List of Sunset Beach characters
The following are characters from the American soap opera Sunset Beach, which aired on NBC from January 6, 1997 to December 31, 1999.
Original cast members
Olivia Richards
Gregory Richards
Ricardo Torres
Ricardo Torres | |
---|---|
Sunset Beach character | |
Portrayed by | Gabi Martinez (1999) |
- played by Hank Cheyne
Ricardo Torres had just been promoted to a detective. He's leading a great life with
During her kidnapping, Ricardo met
In 1998, Ricardo became closer with Gabi, as they realized that they loved each other. However, Gabi soon fell in love with Ricardo's brother
In 1999, Ricardo was convinced that everything was going fine. Gabi and him decided to get married, but he didn't know that Gabi slept with his brother when they found themselves trapped in an exploded building. Carmen blackmailed Gabi to stop the wedding, but Gabi and Ricardo eventually got married. Days later, Ricardo was shocked to find a tape of Gabi and Antonio together. The shock of this overwhelmed him. He suffered a stroke and was hospitalized, after which he did everything he could to make Gabi's life a disaster. He also tried to deport his brother Antonio. Eventually, Ricardo forgave them both, and Gabi left town at the very last episode.
Paula Stevens
- played by Laura Harring (January 6, 1997―December 17, 1997[1][2])
Paula Stevens, a beautiful and intelligent police officer, was leading her normal life and everything was going fine. She just got engaged to
When she went through a few pre-marriage problems, Eddie Connors tried to seduce her, but she rejected him, so he decided to teach her a lesson by paying Ralph, a criminal, to kidnap and rape her. Ricardo went through hard time trying to find his fiancé. She was barely saved from a van filled with gas. The next few weeks she spent trying to deal with the rape and putting Ralph behind bars. However, that was not the only thing that was bothering her.
During her kidnapping, Ricardo met
Gabi Martinez
Gabi Martinez | |||||||||||||
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Sunset Beach character | |||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Robert Guza, Jr. | ||||||||||||
Introduced by | Gary Tomlin, Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent | ||||||||||||
|
- played by Priscilla Garita (February 17, 1997―December 31, 1999)
Although she first appeared one month after the show premiere, Priscilla was credited in the show's opening credits from the beginning. When she first came to Sunset Beach, Gabi immediately started trying to seduce
On her way to redemption, after realizing that she's being troubled by her past when her father raped her, Gabi decided to spend
In 1998, Gabi and Ricardo got closer although Ricardo's mother
Casey Mitchum
Casey Mitchum | |||||||
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Sunset Beach character | |||||||
Portrayed by | Robert Guza, Jr. | ||||||
Introduced by | Gary Tomlin, Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent | ||||||
|
- played by Timothy Adams
At the very beginning of the show, Casey met Rae Chang, a young doctor who immediately took his breath away, but she didn't show the same interest in Casey. They both decided to buy a house and accidentally bought the same house. When Rae was forced to marry a young man named Wei-Li that her parents chose for her, Casey helped Rae by pretending to be her husband. This led to something of a mild rivalry between Casey and Wei-Li when he arrived in Sunset Beach to see Rae, but it never grew into anything serious as the two men actually liked each other. Their plot was eventually revealed, and Rae discovered she did have feelings for Wei-Li after all.
(About Rae and Casey) It was over before he got a chance to show his softer side. They were both so hard-headed, it was hard for him to act smooth and confident. And that's who I think Casey is.
— Timothy Adams[5]
Casey was heartbroken, but his life had to go on.
