James Stenbeck
Encyclopedia
James Stenbeck is a fictional character on CBS
's daytime drama As the World Turns
. He has been portrayed by Anthony Herrera
on and off seven times from February 1, 1980 to September 10, 2009. On November 10, 2009, Tom Pelphrey
debuted in the role of Stenbeck in a bizarre plot twist which had Stenbeck reverted to a version of himself from his younger years due to the properties of a lotus from the Amazon Rainforest
. Anthony Herrera returned to the role for two brief appearances on July 28 and August 27, 2010, the latter being James's final appearance.
(who was pregnant with his unborn child), he quickly staked his claim on his family and caused Barbara to break her engagement with Tom Hughes. James and Barbara married that as she gave birth to his son Paul Ryan. However the marriage turned out to be James only means to an end. His role as the first Stenbeck husband and father of his generation secured his place as the rightful heir to the family fortune, and he began pursuing other women outside of the marriage, which included his mistress Margo Montgomery and Dee Stewart. The Stenbeck family was very wealthy seeing as how they were heirs to the Swedish throne.
In addition to his adultery, James also dabbled in drugs and stolen goods smuggling, using Barbara's business Fashions Ltd. which he'd purchased for her as a front for his illegal activity. When Barbara found out about all this, the marriage was put at risk, though James managed to calm her down for a time, by having Margo sidelined and trying to be more of a husband to her, it soon became even more rocky when Barbara grew more disenchanted with James.
Barbara had an infatuation with new-commer Gunnar St. Clair, a Stenbeck cousin she had met at a family event. Eventually she told James she was leaving him for Gunnar, and James, desperate to maintain his hold on the Stenbeck inheritance through Paul, told her she'd never get custody of their son. James had a further setback when he discovered that he was not, in fact, the true Stenbeck heir when Greta Aldrin revealed she'd switched him at birth with the true Stenbeck heir, giving the Stenbeck heir to an orphanage. In fact, his rival Gunnar turned out to be the true heir to the family fortune. Though James sought to conceal the truth, his arch-nemesis John Dixon
had also discovered the secret tape in which James admitted to his sister Ariel Aldrin he wasn't a Stenbeck.
. When Ariel investigated Burke, she began to suspect Gunnar was actually Dusty's biological father. It was then that Ariel realized Dusty could be the true Stenbeck heir. Ariel talked James into hiring Burke as his horse trainer. James himself became intrigued by Burke's vendetta against Gunnar, asking him about his wife. Burke sadly recalled the argument that led to her death. She had just told Burke she was leaving him for Gunnar. They struggled, and Nicole fell off the balcony to her death. James thought this incident was just the ammunition they needed to destroy their mutual rival and planned to use it accordingly. The plan was to make Gunnar believe he drove Nicole to suicide, thereby wreaking havoc in his marriage to Barbara. James hired a Nicole look-alike, Lorna Whitmore, to haunt Gunnar. As a result, Gunnar was plagued by further visits from "Nicole" until he finally captured the impostor in his camera lens. Gunnar and Barbara tracked Lorna down at the hayloft and persuaded her to help them seek revenge on James.
Lorna tipped them off about "Nicole's" next meeting with him, and James was caught red-handed. Fearing that he was going to lose his visitation rights, James lured Paul away from camp and took him on a trip. When Barbara found out, she was frantic. In a hotel room in Cheyenne with James, Paul saw a news bulletin about his disappearance, and realized his father had lied to him. Barbara and Gunnar arrived in Cheyenne and traced James to the hotel, but all they found was Paul's teddy bear lying in the middle of an empty room. When they returned home, however, Paul was there to greet them. The ever-manipulative James claimed his son had asked him to take him out of camp, and once they saw the news and knew how worried everyone was, they had come home. Barbara had had it—James would never see his son again. When Barbara and Gunnar tried to explain this to Paul, the boy blamed Gunnar for keeping him away from his father. Paul even stopped talking to them and Barbara and Gunnar were forced to have to take Paul to child psychiatrist, Zachary Stone. Never one to miss an opportunity, James tried to turn Paul against Barbara as well. Once Karen learned that James had kidnapped Paul from camp, she sided with Barbara and Gunnar and left James for good.
Meanwhile, Ariel informed a stunned James that Dusty, not Paul, was the true Stenbeck heir. Since Karen had custody (via Barbara being in a mental institution thanks court orders on her sanity), Ariel told him he had better get her back at once. However, Karen was already on her way to getting a quickie divorce.
In January 1984, James traced Karen and John (and Dusty) to the island of Hispanique and set out with Ariel to stop the divorce. By the time James and Ariel arrived, Karen and John were legally married. Ariel tried in vain to persuade Dusty to live with her. In search of an answer to Dusty's parentage, Gunnar hopped a plane to Hispanique as well. Now a series of events took place, where James became even more sinister.
