Victoria Lord
Encyclopedia
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character
and matriarch of the Lord family
on the ABC
soap opera
One Life to Live
. Created as an original plot device
by series creator Agnes Nixon
, the role was originated by Gillian Spencer
on the debut episode July 15, 1968, the latter who Nixon later recast with Erika Slezak
. Slezak has since become synonymous with the role, first appearing March 17, 1971 and playing Viki nearly continuously throughout the series run to become one of the most lauded
and longest-serving serial actors in American media.
Victoria's storylines focus on drudgery, love, and family troubles. She has remained the matriarchal figure in Llanview since her introduction on the serial in 1968. One of the longest-running characters on American daytime television, Viki has weathered widow
hood (three times), divorce, a brain aneurysm
, a near-death out-of-body experience
, being shot, suffering a stroke
, breast cancer
, heart disease
, a heart transplant
, the abduction of three of her five children as infants, the deaths of three siblings, and the death of her daughter from lupus
. Most notably, she has suffered from dissociative identity disorder
since the inception of the serial.
in 1970, and again in 1971 with Slezak, who has since become synonymous with the character. Two other actresses have portrayed Viki while Slezak was on maternity leave: Christine Jones in 1980 and 1981, and Judith Barcroft
in 1987. In the summer of 2003, Slezak's real-life daughter, Amanda Davies, portrayed a teenaged Viki in flashbacks.
Slezak has received six Daytime Emmy Award
s for Outstanding Lead Actress
for portraying Viki in 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996, and 2005. She holds the record for the most Daytime Emmy wins by a single actress; actors Anthony Geary
and Justin Deas
also each possess six Daytime Emmys, Geary for a single character and Deas for various characters.
, but they soon fall in love; Victor disapproves and tries to keep them apart. Torn between pleasing her father and following her heart, Viki develops a wild alternate personality
named Niki Smith, who falls in love with another man. Viki's illness — apparently caused by seeing her pregnant mother fall down the stairs as a child — is eventually treated, and she and Joe marry in 1969. Joe is presumed dead in a car accident in 1970, and a heartbroken Viki finds comfort with fellow reporter Steve Burke. After he is wrongly put on trial for the murder of his psychotic secretary Marcy Wade, Steve is exonerated, and he and Viki marry in 1972. A very-much alive Joe returns, having survived his supposedly deadly car accident, and Viki is forced to choose between her two husbands. Viki initially stays married to Steve out of obligation but ultimately divorces him and remarries Joe in 1974. That same year, Dr. Dorian Cramer blames board member Viki for her suspension from Llanview Hospital, and a rivalry is born that will last decades. In 1975 Dorian becomes Victor's private physician, then marries him. Viki learns she has a half-brother, Tony Lord, and Dorian plots to keep Victor's fortune for herself. In 1976, Victor dies under mysterious circumstances (although viewers are left with the strong impression that Dorian murdered him). Dorian wreaks havoc on the Lord family, and Viki and Joe have a son, Kevin
. In 1978, Viki takes in Tina Clayton
, the sixteen-year-old daughter of her best friend Irene Manning Clayton
, who is apparently dying of cancer. Shortly after Irene dies, Viki goes on trial for the murder of her nemesis Marco Dane, but she is later exonerated following confessional testimony by Karen Wolek
. Joe dies from a brain tumor
in 1979, and Viki gives birth to their second son, Joe Jr.
, in 1980.
in 1982; he adopts both of her sons. Echo DiSavoy
, seeking revenge on Clint for her mother's murder, seduces him in 1983 to ruin his marriage, then fakes her own death and frames him for it. Clint is later exonerated after Echo is found alive, and he and Viki reunite. Viki is shocked to discover in 1985 that her former ward Tina Clayton
is in fact her half-sister, the daughter of Victor and Irene Manning, Viki's childhood friend. Thanks to the machinations of Tina's boyfriend Mitch Laurence
, Viki succumbs to the pressure and Niki Smith returns. Posing as Viki, Niki divorces Clint; Viki later overcomes her illness with the realization that it had actually been triggered by her witnessing Victor and Irene in bed many years before. Clint and Viki remarry in 1986, and Viki gives birth to their daughter Jessica
that same year. Jessica is kidnapped shortly after birth by Allison Perkins, a disciple of Mitch Laurence; thankfully, Jessica is returned unharmed, and Allison is institutionalized. In 1988, Viki learns that she had given birth to a baby in high school, but her father had a hypnotist erase the memory. Viki's memory is restored in 1989 when she meets Roger Gordon, the father of her child, whom she had married at the time but had been presumed dead; Viki has the marriage annulled at Clint's insistence. Roger's daughter Megan is revealed to also be Viki's daughter; she and Viki butt heads at first but ultimately get past their initial conflicts and become close.
