James Ford (One Life to Live)
Encyclopedia
James Ford is a fictional character
from the ABC
original soap opera
One Life to Live
. The role was originated by Nic Robuck on June 9, 2010.
that his pairing with Starr (Kristen Alderson
) is a big hit with fans, "We have fans that wait outside the studio every day with pictures, and they talk about the storyline. They always ask, 'Are you and Starr going to get together?' I always tell them, 'You'll just have to wait and see." Robuck also describes his character James,-ABC Daytime
Originally, Robuck was just supposed to be brought as Starr's new love interest, but when the writers noticed the resemblance between himself and co-star David A. Gregory who plays Robert Ford
, they decided to make them brothers. Robuck appeared on The Young and the Restless
as a waiter at the Genoa City Athletic Club from 2008 to 2010. He has also appeared on CSI: Miami
and the Nickelodeon
sitcom, iCarly
.
. Their father is a criminal who runs a chop shop and forces James into his crew when he is only 15. Their father is abusive but Robert manages to get a scholarship for film school and moves to California
leaving James in his father's hands. James decides he wants out so he steals $50,000 from his father and hides it. Their father sends one of his thugs, Bull, after James.
James is first seen as a stranger talking to Starr Manning
about the problems in their lives. Later that day, James is revealed to be the little brother of Robert Ford
who is nearly beaten to death. James's voice helps Ford regain consciousness. When police come in to question his brother, James leaves and bumps into Bull. James finds his way to the parking garage where he bumps into Starr whose having car trouble. After fixing her car, Bull finally catches up to him and James demands that Starr get in the car with him. As they speed away, Starr loses her purse.
James shows up again when he realizes that Bull is after Starr. The two escape to her aunt Viki's
cabin where James opens up about his abusive criminal father. James tells her that he stole $50,000 from his father so he wouldn't have to work for his dad. Starr and James decide the only way to get the money is to steal a car worth as much as he owes Bull. After stealing the car, the two end up in a car wreck after Starr's attempt to keep James from hiting an animal sends them into a tree. Though both of them are ok, the car isn't worth anything. James decides to turn himself into Bull promising to work off the money he owes. Though he tells her to stay away, Starr follows him to the abandoned barn were he is meeting Bull. Starr's father Todd Manning
also arrives with $50,000 in exchange for his other daughter, Dani's
boyfriend, Nate Salinger
. As the situation starts to unravel with Bull and Todd fighting, James picks up a shovel attempting to knock Bull out as Starr grabs Bull's gun and accidentally shoots James. Fortunately, James makes it through surgery and shortly after, he tells Starr he has feelings for her. Starr tells James that they can never see one another again. James later learns that Nate's mother, Inez
is the mother who abandoned him and Bobby when they were kids. He then begins dating Langston Wilde
to make Starr jealous. Starr, James, and Langston all enroll in Llanview University around the same time and are surprised to learn the Ford is teaching a class that they are all taking. When Starr learns from Robert that her mother's fiancée, Elijah Clarke
is actually a serial killer and her boyfriend Cole Thornhart
knew about it, she is furious; James goes to comfort her.
Brody Lovett showed up at LU and beat up Ford for sleeping with Jessica while she wasn't in her right mind. This upset Langston, so she pretended to give
Ford a second chance and secretly had photos taken of the two of them making out. She sent the pictures to the dean and got Ford fired.
James also loses his chance on education once Ford gets fired from his teaching position. Thanks to Clint Buchanan, Ford got his job back after Clint made a call to the Dean and James was able to stay in school.
Starr, Dani, and Hope are kidnapped by Elijah Clarke and Starr manages to get away. When Hannah goes through with her plans to get rid of Starr and Hope for good, James catches on and decides to handle it. He finds Starr trapped in the attic of Hannah's home in Delaware. Hannah has them dress up in Halloween
costumes and takes them to the cemetery where she forces them to dig their own graves at gunpoint. She knocks James out and makes Starr bury him alive. As Hannah is about to bury Starr, James rises from the grave and distracts Hannah long enough for Starr to bash her unconscious with a shovel. The two subsequently turn her in to the police. When Cole kills Elijah believing that Starr and Hope were trapped in the building he just blew, James tries to help Starr and Cole run. Cole turns himself in and is sentenced to 10 years in prison and Starr is heartbroken. James comforts her and tries to help her forget about her problems.