James decided he'd kill at least, Gunnar, and if possible Dusty, so that Paul would be left as the sole Stenbeck heir. James hired man named Phillipe Keiko to concoct a poison from the fruit of the Manga tree. Keiko presented it to James and Keiko said it was fast acting, just what James wanted to hear. He then convinced a doubtful Ariel to attempt to seduce Gunnar. James further told her to take Gunnar out to one of the native huts on the island to attempt the seduction. He then gave Ariel a vial of Keiko's poison and convinced her that it was a love potion she could give Gunnar to make him fall in love with her. As Ariel took Gunnar out to the native hut with a picnic for them and the vial of poison, Dusty was able to convince both Karen and John that he'd be alright on his own and for them to go ahead and enjoy their honeymoon. James then had Mr. Keiko pose as another man named Mr. Phillipe who gave Dusty a fake note from Gunnar asking Dusty to come to the same native hut that Ariel was poisoning Gunnar in.
When Dusty arrived at the native hut, he saw Gunnar passed out and Ariel nowhere to be found. Dusty was disconcerted about Gunnar and stayed in the hut with him. James then proceeded to set fire to the native hut, stranding both Dusty and the passed out Gunnar in the burning hut. Luckily, Karen and John were able to save Dusty and Gunnar.
Later, they met up with Ariel who seemed contrite. Ariel told Gunnar, Dusty, Karen and John that James was missing and she feared he was going to leave the island of Hispanique and head back to Oakdale to try to kill Barbara. Because there were no commercial flights leaving the island that night, Gunnar and John arranged for a private cargo jet to take them home. On the plane, John confirmed Gunnar's suspicions that Dusty was his son. Little did they know, however, that James was at the controls. The plane lurched, and the cabin reached freezing temperatures, and one by one, the passengers (Dusty, Gunnar, John, Karen and Ariel) passed out, leaving James free to kill Gunnar. However, Gunnar came to, and in the struggle that ensued, Gunnar accidentally pushed James out of the open door that was meant for him. James seemingly fell to his death.
, into helping him escape and manipulated his now-teenage son Paul into keeping his whereabouts secret. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide his dangerous nature from Paul for long and, in order to spare John Dixon's life, Paul agreed to go with his father. The police were waiting for them. After a standoff in a cabin, James apparently died in fire, but since the body found was unrecognizable, there was still some doubt. As it turned out, James was very much alive and again returned to Oakdale to retrieve his son. By now, James truly wanted Paul to be close to him and was disconcerted that Paul hated him. Lurking in the shadows, James learned of Paul's affair with Emily Stewart. Disgusted by the affair, he decided to murder Emily. Paul rescued the intended victim and believed that he shot his father dead.
, Emily Stewart
and Rose D'Angelo all whom he grew a disliking of. Eventually, Barbara found out and betrayed James by turning him in for the crime, however, James, eventually, escaped by hypnotizing Hal Munson
and forcing him to cooperate. Finally, Barbara agreed to run away with James in exchange for the girls' freedom after James lashed out at her. Touched, James agreed to release Carly and rewarded Barbara by marrying her that year and having her burnt face reconstructed. Unfortunately for James, Barbara betrayed him when she learned of his plot to kill Emily and stabbed him in the process. Though she thought she'd killed him, she was stunned when his body later disappeared.
Paul, however, was convinced that James's former lawyer, Marshall Travers, knew exactly where his father was and tried to force Jessica Griffin to find out. However, he was unsuccessful and when Marshall was made District Attorney he dropped all charges against James. Though a free man, James felt betrayed by his family and decided to ruin Paul by framing him for murder. Blackmailing Travers with knowledge of his daughter's whereabouts, James forced Travers to charge Paul with Brandy's murder. When Travers double-crossed James by telling the truth, James shot him and was sent to prison. Later, after suspecting that a presumed-dead Paul was still alive, James concocted an elaborate plot to lure Paul back to Oakdale by kidnapping Rose, the woman Paul loved. The plan fell apart quickly as James was forced to divorce Barbara and he fled into hiding vowing revenge on his family that betrayed him.
Later, Paul and Barbara came to a sudden realization—Jordan could be James's son. Convinced that he was right, Paul confronted James; at the same time Jordan learned that James was the one who contacted Rosanna and went to confront him. With Paul convinced that that his theory was right and, with Jordan in the room, James was forced to confess the truth—he was Jordan's father. James proceeded to tell Jordan that he put him in an orphanage because he couldn't care for him, yet he made sure there was someone there to look after him. While Jordan was sickened by this revelation, others in Oakdale were very concerned that James could wind up inserting himself in his son and new grandson's life.
After it was revealed that James was Jordan's father, he was scheduled to go to a maximum security prison in California, but got Barbara to help him escape by threatening to harm Will, her youngest son. After escaping from the prison bus, James went back to Oakdale where he kidnapped Rosanna and Cabot and locked them in a cabin. Paul came to their rescue, but James had a time bomb set to go off and told Paul that there was only enough time to save one life. Paul took the keys to unlock Rosanna's door and James slipped away. Paul got Rosanna out and went back for Cabot, but the bomb went off. After telling Barbara that she was on her own for now, James left with a very much alive Cabot. Rosanna eventually forgave Paul and they married.
