Carlo Hesser
Encyclopedia
Carlo Hesser is a fictional character
on ABC
's daytime drama One Life to Live
. He has been played by Thom Christopher
from 1990 to 1992, 1996 to 1997, in 2005 and from July 3, 2008 to September 11, 2008. The character was named after Lisa S. Hesser
, a producer
on the series from 1987 to 1991.
Criminal mastermind Carlo arrives in Llanview
, Pennsylvania
in 1990 and sets up a drug-trafficking operation, but soon mayor and wealthy newspaper publisher Victoria Lord Buchanan steps in and shuts him down. Carlo's son and heir, Johnny Dee Hesser, seeks to aid his father and hires thugs to scare Viki off, but instead Viki ends up incapacitated by a stroke.
Meanwhile, Johnny has been romantically involved with Viki's half-sister Tina Lord
, and soon a pregnant Tina is unsure whether the father of her baby is Johnny or her ex-husband Cord Roberts
. Finding out about the baby and Tina's plans to reconcile with Cord, a distraught Johnny bursts into Llanfair, knocking Tina unconscious and attempting to kidnap her. Viki, unable to walk or speak, realizes that Tina's life is in danger; her long-dormant alternate personality
Niki Smith emerges. As Niki, Viki is able to stand — and shoots Johnny to death. Initially, both Viki and Tina have no memory of what happened, and Tina becomes the prime suspect in the murder. However, an audio tape recorded in the room later exonerates her, and proves that Viki had acted in self-defense.
The baby is proven to be Cord's; Carlo, however, vows revenge against the entire Buchanan family. He kidnaps Viki's daughter Megan Gordon and Megan's half-sister Sarah; eventually the sisters manage to escape, but Carlo kidnaps Sarah again. Sarah's husband Bo Buchanan
(also Viki's brother-in-law) hires former federal agent Alex Olanov
to help him track down Sarah. Megan's boyfriend Jake Harrison feigns a romantic interest in Carlo's daughter Charlotte Hesser in order to discover Sarah's whereabouts; Charlotte soon claims that Carlo has put out a contract on Megan's life, but will be saved if Jake marries Charlotte. He does, but Charlotte eventually grants him a divorce so he can be with Megan. Alex eventually finds Sarah; Carlo agrees to let her go in exchange for his freedom, but Sarah's plane crashes and she is presumed dead. Sarah later returns and reveals that she has been Carlo's prisoner the entire time.
In 1991 Carlo blackmails Gabrielle Medina
to aid him in his plot to poison Viki; Gabrielle backs out and testifies against Carlo. She accepts the blame and goes to jail for seven years to protect her young son Al Holden from Carlo's wrath. The Buchanans turn to Alex — now in jail for trying to kill Bo's new love Cassie Callison — for help. With the promise that she will be released, Alex uses her government connections to uncover evidence of Hesser killing an undercover federal informant. Alex secretly makes a deal with Carlo; she will destroy the evidence if he marries her. He does, and Alex keeps her word. Patriarch Asa Buchanan
discovers old love letters to his wife Renee from Carlo; she and Carlo had been together years before, when they both had lived in Las Vegas
. A furious Asa files for divorce and threatens Carlo publicly. Carlo is soon found dead, with Asa and Sarah among the many suspects. It is ultimately revealed that Carlo's own niece Stephanie Hobart had killed him after discovering that he had murdered her father, Carlo's adopted brother Joseph Hobart. Out of loyalty to Carlo, Alex sneaks Stephanie out of town to avoid prosecution.
Alex struggles in vain to retain control of Carlo's mob empire, and finally finds a Carlo lookalike — Egyptologist Mortimer Bern — to take her dead husband's place. Alex manages to eventually transform the meek Mortimer into a believable Carlo, but Mortimer soon falls for Renee Buchanan and becomes increasingly uncontrollable. Mortimer's mother, Wilma Bern, arrives to find her son. Alex bribes Wilma to keep her plan in motion, but the police discover that "Carlo" is alive and intend to hunt him down. To save Mortimer, Wilma reveals that he and Carlo are twins; unable to care for two children, she had given up Carlo. Mortimer and Wilma soon leave town.
