Bo Buchanan
Encyclopedia
Beaufort Oglethorpe "Bo" Buchanan is a fictional character
on the ABC
soap opera
One Life to Live
.
, who briefly left the series in 1986 but returned in 1988, and currently portrays the role. A 2008 time travel
storyline transplants Bo and Rex Balsom
(John-Paul Lavoisier
) back to 1968, where Woods portrays his character's father Asa Buchanan
, and Lavoisier plays a young Bo from July 21 through August 26, 2008. As Bo and Rex return to the present, Woods' real-life son Tanner plays young Bo on August 26, 2008 as he departs to serve in the Vietnam War
.
Woods won a Daytime Emmy Award
for Lead Actor
for the role in 1983, also earning nominations in 1986, 1993, 1994, 1999, and 2000, multiple Soap Opera Digest Award
nominations, and four MVP trophies from Soap Opera Update
.
-veteran Bo (Woods himself being a veteran of the war) arrives in the fictional city of Llanview
in 1979, following his brother Clint
from their native Texas
. Clint had secured a position at Llanview's flagship newspaper, The Banner, replacing Victoria Lord Riley
's then-ailing husband, Joe Riley
.
Somewhat unlucky in love, over the years Bo suffers many breakups, as well as the deaths of two wives (Didi O'Neill in 1988 and Sarah Gordon in 1992) and a fiancée (Gabrielle Medina
in 2004). He also pursues many occupations, including becoming a music record executive and a movie and television producer. In the late 1980s Bo produces Llanview's own soap opera, Fraternity Row, on which it is said in 2008 that he had given rapper Snoop Dogg
his break in show business, cementing a lifelong friendship between them. In 1995, Bo becomes Llanview's Police Commissioner.
Bo meets attorney Nora Gannon
in October 1992; that Thanksgiving he and 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 had become best friends; slowly their relationship grows into romance after a kiss on New Year's Eve. The couple's first date is at Serenity Springs, and is soon followed by a slew of junk food eating and jitterbug dates. Bo and Nora first make love in April 1993 and say "I love you" in May 1993. However, Nora's chronic headaches worsen, leading her to believe that she was the one who had caused the accident leading to Sarah's death. Bo soon proves this to be false, and proposes marriage. Nora is diagnosed with a brain tumor, but recovers. Bo and Nora marry on June 1, 1995 at St. James Church, the ceremony officiated by Reverend Andrew Carpenter, Rabbi Heller, and rock & roll legend Little Richard
.
Bo is devastated when his son Drew Buchanan, a police officer, is killed in the line of duty on September 16, 1998. Nora hopes to conceive a child to give her husband a reason to live; out of desperation she turns to former flame Sam Rappaport
. The pregnancy pulls Bo back onto his feet, but he and Nora later divorce in 1999 when it is revealed that Nora's son Matthew
had been fathered by Sam. It is not until Sam's death in 2003 that the truth comes out: Matthew is Bo's son, and Sam had been aware of it and kept the secret.
In July 2008, Bo and young Rex Balsom
travel back in time to 1968; Bo finds himself reliving his past as his own father Asa Buchanan
, while Rex is Bo. They both ultimately return as history writes itself with one exception: Rex (as Bo) sleeps with Asa's ex-mistress Emma Bradley. This proves significant in February 2009 when a paternity test determines that David Vickers
— whom a previous DNA test had supposedly established is Asa's son by Emma — is actually's Bo's son.
In 2009, Nora and Clint begin a relationship. Bo and Nora spend more time together when Matthew is in an accident and becomes paralyzed; soon Clint senses that Bo and Nora still harbor feelings for each other. Clint proposes and Nora accepts, but she kisses Bo the night before her wedding to Clint. Nora loves Clint and goes through with the wedding to Clint, but she becomes further wrapped up with Clint when Matthew sues his parents for the right to have a dangerous surgery that may help him walk again. Bo and Nora finally confess their love for each other and fall into an affair. When Clint finds out, he furiously throws Nora out and demands a divorce, blackmailing her into signing over the Buchanan mansion, which Asa had left to her in his will.
In April, 2010 Bo is shot by Schuyler Joplin but survives, soon asking Nora to marry him on April 9, 2010. In June 2010, after 10 years apart, Bo and Nora are remarried by David.
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...
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...
.
Casting and awards
The role was originated in 1979 by Robert S. WoodsRobert S. Woods
Robert Sosebee Woods is an American actor best known for playing Bo Buchanan on the ABC soap One Life to Live, a role for which he won a 1983 Daytime Emmy Award for Lead Actor.-Early life:...
, who briefly left the series in 1986 but returned in 1988, and currently portrays the role. A 2008 time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
storyline transplants Bo and 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;...
(John-Paul Lavoisier
John-Paul Lavoisier
-Career:Lavoisier is known for his role as Rex Balsom on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. He has portrayed this character since 2002. During that same year, he also appeared in the horror movie Wolves of Wall Street....