leaves her paralyzed and in a wheelchair; Niki Smith emerges to aid a paralyzed Viki stand up and shoot Johnny Dee Hesser when he attacks Tina. Viki recovers and later donates a kidney to Megan, who is suffering from lupus
; despite the transplant, Megan dies, leaving Viki devastated. Having grown distant with Clint, Viki has an affair with Sloan Carpenter; she and Clint divorce in 1994, and she marries Sloan. Sloan dies soon after from Hodgkin's Disease, just as the existence of a second child of Victor and Irene's is revealed. Viki's stress reaches a critical point when Dorian tells Viki a secret of which she thought Viki had been aware: the fact that Victor had sexually abused his daughter as a child. With this trauma being what had actually initiated Viki's dissociative identity disorder
, she splinters into several personalities, one of whom imprisons Dorian in a secret room below Llanfair. Dorian is eventually freed from her confinement, and Viki recovers after realizing she herself (more specifically, one of her alternate personalities) was the one who had smothered Victor to death in 1976. The reviled Todd Manning
is proven to be Victor and Irene's illegitimate son; Viki and Todd eventually become close. After a failed reconciliation attempt with Clint, Viki meets and falls in love with Ben Davidson
, who is eventually revealed to be the long-lost son of Asa Buchanan
and Renee Divine. Ben's first wife, Skye Chandler
, comes to town and tries in vain to keep Ben and Viki apart.
in 2000, but survives after a mastectomy. She and Ben marry later that year. In 2001, a girl named Natalie Balsom
makes the startling claim that she is Viki and Clint's biological daughter, which is confirmed by a DNA test
. It is ultimately determined that Viki's enemy Mitch Laurence had secretly raped a drugged Viki around the same time she had conceived a child with Clint. Viki had unknowingly become pregnant with fraternal twins, one fathered by Clint (Natalie) and the other fathered by Mitch (Jessica). Mitch's daughter had been taken during delivery, and Viki had never known that she had more than one child. Mitch, however, had wanted his daughter to grow up loved by Viki in the lap of luxury, and had kidnapped Clint's child. She had been replaced with Mitch's daughter (who would become Jessica), and Clint's daughter (who would become Natalie) had been given away. Niki Smith emerges during the ordeal and plots to kill Ben in order to have her freedom, but when Ben is accidentally shot by Antonio Vega
during a hostage crisis, Viki returns. Ben is left comatose after the shooting. In 2003, Victor is revealed to be alive, as he had faked his death years earlier; however, shortly after he returns, Victor dies--- but not before Viki gets a chance to confront him about the sexual abuse he inflicted upon her. In 2004, Viki is diagnosed with heart disease and eventually needs a heart transplant. Coincidentally, a comatose Ben dies just as Viki takes a turn for the worse, and his heart is transplanted into Viki, who recovers but must face widowhood once again.
In 2007, Viki and Clint start dating again, but Dorian decides she wants Clint for herself and plots to break up the couple. Dorian's schemes succeed, and Clint ends things with Viki to start a new relationship with Dorian. Feeling humiliated and defeated, Viki leaves Llanview for a much-needed vacation and finds herself in Paris, Texas, where she tries to reinvent herself by waiting tables at a local diner. It is there that she meets patron Charlie Banks
, a recovering alcoholic, and the two begin seeing one another. Viki ultimately returns to Llanview once her family discovers her secret life, and Charlie's search for his estranged son Jared
leads him there as well. Viki and Charlie resume their relationship, but break up when Viki discovers that Charlie had lied about the identity of his son in extenuating circumstances. In July 2008, Viki is involved in a car accident with Dorian; Viki's heart stops as a result of the crash, but Dorian manages to revive her. Reexamining her life, Viki reunites with Charlie, and they marry on August 4, 2009. Viki runs for mayor against Dorian and wins; she steps down, however, to help her family deal with the unexpected return of Mitch Laurence, who wreaks havoc on her daughters and murders Jared in the process.
Viki and Charlie's marriage is further complicated by the return of Echo DiSavoy
, who had almost destroyed her marriage to Clint in 1983. Also a former lover of Charlie's, Echo soon announces that she and Charlie are Rex Balsom
's biological parents, the result of a fling they had after Echo left Llanview 27 years earlier. Unbeknownst to Viki and Charlie, Clint is actually Rex's biological father, but not wanting anything to do with Rex (whom he considers a gold-digging troublemaker), Clint changes Rex's paternity results to show that Charlie is the young man's father. Echo, whom Clint forces to go along with his scheme, begins insinuating herself into Charlie and Viki's marriage and uses the situation ---as well as her own drinking problem--- to bond with Charlie, much to Viki's dismay. Soon enough, Clint's paternity test switch is exposed, and a devastated Charlie (who had come to love Rex as his son) turns to Echo for comfort, unaware of her role in Clint's scheme. Charlie and Echo begin a torrid affair behind Viki's back, as Charlie has developed deep feelings for Echo but is unwilling to leave his wife. Dorian, who has suspicions about Echo and Clint's dealings, forges a truce and sides with her perennial frenemy to deal with Echo and her chicanery.
Tess, Jessica's wild alternate personality, returns and marries Robert Ford
the biological father of her son Ryder. Viki and Clint file for custody of Ryder in order to protect the baby from Tess. Soon, a devastated Viki finds out about Charlie's affair and asks him for a divorce. Hoping to stop Viki from gaining custody of Ryder, Tess taunts her and tells Viki that she's a failure as a mother; unable to handle Tess's cruel words, Viki turns into Niki Smith. Shortly after, Jean Randolph, another one of Viki's alters, takes over. Viki ends up fainting during the hearing for Ryder's custody, and she regains control from both Niki and Jean. The judge decides against giving custody to Viki, Tess, or Robert Ford, instead allowing Joey and his wife, Aubrey Buchanan, temporary custody of the baby.