A few months later, James returned. At this time, Barbara was being sent to jail for drugging Emily in order to have Emily haunt Rosanna about Cabot's death. Barbara’s ultimate plan was for Will to move out of Paul and Rosanna’s and back with her. At this point, James revealed to Rosanna that Cabot was alive and well and told her that he would return Cabot to her if she got Barbara cleared. With Barbara's help, Rosanna convinced Emily and everyone else that she set up her own haunting. James gave Cabot back to Rosanna and revealed that he renamed Cabot "Little Jimmy.” James made it clear that he and Cabot were going far away where they would not be found and stated that Rosanna could join them or not. James wanted Paul tormented as a punishment. He declared that neither Paul nor Jordan was worthy to carry on the Stenbeck name, so Cabot was going to have that honor. James told Rosanna that she could have Paul or Cabot, but not both. Rosanna chose Cabot over Paul and left Oakdale with James, but vowed that James would not get away with this.
Months later Craig Montgomery showed up in Bangkok and discovered that James was holding Rosanna and Cabot hostage. Meanwhile, Rosanna refused to marry James and James tried to kill her by throwing her out of a plane, but Craig managed to stop him. Thanks to Rosanna, James was arrested and taken to Bangkok prison. James warned Rosanna and Craig that he would return, because no prison in the world could hold him. James warned Rosanna that he would come back for Cabot. To prevent that, Rosanna gave Cabot back up for adoption with a new identity. James left Oakdale in his quest for Cabot, but he always poses a threat to the family that betrayed him.
very much alive! Dusty admitted he had faked his death around the time he was captured by James. Together, Meg and Dusty tried to hatch an escape attempt, but it failed when Dusty was caught. Meg got to Paul, who eventually returned to the island to save Dusty. Meg, however, was recaptured by James as James began manipulating Paul, making him believe Dusty and Meg were having an affair. Paul, struggling to free himself of James's manipulative ways, got into a squabble with him inside a windmill while trying to rescue Meg and Dusty. He shot at James, grazing Dusty while the two were struggling over the gun he'd aimed at James's head; they struggled all the way to the windmill balcony. But this caused Dusty to fall forward onto James, pushing him over the balcony that resulted in James falling to his death, after which Paul, Meg, and Dusty returned to Oakdale, surprising all who believed Dusty to be dead. Lucinda revealed she had known about Dusty faking his death, but didn't know James had kidnapped him. Later after James was said to be cremated a mysterious tape arrived with the last will and testament of James Stenbeck. On the tape, Paul believed he was to inherit the Stenbeck fortune, but James made it clear there would be a winner and a loser to set the stage for the final showdown, Dusty was cited as the winner having escaped his lockup and Paul the loser. Dusty inherited the Stenbeck fortune, much to Paul's dismay. Around that time, James had begun haunting Paul. However, months later, it became evident that James had again faked his death and was very much alive.
appeared to assist Paul Ryan's
wife Emily Stewart
with getting pregnant. On December 22, 2009, Mick revealed to Barbara Ryan
that he is really James Stenbeck. It was later revealed that Mick was not really James, but that James had brainwashed him.
On August 27, 2010, Barbara and Henry were shocked to see James appear during their wedding. After the wedding, Paul invited everyone back to Fairwinds to burn photos of James, symbolically exorcising him from their lives.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's daytime drama As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
. He has been portrayed by Anthony Herrera
Anthony Herrera
Anthony Herrera was an American actor.-Career:Among roles in various movies, he is most known—and most hated—for his role as the evil James Stenbeck on the soap opera As the World Turns, a role he has played off and on from 1980 to 1984, from 1986 to 1989, in 1996, from 1997 to 1999, in 2001 and...
on and off seven times from February 1, 1980 to September 10, 2009. On November 10, 2009, Tom Pelphrey
Tom Pelphrey
-Early years:Born in Howell, New Jersey, Pelphrey graduated from Howell High School in 2000, and from Rutgers University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.-Guiding Light:...
debuted in the role of Stenbeck in a bizarre plot twist which had Stenbeck reverted to a version of himself from his younger years due to the properties of a lotus from the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
. Anthony Herrera returned to the role for two brief appearances on July 28 and August 27, 2010, the latter being James's final appearance.
James & Barbara Ryan
Introduced in 1980 as a widower and controlling ex-lover of heroine Barbara RyanBarbara Ryan
For the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 passenger, see that articleBarbara Ann Coleman is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns...
(who was pregnant with his unborn child), he quickly staked his claim on his family and caused Barbara to break her engagement with Tom Hughes. James and Barbara married that as she gave birth to his son Paul Ryan. However the marriage turned out to be James only means to an end. His role as the first Stenbeck husband and father of his generation secured his place as the rightful heir to the family fortune, and he began pursuing other women outside of the marriage, which included his mistress Margo Montgomery and Dee Stewart. The Stenbeck family was very wealthy seeing as how they were heirs to the Swedish throne.
In addition to his adultery, James also dabbled in drugs and stolen goods smuggling, using Barbara's business Fashions Ltd. which he'd purchased for her as a front for his illegal activity. When Barbara found out about all this, the marriage was put at risk, though James managed to calm her down for a time, by having Margo sidelined and trying to be more of a husband to her, it soon became even more rocky when Barbara grew more disenchanted with James.