In 1998, Casey met Sara Cummings, Meg's sister, and they soon fell in love with each other. Casey helped Sara escape from her past, and she was happy to be rescued by such a handsome person. They both battled against Sara's ex-friend
Rae Chang
Dr. Rae Chang was introduced in the second episode as a
Elaine Stevens
- played by Leigh Taylor-Young (January 6, 1997―December 17, 1997[1][2])
A fun and entertaining person, and one of town's favorite citizens. She had her own coffee shop and people respected her, but nobody ever knew the trouble she went through. She had hard time trying to cope with the fact that her daughter Paula chose to marry
Cole came to town in 1997 and soon they both found out the truth. Elaine dug up Cole's grave and it was empty. She felt betrayed by her friends. It was also discovered later that Elaine was the one who murdered Del Douglas. Fortunately, Gregory Richards saved her at court, and at the end of 1997, Elaine left town with her daughter. Her departure was never addressed or seen on-screen.[4]
Eddie Connors
- played by Peter Barton (January 6, 1997―May 18, 1998,[1][8] March 19, 1999[9])
Eddie Connors, a police officer, was presented to us as
Eddie left the police force and became a private investigator. In May 1998, he discovered
Michael Bourne
Michael Bourne | |
---|---|
Sunset Beach character | |
Portrayed by | Vanessa Hart (wed on December 31, 1999) |
- played by Jason Winston George
Michael was a town lifeguard, who had
During the Terror Island storyline, Virginia tried to kill Vanessa several times, but she didn't do it, because they had to worry about the serial killer on the loose. Virginia researched Vanessa's past and realized that Vanessa had a mother that suffered from Martin's Syndrome, and she decided to use it to her advantage. She used help from
On the night of
Michael and Vanessa's storyline was often isolated from other characters, focusing mainly on either the two of them or Virginia, but not branching out the storyline to mix with others.
I'm mixed on it. On the one hand, I'm glad that the story represents the good, the bad and the ugly. For a while, African Americans always showed up as thugs, and then for a while, they only showed up as perfectly good people who do no wrong. And now, we have representation across the board. That's cool. But at the same time, we lost any interaction with anybody else on the show. But that's changing, and I'm happy about it because I think the interaction needs to be there.
— Jason George (about story isolation) [10]
Vanessa Hart
Vanessa Hart | |
---|---|
Sunset Beach character | |
Portrayed by | Michael Bourne (wed on December 31, 1999) |
- played by Sherri Saum[11]
A young journalist named Vanessa entered the world of Sunset Beach when
It came to Vanessa's attention that Virginia was more than meets the eye. She was trying to get attention, and Vanessa didn't like it. When Vanessa and Michael left for a romantic weekend getaway in a cabin, Virginia drove to the cabin and set it on fire. Vanessa later realized that Virginia was the one who did it, but Michael didn't believe her. Virginia was jealous because Vanessa started snooping into her life. Virginia researched Vanessa's past and realized that Vanessa had a mother that suffered from Martin's Syndrome, and she decided to use it to her advantage.
She used help from Mrs. Moreau to get a potion that could make Vanessa think she got the syndrome too. Vanessa was frightened and decided to leave Sunset Beach to avoid Michael. Michael was in despair when Vanessa left. Meanwhile, Vanessa was hiding at
On the night of
I've been having nightmares about being pregnant for real. Because every day that I'm saying, "I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant," it's transferring into my dreams. I'm not ready for that. I love babies; just don't let them come from my womb and I am a happy camper.
— Sherri Saum [12]
Vanessa and Michael broke up, and Tyus comforted Vanessa. A few weeks later, Vanessa miscarried. When it seemed like Vanessa and Michael were coming closer again, Virginia had finally lost it. She ended up in a mental institution, as she confessed all of her crimes. Michael then tried to propose to Vanessa, A few months later, after making up and breaking up, on the final episode, Vanessa and Michael finally got married.