Though Charlie and Echo break up once he learns of all her lies, he and Viki proceed with their divorce, and he leaves Llanview to return to Paris, Texas. Viki is saddened to learn that Clint is dying and needs a heart transplant; she encourages him to fight and reminds him that she went through the same situation herself several years earlier. Viki insists Clint do all he can to make amends for his behavior and get himself in good health, the two grow close once again. On May 25, 2011, Tess' husband (and Aubrey's ex-boyfriend and former grifting partner) Cutter Wentworth
blackamils Viki and Clint to extort a piece of the Buchanan fortune and the deed to the Buchanan Mansion in exchange for committing their daughter to St. Anne's. Viki refuses to give in to his demands, but Clint relunctantly agrees to his deal. Viki relunctanatly goes along with Cutter's extortion deal, and sign the commitment papers with Cutter to get her daughter professional help. On Friday June 17, 2011 Jessica returns after Ford helps her escape from St. Anne's and is divorced from her husband Cutter. On June 29, 2011 Viki signs as a witness when Clint unwillingly gives the entire Buchanan fortune to Rex in order to get Gigi's heart. This causes Cutter to lose the mansion thanks to a loophole in the deed saying that Clint could take the mansion back fom him anytime he wanted to, and hands over his house to Rex. Cutter also loses his money when the Buchanans take back their cash payment from his bank account. Clint admits he did Viki wrong and also admits he wishes he could go back and make it all right. Viki is later is visited by Echo, who tells Viki that Dorian caused Clint's heart attack, threatening to drive a wedge between Viki and Dorian's newfound reconciliation. Echo tells Viki this lie to get even with both Viki and Dorian after they both ruined her affair with Viki's ex-husband Charlie. Viki, having been burned by Echo and her schemes and lies before, would rather believe Dorian, her long-time frenemy and her former stepmother, over Echo, who had destroyed not one but two of her marriages.
Viki's half-brother Todd Manning disappeared briefly in 2003. Upon his return, his appearance was radically altered—and he claimed to have had plastic surgery in order to masquerade as Mitch's brother Walker Laurence. Years later in 2011, another man appeared in Llanview, with Todd's "original" face—claiming to be the real Todd, the victim of eight years of imprisonment and torture. After medical tests revealed that the two men have identical DNA
, Detective John McBain
learns that Todd's mother (and Viki's best friend) Irene is still alive, and he brings her back to Llanview. In August 2011, Irene reveals that she gave birth to identical twin boys: Todd Manning (whom she gave to her cousin Peter) and Victor Lord Jr. (whom she raised alone without anyone's knowledge). She tells Viki and the twins that the real Todd is the man who has recently returned to Llanview. The man who resembles Walker Laurence—and who has been living as Todd since 2003—is revealed to be Victor Jr., brainwashed into believing that he is Todd. In August 2011, Viki takes in her ex-husband Clint under her Llanfair estate after he is sentenced to twenty years under house arrest for various crimes he committed recently, after Viki agrees to put him into her custody since Clint lost his ownership of the mansion to Rex after he blackmailed and extorted it from him in exchange for Clint to get Rex's dead fiance's Gigi's heart. Viki also says good-bye to her lifelong "frenemy" Dorian before she leaves Llanview to be appointed to the U.S. Senate after the previous mayor is caught in a sex scandal. Viki and Dorian also find themselves locked into Dorian's mayoral office where they reminisce about their life together over the years they have known each other before Dorian's husband David Vickers Buchanan unlock the doors to let both of them out before they say their final good-byes to each other one last time before Dorian leaves for Washington D.C.
On September 27, 2011, Viki's sister Tina comes back to Llanview for the will reading of her newly discovered brother Victor Jr. Viki is still angry with Tina for all the problems that she endagered her family in a few years ago. Tina wants to make amends, but Viki still doesn't forgive her yet, but lets her stay at Llanfair while she's in town for a visit, whrere she's reunited with her ex-husband Cord. Cord is also still angry with Tina for her dangerous schemes a few years ago. After Tina's dog David Vickers goes missing, Viki finally reconciles with her sister and gives her another chance. Tina is eventually reunited with her dog after Viki sees her walk in her office at the Banner. On October 20, 2011, after her husband Clint turns down another extortion deal with Cutter to get the Buchanan fortune back after he sends Clint a picture of a forged document with Rex's name on it, Rex goes to Clint to say that he wants to give back the Buchanan fortune back to him after he drops his revenge plans against Victor Jr. and Jack. Viki is very pleased and surprised by Clint's sudden generousity towards his son Rex, meaning that he's starting to reconcile with his son, and finally accepting him as a member of the Buchanan family. While Tina and Cord dance around their lingering feelings for each other, it soon becomes obvious Clint and Viki are growing close once more with Tina playfully teasing Viki that she still loves Clint. After Tina and Cord marry for fourth time, and ride off into the sunset Viki deals with Natalie's personal troubles, and Todd's criminal activities to win Blair back. All the while, she and Clint continue to share various tender moments two of which nearly end in a kiss.