Barbara had an infatuation with new-commer Gunnar St. Clair, a Stenbeck cousin she had met at a family event. Eventually she told James she was leaving him for Gunnar, and James, desperate to maintain his hold on the Stenbeck inheritance through Paul, told her she'd never get custody of their son. James had a further setback when he discovered that he was not, in fact, the true Stenbeck heir when Greta Aldrin revealed she'd switched him at birth with the true Stenbeck heir, giving the Stenbeck heir to an orphanage. In fact, his rival Gunnar turned out to be the true heir to the family fortune. Though James sought to conceal the truth, his arch-nemesis John Dixon
John Dixon (ATWT)
Dr. John Dixon, M.D. is a fictional character on the American TV soap opera, As the World Turns. He was portrayed by Larry Bryggman from July 18, 1969 until December 14, 2004. Dixon is a cardiologist at Oakdale Memorial Hospital where he is also Chief and Acting Chief of Staff at Memorial Hospital...
had also discovered the secret tape in which James admitted to his sister Ariel Aldrin he wasn't a Stenbeck.
The Stenbeck fortune, part one
James launched a series of ploys to keep Barbara and Gunnar (whom she was now engaged to due to her and James undergoing a divorce) from gaining custody of little Paul and learning he wasn't a true "Stenbeck". His ploys included trying to kill John Dixon by poisoning a jug of water so he wouldn't expose he was not a biological "Stenbeck", hiring a woman named Mme. Koster to pose as "Sylvia" Barbara's housekeeper in order to drive Barbara insane, and even tried to poison Gunnar numerous times to gain the sole fortune. When all else failed, James turned to attempting to murder Gunnar by throwing him from a catwalk, but Barbara saved Gunnar when she shot James, but he survived. He attempted to take Barbara to court for attempted murder in order to gain Paul.James & Karen Haines
Karen Haines came into the mix when she discovered the truth about James via the tapes in John's safe. However, Barbara's court case for attempted murder went over as James planned and he gained Paul and Stenbeck fortune, but Karen in order to get her hands on some money, blackmailed James into marrying her in 1982. John however soon resurfaced alive and testified to Barbara's sanity (after Gunnar appealed the case with the D.A.), James not about to let Paul slip away, invited Barbara to a private bullfighting demonstration in which he planned to have her killed by having a bull trample her while she was in the ring. Gunnar rescued Barbara as James took off to a castle where he'd duel with Gunnar in a sword fight. Eventually, James lost and soon was forced to turn over custody of Paul to Barbara, and without the boy, there was no fortune. Karen angrily divorced James (who'd fallen in love with her) and she angrily turned to his arch-enemy in John Dixon, whom she'd later marry.The Stenbeck fortune, part two
By 1983, two more characters entered into the Stenbeck saga, with the arrival of Burke Donovan and Nicole Berrysea. Nicole, who'd had an affair with Gunnar awhile back, died and left a son, whom Burke raised, named Dusty DonovanDusty Donovan
Dustin "Dusty" Donovan is a fictional character on CBS's daytime drama As the World Turns. He was recently portrayed by Grayson McCouch from February 18, 2003 to January 18, 2008. McCouch returned to the role on September 24, 2008.-Character history:...
. When Ariel investigated Burke, she began to suspect Gunnar was actually Dusty's biological father. It was then that Ariel realized Dusty could be the true Stenbeck heir. Ariel talked James into hiring Burke as his horse trainer. James himself became intrigued by Burke's vendetta against Gunnar, asking him about his wife. Burke sadly recalled the argument that led to her death. She had just told Burke she was leaving him for Gunnar. They struggled, and Nicole fell off the balcony to her death. James thought this incident was just the ammunition they needed to destroy their mutual rival and planned to use it accordingly. The plan was to make Gunnar believe he drove Nicole to suicide, thereby wreaking havoc in his marriage to Barbara. James hired a Nicole look-alike, Lorna Whitmore, to haunt Gunnar. As a result, Gunnar was plagued by further visits from "Nicole" until he finally captured the impostor in his camera lens. Gunnar and Barbara tracked Lorna down at the hayloft and persuaded her to help them seek revenge on James.
Lorna tipped them off about "Nicole's" next meeting with him, and James was caught red-handed. Fearing that he was going to lose his visitation rights, James lured Paul away from camp and took him on a trip. When Barbara found out, she was frantic. In a hotel room in Cheyenne with James, Paul saw a news bulletin about his disappearance, and realized his father had lied to him. Barbara and Gunnar arrived in Cheyenne and traced James to the hotel, but all they found was Paul's teddy bear lying in the middle of an empty room. When they returned home, however, Paul was there to greet them. The ever-manipulative James claimed his son had asked him to take him out of camp, and once they saw the news and knew how worried everyone was, they had come home. Barbara had had it—James would never see his son again. When Barbara and Gunnar tried to explain this to Paul, the boy blamed Gunnar for keeping him away from his father. Paul even stopped talking to them and Barbara and Gunnar were forced to have to take Paul to child psychiatrist, Zachary Stone. Never one to miss an opportunity, James tried to turn Paul against Barbara as well. Once Karen learned that James had kidnapped Paul from camp, she sided with Barbara and Gunnar and left James for good.
Meanwhile, Ariel informed a stunned James that Dusty, not Paul, was the true Stenbeck heir. Since Karen had custody (via Barbara being in a mental institution thanks court orders on her sanity), Ariel told him he had better get her back at once. However, Karen was already on her way to getting a quickie divorce.