Bette Katzenkazrahi
Annie Douglas Richards
Ben Evans
Ben Evans | |
---|---|
Sunset Beach character | |
Portrayed by | Maria Torres (1993―) |
Children | Benjy Evans |
- played by Clive Robertson
Ben Evans is a mercurial recluse who lost his wife years ago. He's spending his days running a business in Sunset Beach, and chatting on the net with a mysterious woman named Dorothy. His neighbor,
Then came December 1997. Meg and her friends decided to spend New Year on a mystery island that Ben bought and everything was going fine until someone started to murder the people on the boat, and on the island. Meg faces the killer on various occasions, but never knew who it was. At the same time, Mark, who was also murdered, revealed to Tim that Ben killed him, but nobody knew that it was actually Ben's evil twin brother
Meg and Ben finally reunited and decided to tie the knot. They didn't know that a terrible truth was about to be revealed. Meg befriended Dana, a strange woman in a hospital, and she rescued her when Sunset Beach was hit by an earthquake! The women bonded. Meanwhile, Annie and Tim discovered Dana's true identity and decided to use it against Meg. On Meg and Ben's wedding day, everything was going fine. Ben and Meg were married and the celebration started. Then Dana entered and shocked every... it was revealed that Dana is actually
Meanwhile, Ben started to act strange again. It was revealed that Derek is alive, and Ben was held captive again. Derek plotted with Tess to destroy Ben's life, and they eventually killed Tim, Meg's ex-fiancé. At the very last minute, Derek was finally murdered and Tess was put behind bars. It was also revealed that Benjy is actually Derek and Tess' son. Ben and Maria, who became closer, decided to let each other be happy, and then Meg and Ben were finally happy again. They organized a double wedding with their friends Vanessa and Michael, and that's how the show ended. The final scene involved Meg and Ben lying in bed. Meg woke up and realized she was in Ludlow again. She went down to the living room and found all of her friends and enemies in a different role. She was convinced that everything that happened in Sunset Beach was only a dream, but a minute later, she woke up again to find herself with Ben, in Sunset Beach, and he assured her that it's all real and that she was truly "Mrs Ben Evans".
Meg Cummings
Tim Truman
Sean Richards
Tiffany Thorne
- played by Adrienne Frantz (January 6, 1997―May 15, 1997[1][13]) and Jennifer Banko-Stewart (May 20, 1997―August 29, 1997[14][15])
Tiffany Thorne was a teenage runaway introduced in the first episode. She was a rebel from the beginning, and she always tried to do what's best for her. Already in the first episode, she stole a bag from
Mark Wolper
- played by Nick Stabile (January 6, 1997―January 20, 1998[1][16])
A D.J. and waiter. He moved into Surf Central along with Casey, Rae, Meg and Michael. He fell in love with Tiffany Thorne, but their love was never meant to be because she only had eyes for
Cole Deschanel
Caitlin Deschanel
Caitlin Deschanel | |
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Sunset Beach character | |
Portrayed by | Trey Deschanel |
- played by Vanessa Dorman (January 9, 1997―June 18, 1998) and Kam Heskin (June 24, 1998―December 31, 1999)
Caitlin was presented as the daughter of a rich lawyer Gregory Richards and Olivia Richards. She fell in love with Cole Deschanel, a mysterious jewel thief and their love was constantly threatened by her over-protective and sinister father. At the same time, Cole slept with Caitlin's mother, Olivia, but he didn't know that Olivia was actually his girlfriend's mother. Various times, Gregory tried to get rid of Cole, even by hiring a hit man to kill him, but he didn't succeed. Thing got even more complicated. At the same time, both Caitlin and Olivia got pregnant. After a car accident, Caitlin lost her baby, but she decided to keep pretending to be pregnant, so she wouldn't lose Cole. Meanwhile, Olivia finally found happiness again with Gregory. Caitlin sought help from Annie Douglas to find a baby that Caitlin could use as her own. At the same time, Annie plotted to win over Gregory, so she decided to make a huge turn-over. When Olivia gave birth, Annie stole the baby and gave it to Caitlin. Olivia thought her baby had died and Caitlin had no idea that she had her mother's child. This, of course caused Gregory and Olivia's divorce.
