Julian and Ivy's only son, Fox Crane, returns to Harmony in December 2002, followed by his eldest sister, Fancy, in June 2005. Julian and Ivy's third and final child, their youngest daughter, Pretty, returns to Harmony in July 2007 in order to seek revenge against her sister for a fight a decade earlier that left Pretty's face partially disfigured. Julian and Sheridan each welcome the birth of children in the following years — Julian has a daughter, Endora Lenox, with Tabitha in July 2003, while Sheridan gives birth to son Marty Lopez-Fitzgerald in September 2003 and then adopts then-husband Chris Boothe's son, James, in late 2006.

Both Alistair and Julian also learn that they have fathered children with other women. When Julian learns that his son with Eve did not died shortly after birth as had been previously believed, the two set out to find their child, and Alistair eventually reveals the boy to be Chad Harris, who was engaged to Eve's eldest daughter, Whitney Russell. In June 2006, however, Chad learns that his biological parents are actually Alistair and Eve's adoptive half-sister, Liz Sanbourne, and Julian and Eve learned in July 2007 that their son is the intersex Blackmailer that has been terrorizing most of Harmony, Vincent Clarkson; Vincent, as his female persona of Valerie Davis, sleeps with and bears his father's son in May 2008. Alistair also discovers in spring 2005 that his one-night stand in the 1970s with then-Harmony harlot Edna Wallace produced a daughter, Beth.

As of the series finale in August 2008, the only current Crane family members living in Harmony are Julian, Sheridan, Fancy, Endora, Julian and Vincent's unnamed son, and Marty. Chad and Fox are murdered in August and September 2007, respectively, and Whitney moves with her and Chad's young son, Miles, to New Orleans. Beth is also killed in July 2006 in Rome, and custody of Sheridan's adoptive son, James, rests with the boy's father, Chris. Alistair, meanwhile, is murdered once-and-for-all in May 2008; that same year, Pretty is revealed to be suffering from a mental disorder in June and sent away to a mental institution, and Vincent is revealed to be alive and arrested for his crimes in July.

Being a "true Crane"

Central to several of the soap's storylines is the concept of being a "true Crane". A true Crane is considered to be a Crane who behaves in the Machiavellian manner of his or her Crane ancestors, ruthlessly and single-mindedly stopping at nothing in order to achieve his or her goals while failing to consider or care about how others will be affected; for example, the Cranes, according to Alistair, have a history of patricide. Alistair Crane can be considered to epitomize the ideal of the true Crane; other characters frequently compare Cranes who act in the manner of a true Crane to Alistair. Alistair himself takes pride in being a true Crane, and his only descendant that he considers to possess these same qualities is his beloved granddaughter and favorite family member, Fancy; somewhat ironically, Fancy is one of the few Cranes to abstain from the nefarious and deceitful schemes for which her family is infamous.

Crane Industries

Crane Industries, a publicly traded company, was founded by Alistair Crane. The company is the sole source of the family's revenue and is primarily involved in fishing. However, in addition to Crane Fisheries and the Crane Cannery, Crane Industries also produces a fashion line, Crane Couture, and has an extensive security and surveillance department. Crane Industries is based in Crane Tower in Harmony, and the company also owns the Crane Recording Studio, as well as the Book Café.

Alistair Crane serves as CEO of the company until he falls into a coma in 2006; when he resurfaces the following year, he is unable to take control of the company back because he is wanted for his actions in Rome and for the murder of his son, Chad. Alistair leaves Theresa, who had previously served as Vice President of the company in 2002, in charge of Crane, while Julian is the company's president.

Chad and Fox both work in the business division; Valerie serves as Chad's assistant, and then later Theresas's, whereas Kay becomes Fox's assistant after leaving the Crane Cannery. Alistair establishes Crane Couture for Fancy in 2005, although she leaves the company in 2006 to become a police officer in 2006. Sheridan briefly heads Crane's charitable division before Alistair fires her for giving money to Theresa in 2004; she later takes over Crane Couture after Fancy's departure and secures an accounting job for her husband, Chris. Other Crane employees include Jared Casey, who is also a business executive.

Ethan Winthrop serves as the company's legal counsel; he is to inherit the company upon Alistair's death until it is revealed that his biological father is Sam Bennett. Alistair later names Little Ethan his legal successor; however, according to Alistair's will, control of the company shall pass to Fancy, because Little Ethan is not Julian's biological son.

Inheritance

Due to Alistair's position as one of the most powerful and wealthy men in the world, the contents of his will frequently factor in significantly to the program's storylines. For many years, Julian is Alistair's heir apparent, but Alistair disinherits Julian in favor of Ethan in 2000 after he grows disgusted with his son's behavior. Ethan does not last long as the heir, however, and is quickly disowned later that year for breaking off his engagement to Gwen Hotchkiss in order to marry Theresa; the revelation that Ethan is Sam Bennett's son removes Ethan from Alistair's will completely.