In January 1984, James traced Karen and John (and Dusty) to the island of Hispanique and set out with Ariel to stop the divorce. By the time James and Ariel arrived, Karen and John were legally married. Ariel tried in vain to persuade Dusty to live with her. In search of an answer to Dusty's parentage, Gunnar hopped a plane to Hispanique as well. Now a series of events took place, where James became even more sinister.
James decided he'd kill at least, Gunnar, and if possible Dusty, so that Paul would be left as the sole Stenbeck heir. James hired man named Phillipe Keiko to concoct a poison from the fruit of the Manga tree. Keiko presented it to James and Keiko said it was fast acting, just what James wanted to hear. He then convinced a doubtful Ariel to attempt to seduce Gunnar. James further told her to take Gunnar out to one of the native huts on the island to attempt the seduction. He then gave Ariel a vial of Keiko's poison and convinced her that it was a love potion she could give Gunnar to make him fall in love with her. As Ariel took Gunnar out to the native hut with a picnic for them and the vial of poison, Dusty was able to convince both Karen and John that he'd be alright on his own and for them to go ahead and enjoy their honeymoon. James then had Mr. Keiko pose as another man named Mr. Phillipe who gave Dusty a fake note from Gunnar asking Dusty to come to the same native hut that Ariel was poisoning Gunnar in.
When Dusty arrived at the native hut, he saw Gunnar passed out and Ariel nowhere to be found. Dusty was disconcerted about Gunnar and stayed in the hut with him. James then proceeded to set fire to the native hut, stranding both Dusty and the passed out Gunnar in the burning hut. Luckily, Karen and John were able to save Dusty and Gunnar.
Later, they met up with Ariel who seemed contrite. Ariel told Gunnar, Dusty, Karen and John that James was missing and she feared he was going to leave the island of Hispanique and head back to Oakdale to try to kill Barbara. Because there were no commercial flights leaving the island that night, Gunnar and John arranged for a private cargo jet to take them home. On the plane, John confirmed Gunnar's suspicions that Dusty was his son. Little did they know, however, that James was at the controls. The plane lurched, and the cabin reached freezing temperatures, and one by one, the passengers (Dusty, Gunnar, John, Karen and Ariel) passed out, leaving James free to kill Gunnar. However, Gunnar came to, and in the struggle that ensued, Gunnar accidentally pushed James out of the open door that was meant for him. James seemingly fell to his death.
James vs. Paul
Everyone believed James to be dead for years, but he'd return very much alive years later after Gunnar St. Clair's tragic death, leaving Dusty the heir to the Stenbeck Fortune. Resurfacing in Oakdale, he explained to Barbara that he had a parachute. He was put on trial for his subsequent crimes with Barbara and John both pining for him to be put away. With the help of millionaire CEO of Walsh Enterprises, Lucinda Walsh, he was exonerated. Like Barbara, Lucinda was only a means to an end for him. Lucinda gave James as position at Walsh Enterprises, but he began to embezzle from the company in order to regain a fortune of his own. It didn't take long for authorities to go after him however. On the run again, James blackmailed his new mistress, Emily StewartEmily Stewart
Emily Stewart Ryan is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. She has been portrayed by Kelley Menighan Hensley since July 1992. Kelley Menighan Hensley took over the role of Emily Stewart in July 1992...
, into helping him escape and manipulated his now-teenage son Paul into keeping his whereabouts secret. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide his dangerous nature from Paul for long and, in order to spare John Dixon's life, Paul agreed to go with his father. The police were waiting for them. After a standoff in a cabin, James apparently died in fire, but since the body found was unrecognizable, there was still some doubt. As it turned out, James was very much alive and again returned to Oakdale to retrieve his son. By now, James truly wanted Paul to be close to him and was disconcerted that Paul hated him. Lurking in the shadows, James learned of Paul's affair with Emily Stewart. Disgusted by the affair, he decided to murder Emily. Paul rescued the intended victim and believed that he shot his father dead.
James & Lucinda Walsh
But again, James defied death. Having previously replaced the loaded gun with blanks, James faked his death to avoid imprisonment. After hiding away for several years, he returned with news for Lucinda: they had a son together from a previous tryst. Though Lucinda was instantly suspicious, James convinced her that District Attorney David Allen was indeed their son. However, James was only telling half the truth. David wasn't Lucinda's son, but he was a Stenbeck. James then confronted David and told him the truth about who he was. Though he thought that David would use his influence to keep him out of jail, James was wrong and he was sent to prison. However, when James learned that David was in serious trouble, he escaped and headed back to Oakdale. When David was on the run after kidnapping Lily Snyder, James went to Lucinda's, desperate to get his son back alive. When David disappeared, Lucinda seduced James into marrying her. It didn’t take long for James to the truth: David was shot and (presumably) killed by Lucinda's son-in-law, Holden. Vengeful, James plotted to kill Holden only to have Lucinda get hurt instead. To avoid imprisonment, James ran off to a tropical island where he remained and months later served Lucinda with divorce papers.Betrayed by family
A few years later, James returned to Oakdale. A free man, thanks to a deal he made with the police, James, hearing that Barbara had been horribly burned in a fire, returned to Fairwinds and promised to take care of her and her business (Barbara Ryan Originals). James's way of taking care of Barbara was eliminating her enemies and so he arranged for the kidnapping of Carly SnyderCarly Snyder
Carly Snyder is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns...