Caitlin and Cole were finally happy. They had a baby and they got married, it seemed like everything was perfect, in the summer of 1998, Cole and Caitlin were also involved in the tsunami storyline. Cole met his former lover,
Caitlin and Gregory were shocked to learn that Olivia and Cole had an affair years ago. It was then revealed that Cole is actually Trey's father. This led to a fight between Gregory and Cole, after which Gregory went missing and everyone presumed him dead. Caitlin had to struggle with the fact that Trey isn't hers and she was even more shocked when Cole was caught by London authorities, and went missing. He eventually returned in the final episode and reunited with his one/only love, Caitlin.
Later additions
Virginia Harrison
Jimmy Harrison
- played by V.P. Oliver (March 19, 1997―December 26, 1997[17][18]) and Jeffery Wood (January 23, 1998―March 23, 1999[19][20])
Jimmy Harrison was introduced in March 1997 as the son of
Tyus Robinson
- played by Russell Curry (June 19, 1997―December 31, 1999[21][22])
Tyus Robinson was one more of the typical soap opera doctors. He never had much of a story for himself, but he was involved in various medical cases. He first came onto canvas as the doctor of
Tyus tried to cure Vanessa and eventually helped her. He then fell in love with her, although she had always loved
Derek Evans
Derek Evans | |
---|---|
Sunset Beach character | |
Portrayed by | Ben Evans Ted Evans |
Children | Benjy Evans |
- played by Clive Robertson, who also portrays his identical twin brother Ben
Derek first appeared on December 30, 1997, when he was played by a stunt performer in a mask, being the killer on the boat. His first appearance with his face revealed was on January 16, 1998, when Clive Robertson stepped into the role. The character was killed off in June 1998, only to be brought back in September 1999, and killed again in December 1999.
Derek's first venture to Sunset Beach was in 1993 (off-screen), when he seduced his brother
Ben returned a few weeks later and confronted Tess about who she really was. Then, in a plot twist, he was revealed to be Ben's evil twin, Derek, back from the dead. Once again Derek had imprisoned Ben when he was on his way to Seattle and had been impersonating him. He and Tess were, in fact, lovers who were the real parents of Benji. Derek then seduced Maria and Meg simultaneously. One day he and Tess were caught kissing by Meg's ex fiancé
Hank Cummings
- played by John Martin (recurring September 22, 1997―December 11, 1997, contract February 5, 1998―December 31, 1999[22])
Hank was a typical farmer father who supported his daughters Meg and Sara and his wife Joan. He never had much of a story (although he was on contract) and was mostly included in family scenes. He appeared when Meg returned to Kansas in September 1997, and then later arrived to Sunset Beach to live there with his wife after their farm was destroyed. He opened the Shock Wave restaurant with his wife Joan.
Joan Cummings
- played by Carol Potter (recurring January 6, 1997―December 11, 1997, contract February 5, 1998―December 31, 1999[22])
Joan is a typical stay at home mom. She lived in Kansas with her husband, Hank. When her daughter Meg ran away to Sunset Beach at her wedding day, Joan was supportive and often gave her advice. At the beginning of 1998, the Cummings lost their farm and the family was moved to Sunset Beach. Although Joan was officially a regular, she and her husband never had much of a story, and were primarily there to support their daughters, Meg and Sara. Joan and her husband co-created Shock Wave.
Antonio Torres
A.J. Deschanel
- played by Gordon Thomson (May 11, 1998―December 31, 1999[23][22])
A legend named A.J. Deschanel was mentioned various times during 1997. It wasn't until 1998 that we learned more about his character. Father of Cole and Leo Deschanel, A.J. entered the world of Sunset Beach when he rescued Olivia Richards from committing suicide. The recently divorced Olivia was A.J's former love, and they soon reunited. Her ex-husband Gregory Richards was A.J.'s primary rival throughout his time on the show, and the two men had constant confrontations.
