Colleen Brady
Encyclopedia
Colleen Mary Brady was a fictional character
on the U.S.
soap opera
Days of our Lives
. Her story was seen in flashbacks through the correspondence between Santo DiMera
and herself. Colleen's great-grand niece, Sami Brady
looked almost identical to Colleen; the young Colleen was portrayed by Alison Sweeney
.
, living in Galway
, Ireland
, Colleen began a relationship with Santo DiMera
, a badly injured Italian businessman she met when he was brought to her church for treatment. The two fell in love and embarked on an affair after Santo's wife allegedly died. The love letters that they wrote to one another eventually revealed the full extent of their doomed relationship to "Days" viewers.
Colleen presumably died while still very young when she fell or jumped from a County Galway cliff. Her brother Shawn Brady
claimed that Colleen was killed by DiMera, while Stefano
, Santo's eldest son claimed that Shawn murdered her. Her presumed death sparked the more than five decade Brady/DiMera
feud though only Colleen's nun's habit, not her body was recovered.
, Hope
, Shawn D
, Belle
, Philip Kiriakis
, Chloe Lane
, Marlena Evans
, and John Black to Ireland. There they discovered an elderly Colleen, (portrayed by Shirley Jones
) in a small inn in the town of New Ross
. Years earlier, she had faked her death and left Ireland. Now, on her death bed, Colleen Brady was intent on revealing all.
Heartbroken that Santo lied to her about his true wedded state, unable to kill herself (that would be a mortal sin), Colleen claimed that she needed Santo to believe she was dead so that he would return to his wife and son. After running away, Colleen discovered that she was pregnant and fled to South America. At first she attempted to raise her son, whom she named, Ryan. Weathering several years of extreme poverty, Colleen succumbed to a near-fatal illness. She did not die, but the people to whom she had entrusted her son gave the boy up for adoption. Eventually she recuperated her health and managed to become financially successful. Even so, Colleen lived her life hiding from Santo and Stefano while from afar, tried to protect her brother Shawn's family from the machinations of the Brady-hating Stefano.
Realizing that she was about to die and that Stefano was still tormenting her family, Colleen kidnapped Claire Brady to keep her safe. On her death bed Colleen confessed that John Black
was the son that she had lost all those years ago, the brother of John's arch-nemesis, Stefano, and that her son's father, Santo, had been her one true love.
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 U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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,...
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
. Her story was seen in flashbacks through the correspondence between Santo DiMera
Santo DiMera
Santo DiMera is a fictional character on the soap opera Days of our Lives. He was portrayed by James Scott from July 9, 2007 to September 28, 2007. Scott reprised the role on August 20, 2008 as a figment of John's imagination....
and herself. Colleen's great-grand niece, Sami Brady
Sami Brady
Samantha Gene "Sami" Hernandez is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives. She was born onscreen on October 16, 1984, though was later SORASed to October 16, 1977. Created by head writer Margaret DePriest, Sami has been portrayed by Alison Sweeney since January 22, 1993...
looked almost identical to Colleen; the young Colleen was portrayed by Alison Sweeney
Alison Sweeney
Alison Sweeney is an American dramatic actress and reality show host. Sweeney is best known for her portrayal of Samantha "Sami" Gene Brady on NBC's long running Days of our Lives, a role she has played under contract with the show since January 6, 1993...
.
Character history
A noviceNovice
A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...
, living in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Colleen began a relationship with Santo DiMera
Santo DiMera
Santo DiMera is a fictional character on the soap opera Days of our Lives. He was portrayed by James Scott from July 9, 2007 to September 28, 2007. Scott reprised the role on August 20, 2008 as a figment of John's imagination....
, a badly injured Italian businessman she met when he was brought to her church for treatment. The two fell in love and embarked on an affair after Santo's wife allegedly died. The love letters that they wrote to one another eventually revealed the full extent of their doomed relationship to "Days" viewers.
Colleen presumably died while still very young when she fell or jumped from a County Galway cliff. Her brother Shawn Brady
Shawn Brady
Shawn Brady is a fictional character on the American soap opera Days of our Lives and the patriarch of the Brady family. He has been portrayed by Lew Brown , Frank MacLean , and Frank Parker .-Storylines:Shawn was the husband of Caroline Brady, and father of three biological children Roman Brady,...
claimed that Colleen was killed by DiMera, while Stefano
Stefano DiMera
Stefano DiMera is a fictional character, a villain on the American soap opera Days of our Lives. Created by head writer Pat Falken Smith, he is portrayed by Joseph Mascolo...