, Emily Stewart
Emily Stewart
Emily Stewart Ryan is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. She has been portrayed by Kelley Menighan Hensley since July 1992. Kelley Menighan Hensley took over the role of Emily Stewart in July 1992...
and Rose D'Angelo all whom he grew a disliking of. Eventually, Barbara found out and betrayed James by turning him in for the crime, however, James, eventually, escaped by hypnotizing Hal Munson
Hal Munson
Harold "Hal" Todd Munson, Jr. is a fictional character that appeared on the American soap opera As the World Turns. He was played by the late Benjamin Hendrickson from 1985 to 2004 and 2005 to July 12, 2006...
and forcing him to cooperate. Finally, Barbara agreed to run away with James in exchange for the girls' freedom after James lashed out at her. Touched, James agreed to release Carly and rewarded Barbara by marrying her that year and having her burnt face reconstructed. Unfortunately for James, Barbara betrayed him when she learned of his plot to kill Emily and stabbed him in the process. Though she thought she'd killed him, she was stunned when his body later disappeared.
Paul, however, was convinced that James's former lawyer, Marshall Travers, knew exactly where his father was and tried to force Jessica Griffin to find out. However, he was unsuccessful and when Marshall was made District Attorney he dropped all charges against James. Though a free man, James felt betrayed by his family and decided to ruin Paul by framing him for murder. Blackmailing Travers with knowledge of his daughter's whereabouts, James forced Travers to charge Paul with Brandy's murder. When Travers double-crossed James by telling the truth, James shot him and was sent to prison. Later, after suspecting that a presumed-dead Paul was still alive, James concocted an elaborate plot to lure Paul back to Oakdale by kidnapping Rose, the woman Paul loved. The plan fell apart quickly as James was forced to divorce Barbara and he fled into hiding vowing revenge on his family that betrayed him.
Cabot Sinclair
A few years later, the specter of James Stenbeck would rear its head with the arrival of a newcomer to Oakdale, Jordan Sinclair. As Jordan, an orphan since birth, was settling into his new job at BRO, he became friends with the wealthy Rosanna Cabot, who had an agenda of her own. After flirting with Jordan for months, Rosanna finally had to admit to Jordan that a mysterious person assured her that she'd get custody of her adopted son, Cabot, only if she married Jordan. Later, Jordan was shocked to learn that he was Cabot's real father, although he had no memory of who the mother was. At the same time, Rosanna wondered whether or not Jordan's job was a lucky break or something arranged by someone else. Although it was becoming apparent that some mysterious person was pulling the strings of Jordan's life, no one had any idea who or what his agenda was. However, all became clear when James secretly contacted Barbara.Later, Paul and Barbara came to a sudden realization—Jordan could be James's son. Convinced that he was right, Paul confronted James; at the same time Jordan learned that James was the one who contacted Rosanna and went to confront him. With Paul convinced that that his theory was right and, with Jordan in the room, James was forced to confess the truth—he was Jordan's father. James proceeded to tell Jordan that he put him in an orphanage because he couldn't care for him, yet he made sure there was someone there to look after him. While Jordan was sickened by this revelation, others in Oakdale were very concerned that James could wind up inserting himself in his son and new grandson's life.
After it was revealed that James was Jordan's father, he was scheduled to go to a maximum security prison in California, but got Barbara to help him escape by threatening to harm Will, her youngest son. After escaping from the prison bus, James went back to Oakdale where he kidnapped Rosanna and Cabot and locked them in a cabin. Paul came to their rescue, but James had a time bomb set to go off and told Paul that there was only enough time to save one life. Paul took the keys to unlock Rosanna's door and James slipped away. Paul got Rosanna out and went back for Cabot, but the bomb went off. After telling Barbara that she was on her own for now, James left with a very much alive Cabot. Rosanna eventually forgave Paul and they married.
A few months later, James returned. At this time, Barbara was being sent to jail for drugging Emily in order to have Emily haunt Rosanna about Cabot's death. Barbara’s ultimate plan was for Will to move out of Paul and Rosanna’s and back with her. At this point, James revealed to Rosanna that Cabot was alive and well and told her that he would return Cabot to her if she got Barbara cleared. With Barbara's help, Rosanna convinced Emily and everyone else that she set up her own haunting. James gave Cabot back to Rosanna and revealed that he renamed Cabot "Little Jimmy.” James made it clear that he and Cabot were going far away where they would not be found and stated that Rosanna could join them or not. James wanted Paul tormented as a punishment. He declared that neither Paul nor Jordan was worthy to carry on the Stenbeck name, so Cabot was going to have that honor. James told Rosanna that she could have Paul or Cabot, but not both. Rosanna chose Cabot over Paul and left Oakdale with James, but vowed that James would not get away with this.