After years of uncertainty, Alistair adopts his new wife Theresa's son with Julian, Little Ethan, and makes the nine-year-old his heir while disinheriting the rest of his family.^[1] When Alistair falls into a coma in January 2006, and again when he is believed to have died in July of that year, Theresa, as his wife and Little Ethan's mother, takes over control of the Crane empire as a sort of regent. Upon further study of Alistair's will, however, Theresa discovers that, should it be revealed that Little Ethan was fathered by Ethan and not Julian, Little Ethan will be disinherited and Fancy will become the sole heiress to the Crane fortune.^[2]

Family members

First generation

• Alistair Ephraim Crane
  (Alan Oppenheimer/Bill Dempsey, 1999–2004; David Bailey, 2004–05; John Reilly, 2005–08)
  Alistair is the patriarch of the Crane family and the series' primary villain. He is the father of Julian and Sheridan Crane, Beth Wallace, and Chad Harris-Crane; he also adopted Little Ethan Crane in 2005. He is the founder and head of Crane Industries until 2006 when he lapses into a coma. Alistair is killed in 2008 by Viki Chatsworth.
  • Katherine Barrett Crane
    (Leigh Taylor-Young)
    Katherine grew up in Harmony with her younger sister Rachel Barrett, who was betrothed to Alistair Crane. Following Rachel's supposed death, Katherine married Alistair instead, and was constantly sexually and physically abused. Despite the love for her two children, Katherine ran away from Alistair and the Crane family to start a new life with her love Martin Fitzgerald. The pair escaped to Mexico, altered their appearances through major plastic surgery, and changed their names to Bob and Ellen Wheeler. They helped to raise Martin's youngest daughter Paloma, who was oblivious to the couple's real identities. Katherine eventually returned to Harmony with Martin. Martin's wife Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald began to despise Katherine for the affair, and the two began to feud over his affections. Katherine was black-mailed by Alistair to remain his wife or else he would reveal that their daughter Sheridan murdered Rachel. Alistair had no qualms about raping Katherine despite her protests. Katherine has since disappeared from the canvas and was not heard since, though in November 2006 Pilar made a reference that "that woman" was with Martin. A year later, Sheridan mentioned that her mother has abandoned her and the family. Since the move to DirecTV, Pilar has mentioned that she gave up on a future with Martin and let him be with Katherine, confirming the (off-screen) reunion of Martin and Katherine.
  • Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane
    (Lindsay Hartley)
    Theresa marries Alistair in 2005 in a desperate attempt to lure back ex-fiancé Ethan Winthrop. Upon their marriage, Alistair adopts her nine-year-old son, Little Ethan Crane, and makes him the heir to his empire. Theresa is later left as Alistair's widow.

Second generation

• Julian Linus Crane
  (Ben Masters)
  Julian is introduced as the bumbling and amoral son of Alistair and Katherine. Julian eventually develops a softer side to his personality and comes to regret his hurtful playboy antics. Julian is the father of Vincent Clarkson; Fancy, Fox, and Pretty Crane; Endora Lenox; and an unnamed infant son; he also raised as his first-born son, and briefly believed both Chad Harris-Crane and Little Ethan Crane to be his sons.
  • Ivy Crane
    (Kim Johnston Ulrich)
    The daughter of the former governor, Ivy married Julian while in college, despite being deeply in love with local boy Sam Bennett, who unknowingly fathered her eldest son. Ivy endured her marriage only via the knowledge that Ethan, who is believed to be Julian's son, will one day head the Crane empire. Ethan's paternity comes out in 2001, and Julian and Ivy divorce later that year; after many schemes and machinations, Ivy reunites with Sam, and they become engaged. While married to Julian, Ivy gives birth to three of his children: Fox, Fancy, and Pretty.
  • Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald (Lindsay Korman)

Theresa and Julian are married while drunk in Bermuda in 2001. She gives birth to their son, Ethan Martin Winthrop, in 2002, and he is eventually named the Crane heir, only to discover four years later that her ex-fiancé, Ethan Winthrop, had fathered Little Ethan.