A.J. had two sons, Cole, who he worked to rebuild a relationship with, and Leo, who was a relatively minor character. A.J. was also temporarily involved with
Emily Davis
- played by Cristi Harris (May 25, 1998―December 31, 1999[24][22])
Emily Davis came to Sunset Beach in May 1998 and immediately won the heart of Sean Richards. They met while competing against each other in lifeguard trials, which ended when Sean allowed Emily to win the job. In a matter of days, Emily was shocked to realize that her mother Bette was also is town. They started to build a relationship and over time slowly became closer by facing the usual teenage problems.
During the Rosario Jewels storyline, Emily was blinded by a talisman, but was cured when the curse stopped. Meanwhile, Amy Nielsen was working to try to steal Sean for herself, often using Brad Niklaus in her plots. However Leo Deschanel often came to Emily's rescue. In 1999, Amy bought a voodoo potion to make Sean sleep with her, ending his relationship with Emily. At the end of the show, Amy's lies were exposed and Sean and Emily reunited.
Maria Torres
Maria Torres | |
---|---|
Sunset Beach character | |
Portrayed by | Ben Evans (1993-1999) |
Children | Benjy Evans (adoptive) |
- played by Christina Chambers (July 1, 1998―December 31, 1999)
One of the most important characters in the history of Sunset Beach was Maria Torres Evans. She was presumed dead in 1993 and although she never appeared on-screen until 1998, a lot of characters were connected through her. Her husband
After Meg and Ben got married, "Dana" stormed into the room and surprised everyone who knew her. Ben was shocked to see his wife alive. Maria didn't know anything about the past and she constantly tried to convince everyone that she knows what happened to her, but it was yet in 1999 when she learned more about her past. Maria was the reason why Ben couldn't move on with Meg, and they eventually broke up, although Maria didn't want to be with Ben. In 1999, Maria, Ben, Meg and other were surprised when
Francesca Vargas
- played by Lisa Guerrero (July 16, 1998―March 19, 1999[25][9])
It came as a shock for
However, it was obvious nobody actually liked her. Francesca always did things the wrong way. She constantly blackmailed people with evidence she collected to get what she wanted. She found a tape of
Cole tried to convince Francesca to leave Sunset Beach various times, but she always refused the deal. Even
Leo Deschanel
Although he was a contract character, Leo did not have any major storylines. He first appeared in summer 1998, and became friends with Sean Richards and Emily Davis, and an instant enemy to Amy Nielsen and Brad Niklaus. He also tried to build a stronger relationship with his father, A.J. He left the show in March 1999.
Amy Nielsen
- played by Krissy Carlson (recurring December 26, 1997―September 1998, contract September 1998―December 31, 1999[18][28][22])
Amy Nielsen (originally Dreyer) was introduced during the Terror Island serial killer storyline in late 1997, when Sean Richards invited her to spend New Year's on a private island. Amy was originally introduced to be a victim for the killer, but producers decided to keep her. Amy suffered not only the trauma of the island, but learned Sean had only invited her because his original choice, Elizabeth, had vanished (killed by the serial killer). On returning to Sunset Beach Amy wanted nothing to do with Sean.
That summer, Amy and Sean were both guests on the ship Neptune, which was hit by a tsunami, trapping various characters. Amy developed feelings for Sean, and plotted (often using her friend Brad Niklaus to help her) to break up his relationship with Emily Davis and win Sean for herself. Amy was also involved in the Rosario Jewels storyline, when her father,
In 1999, Amy succeeded in making Sean sleep with her by drugging him with a voodoo potion bought from
Brad Niklaus
- played by Michael Strickland (recurring June 11, 1998―September 1998, contract September 1998―December 31, 1999[29][22])
Brad Niklaus never had much of a story on this show. He came on canvas during the summer of 1998 and was immediately pushed into the hands of Amy Nielsen, for whom Brad would have done anything. Amy was in love with Sean Richards, and she would have done anything to get him. However, Sean was in love with Emily Davis, so Amy plotted to separate them, by using Brad. Brad was known for his lack of smarts, but he constantly competed with others to gain a lifeguard position. Brad often came to Amy's rescue, he always helped her in whatever she needed, but he never got what he actually wanted. Many people despised him because he was Amy's dog. Eventually, when all of Amy's schemes were discovered, in the final episode, it seemed like Amy and Brad were about to become something more than friends.