Months later Craig Montgomery showed up in Bangkok and discovered that James was holding Rosanna and Cabot hostage. Meanwhile, Rosanna refused to marry James and James tried to kill her by throwing her out of a plane, but Craig managed to stop him. Thanks to Rosanna, James was arrested and taken to Bangkok prison. James warned Rosanna and Craig that he would return, because no prison in the world could hold him. James warned Rosanna that he would come back for Cabot. To prevent that, Rosanna gave Cabot back up for adoption with a new identity. James left Oakdale in his quest for Cabot, but he always poses a threat to the family that betrayed him.
The Stenbeck fortune, part three
James Stenbeck returned to Oakdale on August 27, 2008, much to the surprise of his family. Around that time, Barbara's money (the Stenbeck fortune) had gone missing and he was being blamed. After Paul found out it was James who'd taken the money, James kidnapped Meg Snyder (Paul's pregnant wife) and threw her into a holding dungeon on an island. James wanted Meg and Paul's unborn child as the new Stenbeck heir, but in the dungeon Meg discovered a presumed dead Dusty DonovanDusty Donovan
Dustin "Dusty" Donovan is a fictional character on CBS's daytime drama As the World Turns. He was recently portrayed by Grayson McCouch from February 18, 2003 to January 18, 2008. McCouch returned to the role on September 24, 2008.-Character history:...
very much alive! Dusty admitted he had faked his death around the time he was captured by James. Together, Meg and Dusty tried to hatch an escape attempt, but it failed when Dusty was caught. Meg got to Paul, who eventually returned to the island to save Dusty. Meg, however, was recaptured by James as James began manipulating Paul, making him believe Dusty and Meg were having an affair. Paul, struggling to free himself of James's manipulative ways, got into a squabble with him inside a windmill while trying to rescue Meg and Dusty. He shot at James, grazing Dusty while the two were struggling over the gun he'd aimed at James's head; they struggled all the way to the windmill balcony. But this caused Dusty to fall forward onto James, pushing him over the balcony that resulted in James falling to his death, after which Paul, Meg, and Dusty returned to Oakdale, surprising all who believed Dusty to be dead. Lucinda revealed she had known about Dusty faking his death, but didn't know James had kidnapped him. Later after James was said to be cremated a mysterious tape arrived with the last will and testament of James Stenbeck. On the tape, Paul believed he was to inherit the Stenbeck fortune, but James made it clear there would be a winner and a loser to set the stage for the final showdown, Dusty was cited as the winner having escaped his lockup and Paul the loser. Dusty inherited the Stenbeck fortune, much to Paul's dismay. Around that time, James had begun haunting Paul. However, months later, it became evident that James had again faked his death and was very much alive.
Searching for yet another heir
James returned again in August 2009, much to Oakdale's surprise. It was later revealed that he had another son. That son was Henry Coleman! He began manipulating Henry to get him to accept his share of the fortune he would get when James dies. James is later arrested after Paul tips off the police that James is back in town. He was then placed in the Oakdale PD's custody. James died when he was injected with a paralyzing agent by Audrey Coleman, causing his heart to go into an attack. Barbara ordered an autopsy, but it was too late. James's body had already been embalmed and prepared for burial. At the funeral, Barbara, Emily, Paul, and Henry examined James's body to see if he was really dead, and it appeared that he was.A younger James Stenbeck
In November 2009, a mysterious figure by the name of Mick DanteMick Dante
Mick Dante is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns who has been portrayed by Tom Pelphrey since November 10, 2009. When Mick arrives in town, he poses as a medical researcher developing a youth serum. Later, he claims to be the presumed-dead James Stenbeck, having...
appeared to assist Paul Ryan's
Paul Ryan (ATWT)
Paul Ryan is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. The character was born onscreen on July 6, 1977 , the child of longtime ATWT characters Barbara Ryan and James Stenbeck...
wife Emily Stewart
Emily Stewart
Emily Stewart Ryan is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. She has been portrayed by Kelley Menighan Hensley since July 1992. Kelley Menighan Hensley took over the role of Emily Stewart in July 1992...
with getting pregnant. On December 22, 2009, Mick revealed to Barbara Ryan
Barbara Ryan
For the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 passenger, see that articleBarbara Ann Coleman is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns...
that he is really James Stenbeck. It was later revealed that Mick was not really James, but that James had brainwashed him.
James appears from beyond the grave
On July 28, 2010, Barbara was visited by a hallucination of James while being held captive in a party supply warehouse.On August 27, 2010, Barbara and Henry were shocked to see James appear during their wedding. After the wedding, Paul invited everyone back to Fairwinds to burn photos of James, symbolically exorcising him from their lives.
The Stenbeck family tree
- Unnamed Stenbeck (deceased)
- m. Unnamed Stenbeck [dissolved] (deceased)
- c. Lars Stenbeck (deceased)
- m. Ingrid Stenbeck [dissolved] (deceased)
- c. Gunnar St. Clair {switched with James Stenbeck/biological Stenbeck} (deceased)
- a. Nicole Berrysea (deceased)
- c. Dustin "Dusty" DonovanDusty DonovanDustin "Dusty" Donovan is a fictional character on CBS's daytime drama As the World Turns. He was recently portrayed by Grayson McCouch from February 18, 2003 to January 18, 2008. McCouch returned to the role on September 24, 2008.-Character history:...
- m. Jennifer MunsonJennifer MunsonJennifer Louise Donovan was a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. The character was the daughter of late police chief, Hal Munson, and fashion designer, Barbara Ryan...