Occasionally, circumstances have forced Viki to impersonate one of her alters, particularly Niki and Jean.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and matriarch of the Lord family
Lord family
The Lord family is the core legacy family on the American soap opera One Life to Live, having appeared since the series debut in summer 1968. Initially introduced as the affluent WASP foil to the working class Wolek family, early storylines explored the ways these families interacted and...
on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
. Created as an original plot device
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
by series creator Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
, the role was originated by Gillian Spencer
Gillian Spencer
Gillian Spencer is an American soap opera actress and writer.She has had roles on soaps such as The Edge of Night, The Secret Storm, Guiding Light, As the World Turns and on One Life to Live as the original Victoria Lord/Niki Smith 1968-1970.Spencer appeared in the 1968 feature comedy What's So...
on the debut episode July 15, 1968, the latter who Nixon later recast with Erika Slezak
Erika Slezak
Erika Alma Hermina Slezak is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria Lord on the American daytime soap opera One Life to Live...
. Slezak has since become synonymous with the role, first appearing March 17, 1971 and playing Viki nearly continuously throughout the series run to become one of the most lauded
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974...
and longest-serving serial actors in American media.
Victoria's storylines focus on drudgery, love, and family troubles. She has remained the matriarchal figure in Llanview since her introduction on the serial in 1968. One of the longest-running characters on American daytime television, Viki has weathered widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
hood (three times), divorce, a brain aneurysm
Cerebral aneurysm
A cerebral or brain aneurysm is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.- Signs and symptoms :...
, a near-death out-of-body experience
Out-of-body experience
An out-of-body experience is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, perceiving one's physical body from a place outside one's body ....
, being shot, suffering a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
, a heart transplant
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
, the abduction of three of her five children as infants, the deaths of three siblings, and the death of her daughter from lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus , often abbreviated to SLE or lupus, is a systemic autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body. As occurs in other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body's cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage...
. Most notably, she has suffered from dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
since the inception of the serial.
Casting and awards
Victoria Lord was originally portrayed by Gillian Spencer from the One Life to Live premiere in 1968 until 1970. The role was briefly recast with Joanne DorianJoanne Dorian
Joanne Dorian is an American actress.Dorian is most notable for her brief portrayal of Victoria Lord on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live from late 1970 to 1971. Dorian's successor, Erika Slezak, continues in the role today.Dorian married actor Michael Zaslow in 1965, and they divorced in 1972...
in 1970, and again in 1971 with Slezak, who has since become synonymous with the character. Two other actresses have portrayed Viki while Slezak was on maternity leave: Christine Jones in 1980 and 1981, and Judith Barcroft
Judith Barcroft
Judith Barcroft is an American Broadway and soap opera actress.She began her soap career in 1966 by creating the role of Lenore Moore on Another World, a role she played until 1971...
in 1987. In the summer of 2003, Slezak's real-life daughter, Amanda Davies, portrayed a teenaged Viki in flashbacks.
Slezak has received six Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s for Outstanding Lead Actress
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974...
for portraying Viki in 1984, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1996, and 2005. She holds the record for the most Daytime Emmy wins by a single actress; actors Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary
Anthony Geary is an American actor. He has starred on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital as Luke Spencer from 1978 to 1984 and from 1993 to present.-Life and career:...
and Justin Deas
Justin Deas
Justin Deas is an American actor. He is known for his role as Tom Hughes #10 on As the World Turns and for his role as Buzz Cooper Sr. on Guiding Light...
also each possess six Daytime Emmys, Geary for a single character and Deas for various characters.
1960s and 1970s
The eldest child of domineering millionaire publisher Victor Lord, Viki has little time for romance when One Life to Live begins in 1968. She clashes with reporter Joe RileyJoe Riley (One Life to Live)
Joseph Francis "Joe" Riley, Sr. is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was portrayed by Lee Patterson from the inception of the serial in 1968 through 1970, returning from 1972 through 1979, and reappearing briefly in 1987.-Storylines:In 1968, reporter Joe Riley...
, but they soon fall in love; Victor disapproves and tries to keep them apart. Torn between pleasing her father and following her heart, Viki develops a wild alternate personality
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
named Niki Smith, who falls in love with another man. Viki's illness — apparently caused by seeing her pregnant mother fall down the stairs as a child — is eventually treated, and she and Joe marry in 1969. Joe is presumed dead in a car accident in 1970, and a heartbroken Viki finds comfort with fellow reporter Steve Burke. After he is wrongly put on trial for the murder of his psychotic secretary Marcy Wade, Steve is exonerated, and he and Viki marry in 1972. A very-much alive Joe returns, having survived his supposedly deadly car accident, and Viki is forced to choose between her two husbands. Viki initially stays married to Steve out of obligation but ultimately divorces him and remarries Joe in 1974. That same year, Dr. Dorian Cramer blames board member Viki for her suspension from Llanview Hospital, and a rivalry is born that will last decades. In 1975 Dorian becomes Victor's private physician, then marries him. Viki learns she has a half-brother, Tony Lord, and Dorian plots to keep Victor's fortune for herself. In 1976, Victor dies under mysterious circumstances (although viewers are left with the strong impression that Dorian murdered him). Dorian wreaks havoc on the Lord family, and Viki and Joe have a son, Kevin
Kevin Buchanan
Kevin Lord Riley Buchanan is a fictional character on the soap opera One Life to Live. The character is the first child born to original characters Victoria Lord and Joe Riley.-Casting:...