• • Rebecca Hotchkiss Crane
    (Maureen McCormick, 2000; Andrea Evans, 2000–08)
    The social-climbing Rebecca divorces her husband Jonathan in favor of the wealthier Julian in 2001; however, the wedding is invalid. Through blackmail, Rebecca and Julian are married again in 2004, but they divorce in 2006.
• Sheridan Crane
  (McKenzie Westmore)
  The late-in-life daughter of Alistair and Katherine, Sheridan endures a tortured romance with the working-class Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. After Luis rejects in her favor of her niece, Fancy, Sheridan quickly turns from heroine to villainess. Sheridan and Luis have one son, Marty; she also adopts husband Chris's son James.
  • Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald
    (Christopher Douglas)
    An amnesiac Sheridan falls in love with Antonio on the island of St. Lisa; when she regains her memory, her desires return to Antonio's brother Luis, but she eventually marries Antonio in 2003 when Antonio becomes gravely ill. Antonio is believed killed in 2004 after an airplane explosion, but is revealed to be alive in 2008, and he convinces Sheridan to give their marriage another try.
  • Christopher Matthew "Chris" Boothe
    (Adrian Wilson)
    Chris, a South African native, is hired by Alistair to distract Sheridan from Luis, although he soon falls in love with her. They bond over "his" son James, who reminds Sheridan of her kidnapped son Marty and whom she eventually adopts. They marry in 2006 and soon become pregnant, although Sheridan suffers a son it's kidnapped sister Beth. later that year. After Sheridan admits in a crowded courtroom that she still loves Luis and wants him back, Chris leaves Sheridan and takes James with him in 2007.
  • Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald
    (Galen Gering)
    Luis and Sheridan endure a passionate love-hate relationship for over a year until the two realize their true feelings for one another. However, Alistair disapproves of the relationship and repeatedly tears the lovers apart. Luis and Sheridan marry in a spiritual, non-legal ceremony in Mexico in 2004 while waiting for Antonio to be declared legally deceased. Their second wedding in Hawaii in 2006 is also invalid, due the fact that Sheridan has just married Chris. Luis and Sheridan share one son, Marty.
• Beth Wallace
  (Kelli McCarty)
  Beth is revealed to be the product of a one-night stand between Alistair and Edna Wallace in 2005. She and Luis were high school sweethearts; they drifted apart and then reconnect, only for Luis to leave when Sheridan turns up alive. Beth snaps and kidnaps a pregnant Sheridan, then passes off her baby, Marty,belong with sister Sheridan as her own. Beth (apparently) dies in a train crash in July 2006 in Rome.
• Chad Harris-Crane
  (Donn Swaby, 1999–2002; Charles Divins, 2002–07)
  Chad moves to Harmony in search of his biological parents in 1999. He is told that they are Julian and Eve Russell in 2004; he later discovers that they are actually Alistair and Liz Sanbourne two years later. Chad has two children with Whitney Russell: Miles and a second child born off-screen. He is murdered by his father in August 2007.
  • LaToya
    (Jennia Fredrique)
    Chad married LaToya as a young, aspiring music producer in Los Angeles. When Chad told LaToya that he wanted to move to Harmony in order to search for his parents, she refused to leave her family and friends, and they separated. They meet again in 2003; Chad is shocked to learn that they are still married, and LaToya threatens to kill Chad's then-girlfriend, Whitney, for sleeping with her husband. Chad finalizes his divorce from LaToya and then returns to Harmony.
  • Whitney Russell
    (Brook Kerr)
    After mistakenly believing that they are half-siblings, Whitney and Chad are married in December 2006. However, they break up in 2007 when Whitney discovers that Chad has been having an affair with Vincent. After Chad's death, a pregnant Whitney moves to New Orleans with their son, Miles.