[dissolved] (deceased)- c. John "Johnny" Donovan {adopted}
- m. Margaret "Meg" Snyder (invalid)
- m. Jennifer Munson
- c. Dustin "Dusty" Donovan
- m. Barbara RyanBarbara RyanFor the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 passenger, see that articleBarbara Ann Coleman is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns...
[dissolved]
- a. Nicole Berrysea (deceased)
- c. James Stenbeck {switched with Gunnar St. Clair}
- a. Lucinda WalshLucinda WalshLucinda Walsh is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. Played by Elizabeth Hubbard since 1984, no-nonsense businesswoman and megamogul Lucinda transformed into one of Daytime's most memorable and prolific characters...
- c. Unnamed Child [stillborn]
- a. Unnamed woman
- c. David Allen Stenbeck (deceased)
- a. Barbara RyanBarbara RyanFor the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 passenger, see that articleBarbara Ann Coleman is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns...
- c. Paul RyanPaul Ryan (ATWT)Paul Ryan is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. The character was born onscreen on July 6, 1977 , the child of longtime ATWT characters Barbara Ryan and James Stenbeck...
- m. Rosanna CabotRosanna CabotRosanna Cabot is a fictional character on the American daytime soap opera, As the World Turns.The character was originated by Yvonne Perry who portrayed her from 1992 to 1999...
[divorced; first time] - m. Emily StewartEmily StewartEmily Stewart Ryan is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. She has been portrayed by Kelley Menighan Hensley since July 1992. Kelley Menighan Hensley took over the role of Emily Stewart in July 1992...
[divorced]- c. Jennifer Ryan (deceased)
- m. Rosanna CabotRosanna CabotRosanna Cabot is a fictional character on the American daytime soap opera, As the World Turns.The character was originated by Yvonne Perry who portrayed her from 1992 to 1999...
[divorced; second time] - a. Margaret "Meg" Snyder
- c. Unnamed child (deceased)
- m. Margaret "Meg" Snyder [divorced]
- c. Eliza Ryan
- m. Emily StewartEmily StewartEmily Stewart Ryan is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. She has been portrayed by Kelley Menighan Hensley since July 1992. Kelley Menighan Hensley took over the role of Emily Stewart in July 1992...
- m. Rosanna Cabot
- c. Paul Ryan
- m. Enid Costanza [dissolved] (deceased)
- m. Barbara RyanBarbara RyanFor the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 passenger, see that articleBarbara Ann Coleman is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns...
[divorced; first time] - m. Karen Haines [divorced]
- a. Unnamed woman (deceased)
- c. Jordon SinclairJordon SinclairJordon Sinclair is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. He was portrayed by actor Chris Beetem from March 3, 2004 to January 27, 2005.-Character history:...
- a. Unnamed woman
- c. Cabot Sinclair
- m. Rosanna CabotRosanna CabotRosanna Cabot is a fictional character on the American daytime soap opera, As the World Turns.The character was originated by Yvonne Perry who portrayed her from 1992 to 1999...
[annulled]
- a. Unnamed woman
- c. Jordon Sinclair
- a. Audrey Coleman
- c. Henry ColemanHenry ColemanHenry Coleman is a fictional character on the popular CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns. The character of Henry first appeared in 1999, and is played by actor Trent Dawson....
- m. Katie PerettiKatie PerettiKathryn Ann "Katie" Snyder is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. She was portrayed by Terri Conn from August 29, 1998 to September 17, 2010...
[divorced] - m. Vienna HyattVienna HyattVienna Hyatt is a character on the American soap opera As the World Turns. She has been played by Ewa Da Cruz from June 16, 2006 to July 19, 2006 and from October 26, 2006 to July 19, 2010....
[annulled] - m. Barbara RyanBarbara RyanFor the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 passenger, see that articleBarbara Ann Coleman is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns...
[married]
- m. Katie Peretti
- c. Henry Coleman
- a. Emily StewartEmily StewartEmily Stewart Ryan is a fictional character on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. She has been portrayed by Kelley Menighan Hensley since July 1992. Kelley Menighan Hensley took over the role of Emily Stewart in July 1992...
- c. Unnamed child (deceased)
- m. Lucinda WalshLucinda WalshLucinda Walsh is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. Played by Elizabeth Hubbard since 1984, no-nonsense businesswoman and megamogul Lucinda transformed into one of Daytime's most memorable and prolific characters...
[divorced] - m. Barbara RyanBarbara RyanFor the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 passenger, see that articleBarbara Ann Coleman is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns...
[divorced; second time]
- a. Lucinda Walsh
- c. Lars Stenbeck (deceased)
- m. Unnamed Stenbeck [dissolved] (deceased)
- James is not a biological Stenbeck, and Dusty DonovanDusty DonovanDustin "Dusty" Donovan is a fictional character on CBS's daytime drama As the World Turns. He was recently portrayed by Grayson McCouch from February 18, 2003 to January 18, 2008. McCouch returned to the role on September 24, 2008.-Character history:...
remains the sole heir to the Stenbeck fortune. - Ariel Aldrin is not included due to the fact that Ariel is James's sister via his biological mother Greta Aldrin.