. In 1978, Viki takes in Tina Clayton
Tina Lord
Tina Lord Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, originated and most notably portrayed by Andrea Evans...
, the sixteen-year-old daughter of her best friend Irene Manning Clayton
Irene Manning
Irene Manning was an actress/singer.She was born Inez Harvuot in Cincinnati, Ohio in a family of five siblings. Her family loved to go on outdoor picnics where the featured activity was group singing. This family environment helped Irene to develop a keen interest in singing at a very early age...
, who is apparently dying of cancer. Shortly after Irene dies, Viki goes on trial for the murder of her nemesis Marco Dane, but she is later exonerated following confessional testimony by Karen Wolek
Karen Wolek
Karen Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera One Life to Live. The character first appeared May 1976, originated by relative newcomer Kathryn Breech, and most notably portrayed by actress Judith Light. Light stepped into the role in 1977, subsequently winning two consecutive...
. Joe dies from a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
in 1979, and Viki gives birth to their second son, Joe Jr.
Joey Buchanan
Joseph "Joey" Riley Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime serial One Life to Live. The character is the son of original characters Victoria Lord and Joe Riley, Sr.-Casting:...
, in 1980.
1980s
After a disastrous relationship with con man Ted Clayton, who brainwashes and drugs her in an attempt to get his hands on her fortune, Viki marries newspaper editor Clint BuchananClint Buchanan
Clinton "Clint" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting:The role was originated in September 10, 1979 by actor Clint Ritchie, portraying the role nearly continuously through December 30, 1999. Ritchie reappeared in the 2003 and 2004. Actor Jerry...
in 1982; he adopts both of her sons. Echo DiSavoy
Echo DiSavoy
Echo DiSavoy is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. She was portrayed by Kim Zimmer from March to October 1983...
, seeking revenge on Clint for her mother's murder, seduces him in 1983 to ruin his marriage, then fakes her own death and frames him for it. Clint is later exonerated after Echo is found alive, and he and Viki reunite. Viki is shocked to discover in 1985 that her former ward Tina Clayton
Tina Lord
Tina Lord Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, originated and most notably portrayed by Andrea Evans...
is in fact her half-sister, the daughter of Victor and Irene Manning, Viki's childhood friend. Thanks to the machinations of Tina's boyfriend Mitch Laurence
Mitch Laurence
Mitchell "Mitch" Laurence is a fictional character, portrayed by Roscoe Born, on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live, from 1985 to 1987 and again from 2002 to 2003...
, Viki succumbs to the pressure and Niki Smith returns. Posing as Viki, Niki divorces Clint; Viki later overcomes her illness with the realization that it had actually been triggered by her witnessing Victor and Irene in bed many years before. Clint and Viki remarry in 1986, and Viki gives birth to their daughter Jessica
Jessica Buchanan
Jessica Eugenia Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
that same year. Jessica is kidnapped shortly after birth by Allison Perkins, a disciple of Mitch Laurence; thankfully, Jessica is returned unharmed, and Allison is institutionalized. In 1988, Viki learns that she had given birth to a baby in high school, but her father had a hypnotist erase the memory. Viki's memory is restored in 1989 when she meets Roger Gordon, the father of her child, whom she had married at the time but had been presumed dead; Viki has the marriage annulled at Clint's insistence. Roger's daughter Megan is revealed to also be Viki's daughter; she and Viki butt heads at first but ultimately get past their initial conflicts and become close.
1990s
In 1990, Viki is elected mayor of Llanview, but a shooting and subsequent strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
leaves her paralyzed and in a wheelchair; Niki Smith emerges to aid a paralyzed Viki stand up and shoot Johnny Dee Hesser when he attacks Tina. Viki recovers and later donates a kidney to Megan, who is suffering from lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus , often abbreviated to SLE or lupus, is a systemic autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body. As occurs in other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body's cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage...
; despite the transplant, Megan dies, leaving Viki devastated. Having grown distant with Clint, Viki has an affair with Sloan Carpenter; she and Clint divorce in 1994, and she marries Sloan. Sloan dies soon after from Hodgkin's Disease, just as the existence of a second child of Victor and Irene's is revealed. Viki's stress reaches a critical point when Dorian tells Viki a secret of which she thought Viki had been aware: the fact that Victor had sexually abused his daughter as a child. With this trauma being what had actually initiated Viki's dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
, she splinters into several personalities, one of whom imprisons Dorian in a secret room below Llanfair. Dorian is eventually freed from her confinement, and Viki recovers after realizing she herself (more specifically, one of her alternate personalities) was the one who had smothered Victor to death in 1976. The reviled Todd Manning
Todd Manning
Thomas Todd Manning is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. Created by writer Michael Malone, the role was originated in 1992 by actor Roger Howarth. In 2003, Howarth departed from the series and the role was recast with actor Trevor St. John as Todd, initially written...
is proven to be Victor and Irene's illegitimate son; Viki and Todd eventually become close. After a failed reconciliation attempt with Clint, Viki meets and falls in love with Ben Davidson
Ben Davidson (One Life to Live)
Dr. Ben Davidson is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, portrayed by actor Mark Derwin from February 1999 to August 2002, and briefly in February 2004 and July 2008...
