Nora Buchanan
Nora Buchanan | |||||||||||||
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One Life to Live character | |||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Hillary B. Smith | ||||||||||||
Duration |
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First appearance | September 16, 1992 | ||||||||||||
Last appearance | April 16, 2019 | ||||||||||||
Classification | Past; guest | ||||||||||||
Created by | Michael Malone | ||||||||||||
Introduced by |
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Crossover appearances | |||||||||||||
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Nora Buchanan is a fictional character from the American soap opera
Casting
Nora is portrayed by actress
Almost immediately after her debut, Nora became a centerpiece of the show, particularly for her involvement in the multiple-
In January 2017, it was revealed that Smith would reprise her role as Nora on General Hospital, making her the first One Life to Live actress to cross over to another soap since the end of Prospect Park's lawsuit against ABC.[8][9] She first appeared on March 6, 2017. On November 10, 2017, it was announced that Smith would return to General Hospital from November 13 to 21, 2017.[10][11] Smith once again returned to General Hospital from April 1 to April 16, 2019.
Storylines
One Life to Live
When Nora debuted in 1992, she quickly made a connection with fans for her backstory as the Jewish attorney and ex-wife of previously established African American Llanview District Attorney, Hank Gannon, and mother to Rachel. She has an older sister, Susannah Hanen, a psychiatrist. Nora's popularity continued to grow as she played a key role in some of the show's most popular storylines on the 1990s, most notably the Marty Saybrooke gang rape trial in 1993. The character is also known for her supercouple romance with Bo Buchanan, culminating in their popular 1995 rock 'n' roll-themed wedding.
Nora meets Bo in October 1992; that Thanksgiving, he and his wife Sarah are involved in a hit and run accident and Sarah is killed. Over the next several months, Nora and Bo work side by side trying to track down the killer. The case is finally closed and the two become best friends; slowly their relationship grows into romance after a kiss on New Year's Eve. Bo and Nora first have sex in April 1993. However, Nora's chronic headaches worsen, leading her to believe that she had caused the accident that led to Sarah's death. Bo soon proves this to be false and proposes marriage. During Nora's recovery from a brain tumor, she is terrorized by former client Todd Manning, whom she had betrayed while defending him for Marty's rape, leading to his conviction. Bo and Nora marry on June 1, 1995.
Bo is devastated when his son
In 2004, Nora begins to date District Attorney Daniel Colson, and he eventually proposes. After their wedding, Nora begins to suspect that Daniel is having an affair. When Daniel is set to be sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, he is arrested for the murders of
Nora suffers a stroke and becomes comatose for months. After waking from her coma, Nora begins to put her life back on track. Nora's house catches fire, and she realizes that she was another victim of racist arsonist,
Nora and Bo's teenage son, Matthew, is in a car accident with Marty's teenaged son, Cole Thornhart, who has become a drug addict. He survives, but is paralyzed from the waist down. Nora, who had taken in Cole after the supposed death of his mother, is furious and initially wants to send Cole to prison. However, remembering Rachel's own drug addiction, she changes her mind and allows Cole to go into rehab instead.
Dealing with Matthew's paralysis brings Bo and Nora closer, sparking Clint's jealousy. Clint calls neurosurgeon Dr. Greg Evans, who is confident that he can restore the use of Matthew's legs, but when he cannot guarantee that Matthew will survive the operation, Nora and Bo refuse to allow Greg to operate. Furious, Matthew hires Téa Delgado to sue his parents for the right to make the choice for himself. The matter is complicated when, on the night before Nora's wedding to Clint, Matthew catches his parents passionately kissing. He attempts to blackmail them into giving consent for the surgery; they call his bluff and ultimately Matthew cannot intentionally hurt Clint by telling him what he saw.
Bo's growing feelings for Nora seem to be reciprocated, but a confused Nora simply will not allow herself to hurt Clint by pursuing them. Shortly after her wedding to Clint, Matthew sues Bo and Nora for the right to have the operation. Bo and Nora grow closer as they unite to stop Matthew. When they take him to London, they finally confess their true feelings for each other and passionately kiss. Clint later finds out about Nora's feelings for Bo and confronts her; she admits that she's fallen back in love with Bo, and Clint quickly divorces her.
Shortly after Bo and Nora's reunion, he is shot but survives. Bo and Nora remarry in June 2010. Several months into their marriage, Nora becomes jealous of Bo's new secretary,
Bo and Nora focus on finding Eddie Ford's killer and are stunned when Clint informs them that it was Matthew. After much soul-searching, Bo and Nora decide to keep Matthew’s role in the murder a secret. Bo and Nora welcome their grandson,
To Nora and Bo's dismay, Matthew is not an involved father to his son. Regardless, Nora and Bo gladly accept the role of grandparents and offer support Drew. Nora also finds time to return to her college passion of doling out advice as a disc jockey. With Bo's encouragement, she begins hosting a radio call-in program as the “Nightbird.”
General Hospital
Nora arrives in
References
- ^ Hillary B. Smith bio abc.com (archived)
- ^ Hal Boedeker (25 January 2013). "'All My Children,' 'One Live to Live' reborn via Hulu". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- ^ Jolie Lash (25 January 2013). "One Life To Live, All My Children – New Episodes On The Way This Spring Via Hulu, iTunes". Access Hollywood. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- ^ Weinraub, Judith (February 7, 1992). "When Soap Gets in Your Eyes ...; 'One Life to Live's' Michael Malone, Playing for Weeps". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ^ "Hillary B. Smith: Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Hillary B. Smith 411". Soap Opera Digest. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ "Smith To Stick Around!". Soaps In Depth. October 28, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ^ SOD (January 31, 2017). "HILLARY B. SMITH TO GH!". Soap Opera Digest. United States. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ Evans, Greg (January 31, 2017). "'One Life To Live' Soap Vet Hillary B. Smith Checks In To 'General Hospital'". Deadline Hollywood. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- SheKnows Media. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ Frank Valentini (Executive producer); Shelly Altman and Chris Van Etten (Head writers) (November 21, 2017). General Hospital. Season 55. ABC.
External links
- Nora Hanen profile – ABC.com (archived)
- Nora Hanen profile – SoapCentral.com
- "Nora in a Nutshell". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved March 27, 2010.