in his plot. Former gang leader and ex-con Antonio Vega
leaves prison determined to rebuild his life in an honest way; Carlo sees him as a worthy successor, but Antonio only accepts Carlo's help when economic hardship forces him to do so. Carlo manages to drive Asa's company to near-bankruptcy and hires a hypnotherapist
in a failed attempt to program Viki to kill her own son Kevin Buchanan
. Alex leaves Asa and pretends she is pregnant to coerce Carlo into marrying her; Asa reveals the truth to Carlo, who dumps Alex. Carlo is again found murdered, the list of suspects also including Max Holden
and Viki and Tina's brother Todd Manning
, both of whom Carlo had almost killed. Antonio is nearly convicted when Mortimer appears and testifies that Alex had killed Carlo as revenge for leaving her. Mortimer soon disappears with Asa's $30 million; months later, he returns and lures Alex out of town with him. When Alex returns to Llanview in 2001, she confirms that "Mortimer" had been Carlo in disguise, but he had since left her and vanished with the money.
abducted and thrown into a mental institution, Asa tracks down Carlo in Argentina
in 2005. Asa makes Carlo a deal: he can keep Asa's millions uncontested if he kills Blair for Asa. Carlo accepts and returns to Llanview, disguising himself as a police officer and nearly murdering Blair. Blair's ex-husband Todd manages to save her, and Carlo is sent to prison. He stages a massive prison break in November 2005, but ultimately remains incarcerated.
inexplicably aids Jonas Chamberlain, the sinister U.S. Ambassador to the Europe
an principality
of Mendorra
, in kidnapping her roommate Sarah Roberts
(Cristian's girlfriend). Soon Antonio and Cristian discover that Jonas has both women; they and Sarah's mother Tina Lord
— who had been posing as the Crown Princess of Mendorra — agree to accompany Jonas back to Mendorra in order to make an exchange: Sarah and Talia for the Crown Jewels which Tina has in her possession.
In Mendorra, Carlo is revealed to be Talia's estranged father, and the real mastermind behind the kidnappings (corrupt Llanview Police Commissioner Lee Ramsey had effected Carlo's disappearance from prison). Talia is Carlo's youngest child; during her early childhood, she had lived under Carlo's tyrannical rule, tormented by her demented siblings, Johnny Dee and Charlotte. Eventually, Talia had escaped from Carlo with her mother. Taking her Syrian
stepfather's last name "Sahid," Talia had eventually gone into law enforcement for the express purpose of repudiating all the evil done by Carlo, and in the hopes of eventually bringing the father she despises to justice. Carlo intends to force Talia to marry Jonas, the true heir to the throne and Carlo's puppet. Talia protests and stalls, but goes through with the royal wedding on July 31, 2008 to save Antonio and her friends from harm. Talia brokers a deal with Carlo: she will stay if the others are allowed to leave. With several people's lives at stake, a furious Antonio is forced to leave Talia behind. Antonio, Sarah and Cristian later return; they drug Carlo and Jonas and stage them in bed together, and Talia leads a team of reporters to "discover" the scene. With a protesting Carlo and Jonas arrested for fraud, Talia and the others leave Mendorra. Cristian is kidnapped from an airport the group is connecting through; he awakens to find himself a prisoner on a cargo ship, with Carlo there gloating. Posing as "Mortimer Bern," Carlo delivers Cristian to Plato prison in Colombia
, passing him off to the authorities as "the worst criminal in all of Colombia." Carlo then disappears.
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 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...
's daytime drama 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...
. He has been played by Thom Christopher
Thom Christopher
Thom Christopher is an American actor.He is best known for his portrayal of mob boss Carlo Hesser and Mortimer Bern on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live.Christopher has also had roles on soap operas such as Loving and Guiding Light...
from 1990 to 1992, 1996 to 1997, in 2005 and from July 3, 2008 to September 11, 2008. The character was named after Lisa S. Hesser
Lisa de Cazotte
Lisa de Cazotte is an American soap opera producer.-Biography:A graduate of Fordham University, de Cazotte was previously known as Lisa S. Hesser before her marriage to French documentary producer Antoine de Cazotte....
, a producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
on the series from 1987 to 1991.
1990-1992
Criminal mastermind Carlo arrives in 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...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1990 and sets up a drug-trafficking operation, but soon mayor and wealthy newspaper publisher Victoria Lord Buchanan steps in and shuts him down. Carlo's son and heir, Johnny Dee Hesser, seeks to aid his father and hires thugs to scare Viki off, but instead Viki ends up incapacitated by a stroke.
Meanwhile, Johnny has been romantically involved with Viki's half-sister Tina Lord
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...
, and soon a pregnant Tina is unsure whether the father of her baby is Johnny or her ex-husband Cord Roberts
Cord Roberts
Cordero "Cord" Roberts is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated in 1986 by John Loprieno, who left the series in 1992 and then returned from 1993 through 1997...