, who is eventually revealed to be the long-lost son of Asa Buchanan
Asa Buchanan
Asa Buchanan is a fictional character and patriarch of the Buchanan family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. The Texan industrialist father of newly-arrived characters Clint and Bo Buchanan, Asa was originated in 1980 by Philip Carey. Carey portrays the nearly continuously for nearly three...
and Renee Divine. Ben's first wife, Skye Chandler
Skye Chandler
Skye Chandler Quartermaine is a fictional ABC soap opera character. Skye has been a regular character on ABC's three longest-running soap operas: All My Children , One Life to Live , and General Hospital...
, comes to town and tries in vain to keep Ben and Viki apart.
2000s
Viki is diagnosed with breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in 2000, but survives after a mastectomy. She and Ben marry later that year. In 2001, a girl named Natalie Balsom
Natalie Buchanan
Natalie Buchanan Banks is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live and daughter of former supercouple Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan...
makes the startling claim that she is Viki and Clint's biological daughter, which is confirmed by a DNA test
Genetic fingerprinting
DNA profiling is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals by their respective DNA profiles. DNA profiles are encrypted sets of numbers that reflect a person's DNA makeup, which can also be used as the person's identifier...
. It is ultimately determined that Viki's enemy Mitch Laurence had secretly raped a drugged Viki around the same time she had conceived a child with Clint. Viki had unknowingly become pregnant with fraternal twins, one fathered by Clint (Natalie) and the other fathered by Mitch (Jessica). Mitch's daughter had been taken during delivery, and Viki had never known that she had more than one child. Mitch, however, had wanted his daughter to grow up loved by Viki in the lap of luxury, and had kidnapped Clint's child. She had been replaced with Mitch's daughter (who would become Jessica), and Clint's daughter (who would become Natalie) had been given away. Niki Smith emerges during the ordeal and plots to kill Ben in order to have her freedom, but when Ben is accidentally shot by Antonio Vega
Antonio Vega
Antonio Vega is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated on July 10, 1995 by Kamar de los Reyes, who left in August 1997 and made an appearance in 1998. De los Reyes returned in February 2000 and portrayed the character until March 25,...
during a hostage crisis, Viki returns. Ben is left comatose after the shooting. In 2003, Victor is revealed to be alive, as he had faked his death years earlier; however, shortly after he returns, Victor dies--- but not before Viki gets a chance to confront him about the sexual abuse he inflicted upon her. In 2004, Viki is diagnosed with heart disease and eventually needs a heart transplant. Coincidentally, a comatose Ben dies just as Viki takes a turn for the worse, and his heart is transplanted into Viki, who recovers but must face widowhood once again.
In 2007, Viki and Clint start dating again, but Dorian decides she wants Clint for herself and plots to break up the couple. Dorian's schemes succeed, and Clint ends things with Viki to start a new relationship with Dorian. Feeling humiliated and defeated, Viki leaves Llanview for a much-needed vacation and finds herself in Paris, Texas, where she tries to reinvent herself by waiting tables at a local diner. It is there that she meets patron Charlie Banks
Charlie Banks (One Life to Live)
Charles "Charlie" Banks is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. He was portrayed by Brian Kerwin from October 25, 2007 to May 11, 2011.-Character history:...
, a recovering alcoholic, and the two begin seeing one another. Viki ultimately returns to Llanview once her family discovers her secret life, and Charlie's search for his estranged son Jared
Jared Banks
Jared Banks is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live. Originally slated to debut on August 17, 2007, the character, as portrayed by John Brotherton, first appeared a week earlier on August 10, 2007. Chris Bones played a young Jared in flashbacks on January 17, 2008...
leads him there as well. Viki and Charlie resume their relationship, but break up when Viki discovers that Charlie had lied about the identity of his son in extenuating circumstances. In July 2008, Viki is involved in a car accident with Dorian; Viki's heart stops as a result of the crash, but Dorian manages to revive her. Reexamining her life, Viki reunites with Charlie, and they marry on August 4, 2009. Viki runs for mayor against Dorian and wins; she steps down, however, to help her family deal with the unexpected return of Mitch Laurence, who wreaks havoc on her daughters and murders Jared in the process.
2010s
Charlie, devastated over his son's death, falls off the wagon and distances himself from Viki, choosing instead to conspire with Dorian to kill Mitch; though Dorian tries to stop him at the last minute, Charlie ends up accidentally shooting Jessica, who survives. Devastated by Charlie's actions, Viki asks him for a divorce, but thanks to Dorian's meddling, Viki and Charlie reconcile.Viki and Charlie's marriage is further complicated by the return of Echo DiSavoy
Echo DiSavoy
Echo DiSavoy is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. She was portrayed by Kim Zimmer from March to October 1983...
, who had almost destroyed her marriage to Clint in 1983. Also a former lover of Charlie's, Echo soon announces that she and Charlie are Rex Balsom
Rex Balsom
Rex Balsom is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live, portrayed by John-Paul Lavoisier since May 9, 2002.With the character initially named "Jamie" prior to production, then-Executive Producer Gary Tomlin "toyed with the idea" of putting Rex in a gay storyline;...