When Eddie shows up in town, Bobby and James are forced to let him live with them because James will go to jail for stealing the $50,000 from him. Eddie picks up right were he left off and continues terrorizing James. On November 24, James and Ford attend the Cramer family
Thanksgiving celebration and Eddie crashes it. After Eddie punches James in front of everyone, he is arrested. Starr convinces James that he doesn't have to live in fear of his father anymore and they spend Thanksgiving with her family.
Later, James becomes furious at Eddie for his action, and confronts him at his hotel room with a gun with the intention of killing him. Though he nearly does so, James realizes that he can't put Starr through the same ordeal that she went through when Cole was arrested and diverts his aim, subsequently warning his father to leave town before he changes his mind or before someone else attempts to do so before leaving. James also dated this girl, named Michelle, to get over Starr and they almost had sex but didn't because his heart belonged to Starr. Its revealed that he and Nate are the paternal uncles of Ryder Ford (Robert's son with Jessica Buchanan
). On February 28, 2011 James and Starr become a couple.
On August 10, 2011, James and Starr make love for the first time.
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...
from 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...
original 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...
. The role was originated by Nic Robuck on June 9, 2010.
Casting and character creation
Actor Nic Robuck reveals in an interview with ABC DaytimeABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
that his pairing with Starr (Kristen Alderson
Kristen Alderson
Kristen DeAnn Alderson is an American actress and occasional singer.-Early life:Alderson was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania to Richard and Kathy Alderson...
) is a big hit with fans, "We have fans that wait outside the studio every day with pictures, and they talk about the storyline. They always ask, 'Are you and Starr going to get together?' I always tell them, 'You'll just have to wait and see." Robuck also describes his character James,-ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
Originally, Robuck was just supposed to be brought as Starr's new love interest, but when the writers noticed the resemblance between himself and co-star David A. Gregory who plays Robert Ford
Robert Ford (One Life to Live)
Robert "Bobby" Ford is a fictional character from the ABC original soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated by David A. Gregory on August 10, 2009 on a recurring basis. Gregory was upgraded to contract status in December 2009....
, they decided to make them brothers. Robuck appeared on The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
as a waiter at the Genoa City Athletic Club from 2008 to 2010. He has also appeared on CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
and the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
sitcom, iCarly
ICarly
iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
.
Storylines
According to James, he and his brother were raised in Dayton, OhioDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. Their father is a criminal who runs a chop shop and forces James into his crew when he is only 15. Their father is abusive but Robert manages to get a scholarship for film school and moves to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
leaving James in his father's hands. James decides he wants out so he steals $50,000 from his father and hides it. Their father sends one of his thugs, Bull, after James.
James is first seen as a stranger talking to Starr Manning
Starr Manning
Starr Irene Manning is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. Portrayed by Kristen Alderson since 1998, Starr is the oldest child of Todd Manning and Blair Cramer, and was originally known for her mischievous behavior, exacerbated by her parents' volatile...
about the problems in their lives. Later that day, James is revealed to be the little brother of Robert Ford
Robert Ford (One Life to Live)
Robert "Bobby" Ford is a fictional character from the ABC original soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated by David A. Gregory on August 10, 2009 on a recurring basis. Gregory was upgraded to contract status in December 2009....
who is nearly beaten to death. James's voice helps Ford regain consciousness. When police come in to question his brother, James leaves and bumps into Bull. James finds his way to the parking garage where he bumps into Starr whose having car trouble. After fixing her car, Bull finally catches up to him and James demands that Starr get in the car with him. As they speed away, Starr loses her purse.
James shows up again when he realizes that Bull is after Starr. The two escape to her aunt Viki's
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...
cabin where James opens up about his abusive criminal father. James tells her that he stole $50,000 from his father so he wouldn't have to work for his dad. Starr and James decide the only way to get the money is to steal a car worth as much as he owes Bull. After stealing the car, the two end up in a car wreck after Starr's attempt to keep James from hiting an animal sends them into a tree. Though both of them are ok, the car isn't worth anything. James decides to turn himself into Bull promising to work off the money he owes. Though he tells her to stay away, Starr follows him to the abandoned barn were he is meeting Bull. Starr's father 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...
also arrives with $50,000 in exchange for his other daughter, Dani's
Danielle Rayburn
Danielle "Dani" Manning is a fictional character from ABC soap opera One Life to Live. Created by writer Ron Carlivati, the role was originated in 2009 by actress Kelley Missal. The character was conceived as part of her mother Téa Delgado's absence on the series from 2002 through 2008...
boyfriend, Nate Salinger
Nate Salinger
Nathaniel "Nate" Q. Salinger is a fictional character from the ABC original soap opera One Life to Live. The role is currently portrayed by Lenny Platt since April 12, 2010, and was on recurring status. He was put on contract in late October 2010....