, Santo's eldest son claimed that Shawn murdered her. Her presumed death sparked the more than five decade Brady/DiMera
DiMera family
The DiMeras are an upper-class Italian Roman Catholic family on the soap opera Days of our Lives. Over the years, the nature of the family itself has been retconned several times; although never directly and overtly, it's been represented as old-line Italian nobility, a relatively self-made...
feud though only Colleen's nun's habit, not her body was recovered.
All is revealed
In January 2008, Colleen kidnapped Claire Brady leading BoBo Brady
Beauregard Aurelius "Bo" Brady is a fictional character on the NBC Soap Opera, Days of our Lives, the youngest of the series' Brady family. Created under head-writer Margaret DePreist, the role was originated by actor Peter Reckell on May 2, 1983. Robert Kelker-Kelly briefly stepped into the role...
, Hope
Hope Williams Brady
Hope Alice Brady is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives. Created by writer William J. Bell, she is portrayed by Kristian Alfonso since she was SORASed to an adult in April 1983. Hope is a member of the Horton family, a very prominent fixture in Salem...
, Shawn D
Shawn-Douglas Brady
Shawn-Douglas Brady is a character on the television soap opera Days of our Lives. He is the son of supercouple Bo Brady and Hope Williams, and one half of the supercouple Shawn Brady and Belle Black. Jason Cook is most identifiable in the role, portraying the character from 1999-2006...
, Belle
Belle Black
Isabella "Belle" Brady is a fictional character on the U.S. daytime television drama Days of our Lives. The only child of supercouple John Black and Marlena Evans, she is also one half of the supercouple Shawn Brady and Belle Black...
, Philip Kiriakis
Philip Kiriakis
Philip Robert Kiriakis is a character on the American soap opera Days of our Lives He has been portrayed by Brandon Tyler from October 21, 1999 to December 24, 1999, then by Jay Kenneth Johnson from December 27, 1999 to December 25, 2002 and Kyle Brandt from May 14, 2003 to October 12, 2006,...
, Chloe Lane
Chloe Lane
Chloe Lane is a fictional character on the American NBC soap opera Days of our Lives. Created by head writer Tom Langan, she is portrayed by actress Nadia Bjorlin...
, Marlena Evans
Marlena Evans
Dr. Marlena Evans Black is a long-running fictional character on the NBC daytime drama, Days of our Lives, a long running serial about working life in the fictional town of Salem. She was played by actress Deidre Hall since 1976, with a few minor breaks in between from 1987 to March 1991 and...
, and John Black to Ireland. There they discovered an elderly Colleen, (portrayed by Shirley Jones
Shirley Jones
Shirley Mae Jones is an American singer and actress of stage, film and television. In her six decades of television, she starred as wholesome characters in a number of well-known musical films, such as Oklahoma! , Carousel , and The Music Man...
) in a small inn in the town of New Ross
New Ross
New Ross is a town located in southwest County Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. In 2006 it had a population of 7,709 people, making it the third largest town in the county after Wexford and Enniscorthy.-History:...
. Years earlier, she had faked her death and left Ireland. Now, on her death bed, Colleen Brady was intent on revealing all.
Heartbroken that Santo lied to her about his true wedded state, unable to kill herself (that would be a mortal sin), Colleen claimed that she needed Santo to believe she was dead so that he would return to his wife and son. After running away, Colleen discovered that she was pregnant and fled to South America. At first she attempted to raise her son, whom she named, Ryan. Weathering several years of extreme poverty, Colleen succumbed to a near-fatal illness. She did not die, but the people to whom she had entrusted her son gave the boy up for adoption. Eventually she recuperated her health and managed to become financially successful. Even so, Colleen lived her life hiding from Santo and Stefano while from afar, tried to protect her brother Shawn's family from the machinations of the Brady-hating Stefano.
Realizing that she was about to die and that Stefano was still tormenting her family, Colleen kidnapped Claire Brady to keep her safe. On her death bed Colleen confessed that John Black
John Black (fiction)
John Black is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives, played by Drake Hogestyn since January 10, 1986, with brief interruptions from October 26, 2007 to January 8, 2008, and most recently January 23, 2009 to September 26, 2011...
was the son that she had lost all those years ago, the brother of John's arch-nemesis, Stefano, and that her son's father, Santo, had been her one true love.