Tess Marin
- played by Tracy Melchior (March 9, 1999―December 31, 1999[30][22])
Tess Marin came to Sunset Beach in March 1999 with Benjy Evans, who she claimed was the son of
Tess started to develop a relationship with
Benjy Evans
Benjy Evans came to Sunset Beach in March 1999 with Tess Marin, who claimed he was the son of
Jude Cavanaugh
- played by Sean Kanan (August 26, 1999―December 31, 1999[31][22])
Jude Cavanaugh entered the world of Sunset Beach in late summer of 1999. He caught the eye of the local citizen
Jude kept the true reason for his arrival a secret and then worked on the case, becoming close to Tobias Richards (family's uncle who later turned out to be Gregory Richards in disguise). Annie and Jude ended up in each other's arms. However, he never got a chance to develop his character more because he was on the show only for five months.
Carmen Torres
- played by Margarita Cordova (recurring December 23, 1997―December 31, 1999[32][22])
Carmen Torres was a person who never trusted people. She was a fortune teller, a person who believed in God and did the best for her children. She premiered in December 1997, when
When Ricardo and Gabi became closer again, Carmen didn't trust her, and she constantly tried to convince Ricardo to leave Gabi, mostly because her tarot cards told her so. Her daughter
Carmen refused not to believe in her tarot cards. She realized that Gabi had an affair with someone, but she didn't know who it was with. Gabi and Antonio destroyed the tape, only to learn later that they destroyed the wrong tape. Carmen watched it and realized that her own son had an affair with Gabi. Ricardo and Gabi decided to get married, and Carmen did her best to blackmail Gabi to leave Ricardo. The wedding didn't go through, but Ricardo and Gabi stayed together. Carmen always supported her sons and her daughter and always tried to do the best for her family.
References
- ^ a b c d e The Young and the Restless recap (January 6, 1997) - TV.com
- ^ a b The Young and the Restless recap (December 17, 1997) - TV.com
- ^ "I'm a real-life countess!". Inside Soap. No. 84. Attic Futura (UK) Ltd. 20 September – 3 October 1997. p. 45.
- ^ a b Murphy, Steven (10–23 January 1998). "Global gossip". Inside Soap. No. 92. p. 8.
- ^ Timothy, Adams. "Casey at the Bat". Soap Opera News. Archived from the original on 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (January 7, 1997) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (June 5, 1997) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (May 18, 1998) - TV.com
- ^ a b The Young and the Restless recap (March 19, 1999) - TV.com
- ^ George, Jason. "Living Large". Soap Opera Digest. Archived from the original on 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
- ^ "Super Single Sisters of 2001". Ebony: 154. July 2001.
- ^ Sherri, Saum. "Living Large". Soap Opera Digest. Archived from the original on 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (May 15, 1997) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (May 20, 1997) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (August 29, 1997) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (January 20, 1998) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (March 19, 1997) - TV.com
- ^ a b The Young and the Restless recap (December 26, 1997) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (January 23, 1998) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (March 23, 1999) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (June 19, 1997) - TV.com
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The Young and the Restless recap (December 31, 1999) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (May 11, 1998) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (May 25, 1998) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (July 16, 1998) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (July 22, 1998) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (March 24, 1999) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (July 17, 1998) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (June 11, 1998) - TV.com
- ^ a b The Young and the Restless recap (March 9, 1999) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (August 26, 1999) - TV.com
- ^ The Young and the Restless recap (December 23, 1997) - TV.com