. As the situation starts to unravel with Bull and Todd fighting, James picks up a shovel attempting to knock Bull out as Starr grabs Bull's gun and accidentally shoots James. Fortunately, James makes it through surgery and shortly after, he tells Starr he has feelings for her. Starr tells James that they can never see one another again. James later learns that Nate's mother, Inez
Inez Salinger
Inez Salinger is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live. She was portrayed by Jessica Leccia on recurring status from June 18, 2010 to May 4, 2011.-Storylines:...
is the mother who abandoned him and Bobby when they were kids. He then begins dating Langston Wilde
Langston Wilde
Langston Wilde Cramer is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live. She has been played by Brittany Underwood from May 17, 2006 til April 12, 2011...
to make Starr jealous. Starr, James, and Langston all enroll in Llanview University around the same time and are surprised to learn the Ford is teaching a class that they are all taking. When Starr learns from Robert that her mother's fiancée, Elijah Clarke
Elijah Clarke (One Life to Live)
Elijah Clarke is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. He was portrayed by Matt Walton...
is actually a serial killer and her boyfriend Cole Thornhart
Cole Thornhart
Cole Patrick Thornhart is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live. He was played by Brandon Buddy from October 10, 2006 to November 10, 2010. He is also the nephew of Ian Thornhart, Patrick's identical twin brother from the now-defunct series Port Charles...
knew about it, she is furious; James goes to comfort her.
Brody Lovett showed up at LU and beat up Ford for sleeping with Jessica while she wasn't in her right mind. This upset Langston, so she pretended to give
Ford a second chance and secretly had photos taken of the two of them making out. She sent the pictures to the dean and got Ford fired.
James also loses his chance on education once Ford gets fired from his teaching position. Thanks to Clint Buchanan, Ford got his job back after Clint made a call to the Dean and James was able to stay in school.
Starr, Dani, and Hope are kidnapped by Elijah Clarke and Starr manages to get away. When Hannah goes through with her plans to get rid of Starr and Hope for good, James catches on and decides to handle it. He finds Starr trapped in the attic of Hannah's home in Delaware. Hannah has them dress up in Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
costumes and takes them to the cemetery where she forces them to dig their own graves at gunpoint. She knocks James out and makes Starr bury him alive. As Hannah is about to bury Starr, James rises from the grave and distracts Hannah long enough for Starr to bash her unconscious with a shovel. The two subsequently turn her in to the police. When Cole kills Elijah believing that Starr and Hope were trapped in the building he just blew, James tries to help Starr and Cole run. Cole turns himself in and is sentenced to 10 years in prison and Starr is heartbroken. James comforts her and tries to help her forget about her problems.
When Eddie shows up in town, Bobby and James are forced to let him live with them because James will go to jail for stealing the $50,000 from him. Eddie picks up right were he left off and continues terrorizing James. On November 24, James and Ford attend the Cramer family
Cramer family
The Cramer family are a fictional family on the American soap opera One Life to Live. The popularity and longevity of the family began with the introduction of Dr. Dorian Cramer to the show, debuting on the series in 1973...
Thanksgiving celebration and Eddie crashes it. After Eddie punches James in front of everyone, he is arrested. Starr convinces James that he doesn't have to live in fear of his father anymore and they spend Thanksgiving with her family.
Later, James becomes furious at Eddie for his action, and confronts him at his hotel room with a gun with the intention of killing him. Though he nearly does so, James realizes that he can't put Starr through the same ordeal that she went through when Cole was arrested and diverts his aim, subsequently warning his father to leave town before he changes his mind or before someone else attempts to do so before leaving. James also dated this girl, named Michelle, to get over Starr and they almost had sex but didn't because his heart belonged to Starr. Its revealed that he and Nate are the paternal uncles of Ryder Ford (Robert's son with Jessica Buchanan
Jessica Buchanan
Jessica Eugenia Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
). On February 28, 2011 James and Starr become a couple.
On August 10, 2011, James and Starr make love for the first time.