. Finding out about the baby and Tina's plans to reconcile with Cord, a distraught Johnny bursts into Llanfair, knocking Tina unconscious and attempting to kidnap her. Viki, unable to walk or speak, realizes that Tina's life is in danger; her long-dormant 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....
Niki Smith emerges. As Niki, Viki is able to stand — and shoots Johnny to death. Initially, both Viki and Tina have no memory of what happened, and Tina becomes the prime suspect in the murder. However, an audio tape recorded in the room later exonerates her, and proves that Viki had acted in self-defense.
The baby is proven to be Cord's; Carlo, however, vows revenge against the entire Buchanan family. He kidnaps Viki's daughter Megan Gordon and Megan's half-sister Sarah; eventually the sisters manage to escape, but Carlo kidnaps Sarah again. Sarah's husband Bo Buchanan
Bo Buchanan
Beaufort Oglethorpe "Bo" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting and awards:The role was originated in 1979 by Robert S. Woods, who briefly left the series in 1986 but returned in 1988, and currently portrays the role...
(also Viki's brother-in-law) hires former federal agent Alex Olanov
Alex Olanov
Alexandra "Alex" Olanov is a fictional character from the long-running ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
to help him track down Sarah. Megan's boyfriend Jake Harrison feigns a romantic interest in Carlo's daughter Charlotte Hesser in order to discover Sarah's whereabouts; Charlotte soon claims that Carlo has put out a contract on Megan's life, but will be saved if Jake marries Charlotte. He does, but Charlotte eventually grants him a divorce so he can be with Megan. Alex eventually finds Sarah; Carlo agrees to let her go in exchange for his freedom, but Sarah's plane crashes and she is presumed dead. Sarah later returns and reveals that she has been Carlo's prisoner the entire time.
In 1991 Carlo blackmails 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:...
to aid him in his plot to poison Viki; Gabrielle backs out and testifies against Carlo. She accepts the blame and goes to jail for seven years to protect her young son Al Holden from Carlo's wrath. The Buchanans turn to Alex — now in jail for trying to kill Bo's new love Cassie Callison — for help. With the promise that she will be released, Alex uses her government connections to uncover evidence of Hesser killing an undercover federal informant. Alex secretly makes a deal with Carlo; she will destroy the evidence if he marries her. He does, and Alex keeps her word. Patriarch 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...
discovers old love letters to his wife Renee from Carlo; she and Carlo had been together years before, when they both had lived in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. A furious Asa files for divorce and threatens Carlo publicly. Carlo is soon found dead, with Asa and Sarah among the many suspects. It is ultimately revealed that Carlo's own niece Stephanie Hobart had killed him after discovering that he had murdered her father, Carlo's adopted brother Joseph Hobart. Out of loyalty to Carlo, Alex sneaks Stephanie out of town to avoid prosecution.
Alex struggles in vain to retain control of Carlo's mob empire, and finally finds a Carlo lookalike — Egyptologist Mortimer Bern — to take her dead husband's place. Alex manages to eventually transform the meek Mortimer into a believable Carlo, but Mortimer soon falls for Renee Buchanan and becomes increasingly uncontrollable. Mortimer's mother, Wilma Bern, arrives to find her son. Alex bribes Wilma to keep her plan in motion, but the police discover that "Carlo" is alive and intend to hunt him down. To save Mortimer, Wilma reveals that he and Carlo are twins; unable to care for two children, she had given up Carlo. Mortimer and Wilma soon leave town.
1996-1997
In 1996, Alex — now married to Asa — discovers that her husband's mysterious business partner "Poseidon" is actually Carlo. Carlo admits to faking his death at Stephanie's hands, and spending the previous four years building up his now-international crime syndicate by selling arms to the terrorist group known as "the Men of 21." Carlo swindles Asa out of $30 million and secretly reunites with Alex, nearly killing Asa in an explosion. Carlo reintroduces himself to Llanview as "reformed," the statute of limitations having run out on all of his previous crimes. But Carlo soon resumes his vendetta against the Buchanans and their loved ones, enlisting local criminal R.J. GannonR.J. Gannon
Randall James "R. J." Gannon is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. He has been portrayed by Timothy D. Stickney since 1994, though the character was put on recurring status in 2006 and aired through May 29, 2008. He returned briefly in April 2009 for three episodes.R.J...
in his plot. Former gang leader and ex-con 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,...
leaves prison determined to rebuild his life in an honest way; Carlo sees him as a worthy successor, but Antonio only accepts Carlo's help when economic hardship forces him to do so. Carlo manages to drive Asa's company to near-bankruptcy and hires a hypnotherapist
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a therapy that is undertaken with a subject in hypnosis.The word "hypnosis" is an abbreviation of James Braid's term "neuro-hypnotism", meaning "sleep of the nervous system"....
in a failed attempt to program Viki to kill her own son Kevin Buchanan
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:...