's biological parents, the result of a fling they had after Echo left Llanview 27 years earlier. Unbeknownst to Viki and Charlie, Clint is actually Rex's biological father, but not wanting anything to do with Rex (whom he considers a gold-digging troublemaker), Clint changes Rex's paternity results to show that Charlie is the young man's father. Echo, whom Clint forces to go along with his scheme, begins insinuating herself into Charlie and Viki's marriage and uses the situation ---as well as her own drinking problem--- to bond with Charlie, much to Viki's dismay. Soon enough, Clint's paternity test switch is exposed, and a devastated Charlie (who had come to love Rex as his son) turns to Echo for comfort, unaware of her role in Clint's scheme. Charlie and Echo begin a torrid affair behind Viki's back, as Charlie has developed deep feelings for Echo but is unwilling to leave his wife. Dorian, who has suspicions about Echo and Clint's dealings, forges a truce and sides with her perennial frenemy to deal with Echo and her chicanery.
Tess, Jessica's wild alternate personality, returns and marries Robert Ford
Robert Ford (One Life to Live)
Robert "Bobby" Ford is a fictional character from the ABC original soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated by David A. Gregory on August 10, 2009 on a recurring basis. Gregory was upgraded to contract status in December 2009....
the biological father of her son Ryder. Viki and Clint file for custody of Ryder in order to protect the baby from Tess. Soon, a devastated Viki finds out about Charlie's affair and asks him for a divorce. Hoping to stop Viki from gaining custody of Ryder, Tess taunts her and tells Viki that she's a failure as a mother; unable to handle Tess's cruel words, Viki turns into Niki Smith. Shortly after, Jean Randolph, another one of Viki's alters, takes over. Viki ends up fainting during the hearing for Ryder's custody, and she regains control from both Niki and Jean. The judge decides against giving custody to Viki, Tess, or Robert Ford, instead allowing Joey and his wife, Aubrey Buchanan, temporary custody of the baby.
Though Charlie and Echo break up once he learns of all her lies, he and Viki proceed with their divorce, and he leaves Llanview to return to Paris, Texas. Viki is saddened to learn that Clint is dying and needs a heart transplant; she encourages him to fight and reminds him that she went through the same situation herself several years earlier. Viki insists Clint do all he can to make amends for his behavior and get himself in good health, the two grow close once again. On May 25, 2011, Tess' husband (and Aubrey's ex-boyfriend and former grifting partner) Cutter Wentworth
Cutter Wentworth
Cutter Wentworth is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. He has been portrayed by Josh Kelly since his debut on December 29, 2010.-Casting:...
blackamils Viki and Clint to extort a piece of the Buchanan fortune and the deed to the Buchanan Mansion in exchange for committing their daughter to St. Anne's. Viki refuses to give in to his demands, but Clint relunctantly agrees to his deal. Viki relunctanatly goes along with Cutter's extortion deal, and sign the commitment papers with Cutter to get her daughter professional help. On Friday June 17, 2011 Jessica returns after Ford helps her escape from St. Anne's and is divorced from her husband Cutter. On June 29, 2011 Viki signs as a witness when Clint unwillingly gives the entire Buchanan fortune to Rex in order to get Gigi's heart. This causes Cutter to lose the mansion thanks to a loophole in the deed saying that Clint could take the mansion back fom him anytime he wanted to, and hands over his house to Rex. Cutter also loses his money when the Buchanans take back their cash payment from his bank account. Clint admits he did Viki wrong and also admits he wishes he could go back and make it all right. Viki is later is visited by Echo, who tells Viki that Dorian caused Clint's heart attack, threatening to drive a wedge between Viki and Dorian's newfound reconciliation. Echo tells Viki this lie to get even with both Viki and Dorian after they both ruined her affair with Viki's ex-husband Charlie. Viki, having been burned by Echo and her schemes and lies before, would rather believe Dorian, her long-time frenemy and her former stepmother, over Echo, who had destroyed not one but two of her marriages.
Viki's half-brother Todd Manning disappeared briefly in 2003. Upon his return, his appearance was radically altered—and he claimed to have had plastic surgery in order to masquerade as Mitch's brother Walker Laurence. Years later in 2011, another man appeared in Llanview, with Todd's "original" face—claiming to be the real Todd, the victim of eight years of imprisonment and torture. After medical tests revealed that the two men have identical DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, Detective John McBain
John McBain
John McBain may refer to:* John McBain , American musician* John McBain , character on the American soap opera One Life to Live...
learns that Todd's mother (and Viki's best friend) Irene is still alive, and he brings her back to Llanview. In August 2011, Irene reveals that she gave birth to identical twin boys: Todd Manning (whom she gave to her cousin Peter) and Victor Lord Jr. (whom she raised alone without anyone's knowledge). She tells Viki and the twins that the real Todd is the man who has recently returned to Llanview. The man who resembles Walker Laurence—and who has been living as Todd since 2003—is revealed to be Victor Jr., brainwashed into believing that he is Todd. In August 2011, Viki takes in her ex-husband Clint under her Llanfair estate after he is sentenced to twenty years under house arrest for various crimes he committed recently, after Viki agrees to put him into her custody since Clint lost his ownership of the mansion to Rex after he blackmailed and extorted it from him in exchange for Clint to get Rex's dead fiance's Gigi's heart. Viki also says good-bye to her lifelong "frenemy" Dorian before she leaves Llanview to be appointed to the U.S. Senate after the previous mayor is caught in a sex scandal. Viki and Dorian also find themselves locked into Dorian's mayoral office where they reminisce about their life together over the years they have known each other before Dorian's husband David Vickers Buchanan unlock the doors to let both of them out before they say their final good-byes to each other one last time before Dorian leaves for Washington D.C.