) back to 1968, where Woods portrays his character's father 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 Lavoisier plays a young Bo from July 21 through August 26, 2008. As Bo and Rex return to the present, Woods' real-life son Tanner plays young Bo on August 26, 2008 as he departs to serve in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Woods won a 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...
for Lead Actor
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974.In the lists below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees....
for the role in 1983, also earning nominations in 1986, 1993, 1994, 1999, and 2000, multiple Soap Opera Digest Award
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
nominations, and four MVP trophies from Soap Opera Update
Soap Opera Update
Soap Opera Update was a magazine dedicated to the coverage of soap operas, co-founded by Angela Shapiro in 1988, and purchased by Bauer Media Group in 1992. The magazine became popular on news-stands in the mid-1990s. However, due to a lack of subscriptions, no promotion, and being criticized for...
.
Storylines
Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
-veteran Bo (Woods himself being a veteran of the war) arrives in the fictional city of Llanview
Llanview, Pennsylvania
Llanview, Pennsylvania is the fictional setting for the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The city exists in the same fictional universe as cities from other existing or defunct ABC daytime dramas, including Pine Valley from All My Children, Port Charles from General Hospital, and...
in 1979, following his brother Clint
Clint 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...
from their native Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Clint had secured a position at Llanview's flagship newspaper, The Banner, replacing Victoria Lord Riley
Victoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
's then-ailing husband, Joe Riley
Joe 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...
.
Somewhat unlucky in love, over the years Bo suffers many breakups, as well as the deaths of two wives (Didi O'Neill in 1988 and Sarah Gordon in 1992) and a fiancée (Gabrielle Medina
Gabrielle Medina
Gabrielle Medina is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She has been portrayed by Fiona Hutchison from 1987-1991 and again from 2001-2004. She is set to return in 2011.-Arrival and Max Holden:...
in 2004). He also pursues many occupations, including becoming a music record executive and a movie and television producer. In the late 1980s Bo produces Llanview's own soap opera, Fraternity Row, on which it is said in 2008 that he had given rapper Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
his break in show business, cementing a lifelong friendship between them. In 1995, Bo becomes Llanview's Police Commissioner.
Bo meets attorney Nora Gannon
Nora Hanen
Nora Hanen Buchanan is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated by Hillary B. Smith in September 1992.-Casting:...
in October 1992; that Thanksgiving he and 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 had become best friends; slowly their relationship grows into romance after a kiss on New Year's Eve. The couple's first date is at Serenity Springs, and is soon followed by a slew of junk food eating and jitterbug dates. Bo and Nora first make love in April 1993 and say "I love you" in May 1993. However, Nora's chronic headaches worsen, leading her to believe that she was the one who had caused the accident leading to Sarah's death. Bo soon proves this to be false, and proposes marriage. Nora is diagnosed with a brain tumor, but recovers. Bo and Nora marry on June 1, 1995 at St. James Church, the ceremony officiated by Reverend Andrew Carpenter, Rabbi Heller, and rock & roll legend Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
.
Bo is devastated when his son Drew Buchanan, a police officer, is killed in the line of duty on September 16, 1998. Nora hopes to conceive a child to give her husband a reason to live; out of desperation she turns to former flame Sam Rappaport
Sam Rappaport (One Life to Live)
Samuel "Sam" Rappaport is a fictional character on the long running ABC soap opera One Life to Live. He was originally portrayed by Kale Browne from March 5, 1998 to April 11, 2001. The role was taken over on May 8, 2001 by veteran All My Children actor Laurence Lau, who was made famous for...
. The pregnancy pulls Bo back onto his feet, but he and Nora later divorce in 1999 when it is revealed that Nora's son Matthew
Matthew Buchanan
Matthew Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting:The role was portrayed by child actors Steven and Nicholas Towler from 1999 to June 2000 and Ian Chandler Sheaffer from July 2000 to May 2001...
had been fathered by Sam. It is not until Sam's death in 2003 that the truth comes out: Matthew is Bo's son, and Sam had been aware of it and kept the secret.
In July 2008, Bo and young 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;...
travel back in time to 1968; Bo finds himself reliving his past as his own father 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...
, while Rex is Bo. They both ultimately return as history writes itself with one exception: Rex (as Bo) sleeps with Asa's ex-mistress Emma Bradley. This proves significant in February 2009 when a paternity test determines that David Vickers
David Vickers
David Vickers Buchanan is a fictional character from the daytime soap opera One Life to Live, portrayed by Tuc Watkins.-Appearances:...
— whom a previous DNA test had supposedly established is Asa's son by Emma — is actually's Bo's son.
In 2009, Nora and Clint begin a relationship. Bo and Nora spend more time together when Matthew is in an accident and becomes paralyzed; soon Clint senses that Bo and Nora still harbor feelings for each other. Clint proposes and Nora accepts, but she kisses Bo the night before her wedding to Clint. Nora loves Clint and goes through with the wedding to Clint, but she becomes further wrapped up with Clint when Matthew sues his parents for the right to have a dangerous surgery that may help him walk again. Bo and Nora finally confess their love for each other and fall into an affair. When Clint finds out, he furiously throws Nora out and demands a divorce, blackmailing her into signing over the Buchanan mansion, which Asa had left to her in his will.
In April, 2010 Bo is shot by Schuyler Joplin but survives, soon asking Nora to marry him on April 9, 2010. In June 2010, after 10 years apart, Bo and Nora are remarried by David.