Joe Riley (One Life to Live)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Francis "Joe" Riley, Sr. is a fictional character
on the ABC
soap opera
, One Life to Live
. The role was portrayed by Lee Patterson
from the inception of the serial in 1968 through 1970, returning from 1972 through 1979, and reappearing briefly in 1987.
, who had little interest in romance and focused her time and energy on her work at The Banner. They soon started falling in love, but publisher Victor Lord disapproved of his daughter becoming involved with the working-class Riley and did all he could to keep them apart. Torn between pleasing her father and following her heart, Viki began getting headaches — and mysterious, threatening notes telling her to end her relationship with Joe.
Secretly plagued by multiple personality disorder
, Viki (as alter ego Niki Smith) became involved with Joe's best friend, Vincent "Vinny" Wolek. In love with Niki, a heartbroken Vinny learned the truth and told Viki about her other personality. Viki sought medical treatment and, as her mental illness seemed under control, she went ahead with her plans to marry Joe. But during the wedding in June 1969, Niki reemerged and fled the ceremony with an ecstatic Vinny. When he urged Niki to marry him, however, Niki's own panic resulted in Viki regaining control. She returned to Joe. During more intensive therapy, Viki remembered writing the notes (as Niki), and finally recalled the childhood memory that had apparently caused her personality to splinter. Now freed by the truth, Viki married Joe.
In 1970, Joe began investigating Llanview's increasing drug trade for The Banner. While making inquiries in California
, Joe's car went over a cliff; his body was never found, but he was presumed dead. Viki was devastated. She signed papers declaring Joe dead in 1972, which shocked Vinny Wolek and Joe's sister Eileen, both of whom had refused to give up the hope that Joe was alive.
Joe Riley reappeared in 1972, after Viki declared Joe legally dead
and was marrying another man, new Banner editor Steve Burke. As she and Steve returned from their honeymoon, she got the news that Joe was alive, and fainted. In love with (and married to) two different men, Viki eventually chose to remain loyal to Steve in 1973. Heartbroken and still in love with Viki, Joe took up with Cathy Craig, who bears him a daughter. The daughter dies in infancy due to a car crash involving Viki, the latter who falls into a brief coma
. Joe and Viki remarry in 1974, remaining married through 1979, bearing two children (Kevin
and Joe, Jr.
) when he dies of brain tumor
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
. The role was portrayed by Lee Patterson
Lee Patterson
Lee Patterson was a Canadian film and television actor.After attending Ontario College of Art, Patterson moved to England, where he specialized in playing virile American types in British films...
from the inception of the serial in 1968 through 1970, returning from 1972 through 1979, and reappearing briefly in 1987.
Storylines
In 1968, reporter Joe Riley clashed with icy heiress Viki LordVictoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
, who had little interest in romance and focused her time and energy on her work at The Banner. They soon started falling in love, but publisher Victor Lord disapproved of his daughter becoming involved with the working-class Riley and did all he could to keep them apart. Torn between pleasing her father and following her heart, Viki began getting headaches — and mysterious, threatening notes telling her to end her relationship with Joe.
Secretly plagued by multiple personality disorder
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....
, Viki (as alter ego Niki Smith) became involved with Joe's best friend, Vincent "Vinny" Wolek. In love with Niki, a heartbroken Vinny learned the truth and told Viki about her other personality. Viki sought medical treatment and, as her mental illness seemed under control, she went ahead with her plans to marry Joe. But during the wedding in June 1969, Niki reemerged and fled the ceremony with an ecstatic Vinny. When he urged Niki to marry him, however, Niki's own panic resulted in Viki regaining control. She returned to Joe. During more intensive therapy, Viki remembered writing the notes (as Niki), and finally recalled the childhood memory that had apparently caused her personality to splinter. Now freed by the truth, Viki married Joe.
In 1970, Joe began investigating Llanview's increasing drug trade for The Banner. While making inquiries in 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...
, Joe's car went over a cliff; his body was never found, but he was presumed dead. Viki was devastated. She signed papers declaring Joe dead in 1972, which shocked Vinny Wolek and Joe's sister Eileen, both of whom had refused to give up the hope that Joe was alive.
Joe Riley reappeared in 1972, after Viki declared Joe legally dead
Legal death
Legal death is a legal pronouncement by a qualified person that further medical care is not appropriate and that a patient should be considered dead under the law. The specific criteria used to pronounce legal death are variable and often depend on certain circumstances in order to pronounce a...
and was marrying another man, new Banner editor Steve Burke. As she and Steve returned from their honeymoon, she got the news that Joe was alive, and fainted. In love with (and married to) two different men, Viki eventually chose to remain loyal to Steve in 1973. Heartbroken and still in love with Viki, Joe took up with Cathy Craig, who bears him a daughter. The daughter dies in infancy due to a car crash involving Viki, the latter who falls into a brief coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. Joe and Viki remarry in 1974, remaining married through 1979, bearing two children (Kevin
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:...
and Joe, Jr.
Joey Buchanan
Joseph "Joey" Riley Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime serial One Life to Live. The character is the son of original characters Victoria Lord and Joe Riley, Sr.-Casting:...
) when he dies of brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
.