On September 27, 2011, Viki's sister Tina comes back to Llanview for the will reading of her newly discovered brother Victor Jr. Viki is still angry with Tina for all the problems that she endagered her family in a few years ago. Tina wants to make amends, but Viki still doesn't forgive her yet, but lets her stay at Llanfair while she's in town for a visit, whrere she's reunited with her ex-husband Cord. Cord is also still angry with Tina for her dangerous schemes a few years ago. After Tina's dog David Vickers goes missing, Viki finally reconciles with her sister and gives her another chance. Tina is eventually reunited with her dog after Viki sees her walk in her office at the Banner. On October 20, 2011, after her husband Clint turns down another extortion deal with Cutter to get the Buchanan fortune back after he sends Clint a picture of a forged document with Rex's name on it, Rex goes to Clint to say that he wants to give back the Buchanan fortune back to him after he drops his revenge plans against Victor Jr. and Jack. Viki is very pleased and surprised by Clint's sudden generousity towards his son Rex, meaning that he's starting to reconcile with his son, and finally accepting him as a member of the Buchanan family. While Tina and Cord dance around their lingering feelings for each other, it soon becomes obvious Clint and Viki are growing close once more with Tina playfully teasing Viki that she still loves Clint. After Tina and Cord marry for fourth time, and ride off into the sunset Viki deals with Natalie's personal troubles, and Todd's criminal activities to win Blair back. All the while, she and Clint continue to share various tender moments two of which nearly end in a kiss.
Alternate personalities
Currently, all six of Viki's alternate personalities are integrated with her baseline psyche. In order of their first appearance on One Life to Live, they are:- Nicole "Niki" Smith - a devil-may-care, sexually promiscuous party girl, approximately 22 years old. Niki has appeared more times than all of the other alters combined, and is very skilled at masquerading as Viki when necessary to hide her re-emergence. Niki has had two serious relationships with Vinny Wolek and Harry O'Neill, neither of whom realized at the time that Niki was an alter of Viki.
- Tommy - A 14 year old male alter emerged in 1995, who embodied Viki's anger and rage at her abuse. Tommy usually emerged to protect Princess (another alternate personality), and once threw Dorian Lord down the Llanfair staircase.
- Jean Randolph - Jean Randolph is the calm, cool, collected and calculating caretaker of all the other alters, who took over when Viki's abusive childhood was revealed. Her name is derived from that of Viki's mother, Eugenia Randolph Lord. Jean blackmailed con man David VickersDavid VickersDavid Vickers Buchanan is a fictional character from the daytime soap opera One Life to Live, portrayed by Tuc Watkins.-Appearances:...
into divorcing Viki's sister, TinaTina LordTina Lord Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, originated and most notably portrayed by Andrea Evans...
, and also freed Viki's son, JoeyJoey BuchananJoseph "Joey" Riley Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime serial One Life to Live. The character is the son of original characters Victoria Lord and Joe Riley, Sr.-Casting:...
, from Dorian Lord's clutches by imprisoning Dorian in a secret room in the basement of Llanfair, which led Joey to believe that Dorian left him. Jean then forced Dorian to marry David to keep them both occupied and away from Viki's loved ones. - Princess - a manifestation of Viki as a seven year old girl. She is a traumatized child who is constantly reliving the molestation by Viki's father
- Tori - Tori emerged in 1995, approximately 19 years old, after Dorian revealed the truth of Victor's abuse to Viki. It was established that Tori was the alter who murdered Victor Lord in 1976. (It would later be revealed that Victor survived and did not die until 2003. However Dorian has planted a seed of doubt regarding that notion, suggesting that the man who re-emerged as Victor in 2003 was a fraud.) Although her declared mission was to force Viki to face the truth, she wreaked much destruction before getting around to that. Tori started undermining The Banner by feeding stories and information to rival newspaper editor Todd ManningTodd ManningThomas Todd Manning is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. Created by writer Michael Malone, the role was originated in 1992 by actor Roger Howarth. In 2003, Howarth departed from the series and the role was recast with actor Trevor St. John as Todd, initially written...
, and she torched Llanfair, nearly killing Jessica in the blaze. - Victor Lord - This personality is the image of her father within Viki. Very often, sexual abuse victims who develop alternate personalities develop a personality to reflect their abuser. The Victor Lord personality only emerged two or three times, but one of the instances that he took over led Viki to attempt suicide by cutting her own wrists to "expel" Victor from her body.
Occasionally, circumstances have forced Viki to impersonate one of her alters, particularly Niki and Jean.