. Alex leaves Asa and pretends she is pregnant to coerce Carlo into marrying her; Asa reveals the truth to Carlo, who dumps Alex. Carlo is again found murdered, the list of suspects also including Max Holden
Max Holden (One Life to Live)
Max Holden is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. He was most popularly portrayed by James DePaiva.-Storylines:Max Holden came to Llanview in 1987 and as soon as he got there, he became involved in a love triangle with two women, Tina Lord Roberts and Gabrielle Medina....
and Viki and Tina's brother 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...
, both of whom Carlo had almost killed. Antonio is nearly convicted when Mortimer appears and testifies that Alex had killed Carlo as revenge for leaving her. Mortimer soon disappears with Asa's $30 million; months later, he returns and lures Alex out of town with him. When Alex returns to Llanview in 2001, she confirms that "Mortimer" had been Carlo in disguise, but he had since left her and vanished with the money.
2005
Fleeing a kidnapping charge for having ex-wife Blair CramerBlair Cramer
Blair Cramer is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live...
abducted and thrown into a mental institution, Asa tracks down Carlo in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 2005. Asa makes Carlo a deal: he can keep Asa's millions uncontested if he kills Blair for Asa. Carlo accepts and returns to Llanview, disguising himself as a police officer and nearly murdering Blair. Blair's ex-husband Todd manages to save her, and Carlo is sent to prison. He stages a massive prison break in November 2005, but ultimately remains incarcerated.
2008
On June 26, 2008, Llanview police officer (and Antonio's girlfriend) Talia SahidTalia Sahid
Talia Cosima Sahid is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live played by BethAnn Bonner from December 21, 2006 to April 22, 2009.-Casting:...
inexplicably aids Jonas Chamberlain, the sinister U.S. Ambassador to the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
of Mendorra
Mendorra
Mendorra is a fictional European monarchy on the long-running U.S. soap opera One Life to Live. The principality is supposedly located near Germany.-Locations:...
, in kidnapping her roommate Sarah Roberts
Sarah Roberts
Sarah Victoria Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She is the daughter of Tina Lord and Cord Roberts.-Casting:...
(Cristian's girlfriend). Soon Antonio and Cristian discover that Jonas has both women; they and Sarah's mother Tina Lord
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...
— who had been posing as the Crown Princess of Mendorra — agree to accompany Jonas back to Mendorra in order to make an exchange: Sarah and Talia for the Crown Jewels which Tina has in her possession.
In Mendorra, Carlo is revealed to be Talia's estranged father, and the real mastermind behind the kidnappings (corrupt Llanview Police Commissioner Lee Ramsey had effected Carlo's disappearance from prison). Talia is Carlo's youngest child; during her early childhood, she had lived under Carlo's tyrannical rule, tormented by her demented siblings, Johnny Dee and Charlotte. Eventually, Talia had escaped from Carlo with her mother. Taking her Syrian
Demographics of Syria
Syrians today are an overall indigenous Levantine people. While modern-day Syrians are commonly described as Arabs by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history...
stepfather's last name "Sahid," Talia had eventually gone into law enforcement for the express purpose of repudiating all the evil done by Carlo, and in the hopes of eventually bringing the father she despises to justice. Carlo intends to force Talia to marry Jonas, the true heir to the throne and Carlo's puppet. Talia protests and stalls, but goes through with the royal wedding on July 31, 2008 to save Antonio and her friends from harm. Talia brokers a deal with Carlo: she will stay if the others are allowed to leave. With several people's lives at stake, a furious Antonio is forced to leave Talia behind. Antonio, Sarah and Cristian later return; they drug Carlo and Jonas and stage them in bed together, and Talia leads a team of reporters to "discover" the scene. With a protesting Carlo and Jonas arrested for fraud, Talia and the others leave Mendorra. Cristian is kidnapped from an airport the group is connecting through; he awakens to find himself a prisoner on a cargo ship, with Carlo there gloating. Posing as "Mortimer Bern," Carlo delivers Cristian to Plato prison in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, passing him off to the authorities as "the worst criminal in all of Colombia." Carlo then disappears.