Third generation

• Vincent Clarkson
  (Phillip Jeanmarie/Daphnee Duplaix Samuel)
  Vincent is the son of Julian and Eve Russell, who was believed to have died as an infant and placed into foster care. Vincent is intersex and was tormented as a young boy; he eventually becomes deranged and homicidal and sets out to torment his parents and siblings. As his female alter-ego, Valerie Davis, Vincent become pregnant with his father Julian's baby, a boy who is born in 2008.
• Fancy Crane
  (Emily Harper)
  The daughter of Julian and Ivy and the sole beneficiary of Alistair's will, Fancy is introduced as a spoiled party-girl. After having been matured by her on/off relationship with Noah Bennett, Fancy falls in love with and marries Luis, and announces their pregnancy in the series finale.
  • Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald
    (Galen Gering)
    Luis meets Fancy while searching for his kidnapped son in Rome in 2006, and while helping one another heal from their broken relationships, they fall in love. They marry in 2008 and are expecting a baby in the series finale.
• Nicholas Foxworth "Fox" Crane
  (Justin Hartley, 2002–06; Mark Cameron Wystrach, 2006–07)
  Fox is the playboy son of Julian and Ivy who learns to reform his ways after falling in love with Whitney Russell. After learning that Miles is not his son, Fox falls in love with Kay and eventually resorts to trickery in order to marry her. Fox is murdered in September 2007.
  • Kathleen Elizabeth "Kay" Bennett
    (Taylor Anne Mountz, 1999–2000; Deanna Wright, 2000–03; Heidi Mueller, 2003–08)
    Young single-mother Kay falls in love with Fox and accepts his proposal of marriage, only to regret her decision when childhood crush Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald returns to town. Kay marries Fox in 2007 because she believes that he is dying; when she learns the truth, she leaves him.
• Pretty Crane
  (Melinda Sward)
  Pretty is the youngest daughter of Julian and Ivy. She returns to Harmony in 2007 to seek revenge on elder sister Fancy, whom she blames for an altercation that left her face badly scarred. Pretty is later revealed to be mentally ill and is sent to an asylum.
• Endora Lenox
  (Cole Kvarda, 2003; Nicole Cox, 2003–08)
  Endora is the product of a one-night stand between Julian and Tabitha Lenox. Endora inherits her mother's magical powers, but as a half-mortal possesses the ability to love and care for her family and friends.
• James Boothe
  (Ryan and Jackson Keane, 2005–06; Seth Stern, 2006–07)
  James is the biological son of Maureen Preston and was born Mark Preston. After his mother's death, Chris Boothe claims to be his father, and Sheridan adopts him after she and Chris marry. James leaves town with Chris in 2007 after Sheridan and Chris separate.
• Martin "Marty" Lopez-Fitzgerald
  (Derek Jones, 2003; Lillith Streett and Timothy Jeffs, 2003–04; Jack and James Wright, 2004–05; Sawyer and Griffin Miller, 2004; Shane and Mitchell Albin, 2005–06; Daniel Chalfa, 2007–08)
  Marty is the son of Luis and Sheridan and is born in September 2003. He is kidnapped by Beth as an infant and raised as her and Luis's son. When the truth is revealed, Alistair forces Beth to give Marty up, and he is returned to his parents on Christmas 2005.
• Miles Davis Harris-Crane
  (Julard Roddy, 2005; Lauren Bieber, 2005–06; Mekhai Wilson, 2006; Sinqua Walls, 2006–07)
  Miles is the son of Chad and Whitney, born in March 2005. When he is born, Whitney believes that Chad is her half-brother and thus tries to pass her baby off as Fox's son. After Chad's death, Miles and Whitney move to New Orleans.

Extended family

• Rachel Barrett
  (Sharon Wyatt, 2005–06)
  Rachel is Katherine's older sister. She was engaged to Alistair many years ago when she discovered his true, evil nature and tried to end their relationship; as a result, Alistair kidnapped her, faked her death in a boating accident, and held her captive for the majority of her adult life in Hawaii. She eventually escaped and faked her own death before fleeing to Montana. She returns to Harmony in 2005 disguised in a white cape, bearing blood-red fingernails, and searching for Alistair so she can stab him to death. Rachel fails at this task, but she is reunited with her sister before dropping off-screen.
• Alfred and Sarah Crane
  Alfred was a Crane ancestor who supported the British during the Revolutionary War; his daughter, Sarah (one of Sheridan's past lives), was in love with Luke Fitzgerald, a young minuteman and one of Luis's past lives. Sarah was heartbroken when Luke died, and she never married.
• Alistair Crane's grandmother
  Alistair's grandmother was insane and reclusive. She was imprisoned in the Crane mansion after trying to murder her husband and children. Her mental state is brought up in 2008 when various family members wonder if Sheridan and Pretty have inherited her instability.
• Thaddeus Crane
  Alistair's late uncle, who Julian used as an excuse to cover the cremation of the imposter Martin Fitzgerald.
• William Ephraim Crane
  William was a Crane ancestor and magistrate who lived during the Salem Witch Trials. He ordered the execution of accused witch Tabitha Lenox after hearing the testimony of Prudence Standish; as a result, Tabitha has held a grudge against William's descendants.
• Helen Revere-Mott-Beaton
  Helen was the mother of Ivy Winthrop and the grandmother of, Fancy, Fox, and Pretty. A wealthy socialite and member of Daughters of the American Revolution, Helen was a descendant of Paul Revere on her mother's side.
• Harrison Winthrop
  Harrison was the father of Ivy Winthrop and the grandfather of Ethan, Fancy, Fox, and Pretty. The one-time governor of the New England state in which Harmony is located, Harrison conspired with Alistair to force Julian and Ivy to marry as a way of merging Harrison's fishing business, Winthrop Marine, with Crane Industries.

Family tree

References and footnotes

External links

• Passions at NBC
• The Crane family tree at Soap Central
• The Barrett family tree at Soap Central
• The Winthrop family tree at Soap Central