Lisa Grimaldi
Encyclopedia
Lisa Grimaldi is a fictional character
on the CBS
soap opera
As the World Turns
. The daughter of Henry and Alma Miller, Lisa grew up in Rockford, Illinois
, USA before moving to Oakdale. The character was created by ATWT creator Irna Phillips
in 1960.
Fulton's eagerness to play Lisa as a villainess contributed to the character's popularity and therefore its longevity. Show creator Irna Phillips said of Fulton, "I can write for that little rascal. She can play a bitch!" A scheming "vixen" in her early years, TIME
magazine once referred to Lisa as a "superbitch" and the "most hated woman on TV." Since those days, Lisa has gone on to become a well-respected presence in Oakdale
(the fictional town in which As the World Turns is set), often offering advice and support to the town's younger residents.
When the character of Lisa was introduced in 1960, the name "Lisa," which had only seen a popular resurgence in the previous ten years, was the sixth most popular baby name in the United States. Fulton's Lisa was credited with speeding up the popularity of the name for baby girls; "Lisa" became the most popular name for girls between the years of 1962 and 1969.
An entrepreneur, Lisa currently owns a restaurant, a clothing boutique and co-owns a hotel; she previously owned one of the town's newspapers, The Argus, and a nightclub. She recently started work on Crash, a new teen-oriented music club, with the help of her grandson Casey. In 2008, she was involved in the storyline regarding Sofie Duran's disappearance, "The Stewart vs Hughes Trial" and "Bob's Stroke".
The character briefly crossed over into her own primetime spinoff series, Our Private World
, for a few months in 1965, during which Lisa left Oakdale and moved to Chicago. She returned to Oakdale in 1966, where she has remained ever since.
The character has two living sons—a third son was killed in an automobile accident in the early 1970s—and four grandchildren.
Since 1960, she has been portrayed primarily by Eileen Fulton
, with a few other actresses filling in during brief absences. Most notably, Pamela King filled in as Lisa during 1964 and Betsy von Furstenberg
played the role from late 1983 to early 1984 during a contract dispute between Ms. Fulton and Procter & Gamble. On multiple occasions from 1991 to 1994, former movie actress Jane Powell
replaced Ms. Fulton as Lisa and even soap veteran Maeve McGuire
filled in during that same the time period as well. Australian actress Carmen Duncan
, best known to US audiences for her role as Iris on Another World
, filled in for Fulton for three episodes in late 2004 while she was on emergency medical leave.
(Don Hastings
). They soon eloped when they discovered that Lisa was pregnant. Though Bob's and Lisa's parents were at first opposed to their marriage (they believed the pair to be too young), they accepted it when they learned of Lisa's pregnancy. The young couple moved in with Bob's parents, Chris (Don MacLaughlin
) and Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner
), while Bob finished his residency at Oakdale Memorial Hospital. Lisa initially demonstrated her scheming ways by faking "difficulties" with her pregnancy to get out of helping her new mother-in-law with the household chores. However, Nancy and Lisa eventually became very close, forming a bond that would remain intact for decades (even after Lisa and Bob divorced). Lisa's new sister-in-law, however, Penny Hughes (Rosemary Prinz
) (who also was still living with Chris and Nancy) and Lisa took an immediate dislike to one-another. Penny, who had lost a baby, and recently learned she could no longer have children, resented Lisa's pregnancy. Lisa disliked Penny and her best friend Ellen Lowell (Patricia Bruder
), whom she felt thought they were better than herself, while Ellen and Penny found Lisa to be an idle gossip. The animosity between Penny and Lisa led to considerable tension in the Hughes home, with Lisa exploiting Penny's emotional estrangement from Chris and Nancy, attempting to further alienate Penny from her parents. (Though Lisa and Penny would eventually become a bit more friendly as they both matured, Lisa maintained an adversarial relationship with Ellen right up until Ellen left Oakdale in the late 1990s.)
A year into Bob and Lisa's marriage, after their son Tom was born, Lisa became tired of living as the wife of a young resident, resenting Bob's long hours in the hospital. She had an affair with flashy businessman Bruce Elliott, asking him to take her with him when she left town, but he told her the affair was just a diversion for him, and that he cared nothing for her. Meanwhile, Bob, whom she had already alienated, had found out about the relationship and divorced Lisa. Lisa responded by poisoning Tom's mind against his father, eventually fleeing to California with Tom, without Bob's knowledge. When Bob finally tracked them down, he found Lisa in a near-catatonic state, following a brutal rape. He brought her back to Oakdale, enlisting the help of Sylvia Hill, a nurse with whom Bob had been involved. Once Lisa recovered from the trauma, she attempted to guilt Sylvia into ending her relationship with Bob, falsely suggesting that she was the only thing preventing Bob and Lisa to reconcile. Nancy also cautioned Sylvia that Lisa was the only person she would ever accept as her daughter-in-law. Though Sylvia eventually decided to end her relationship with Bob, Bob informed Lisa that he was not interested in a reconciliation with her.
), where she became involved with the Eldridge brothers. She married wealthy John Eldridge, but soon began a torrid affair with his brother Tom. When the affair was revealed, Lisa fled Chicago in disgrace. It was revealed in the early 1990s that Lisa was in fact pregnant when she left, and that the Eldridge family had paid Lisa a hefty divorce settlement, in exchange for her having nothing to do with her baby. The baby, Scott Eldridge, was presumably born during the several-month long lapse between when Our Private World went off the air in the fall of 1965 and when Lisa and Eileen Fulton returned to As the World Turns in the spring of 1966; viewers were not made aware of Scott's existence until he tracked Lisa down as an adult in 1992.
), about the affair, and she divorced him. A short while later, Michael decided that he wanted to play a role in his son's life, and tried to get Lisa to marry him, but by this time, she wanted nothing to do with him. Around the same time, Lisa's son Tom (who'd been SORASed to his late teens) had returned from Vietnam
with a drug habit. One night, Michael caught Tom breaking into his office to steal drugs, and he used this information to blackmail Lisa into marrying him. By this time, Lisa hated Michael with a passion, and though she did marry him (to save Tom), she refused to have any kind of a sexual relationship with him. Michael responded by orchestrating a series of events designed to make Lisa look like an unfit mother, so he could divorce her and sue for custody of Chuckie. However, in early 1970, Michael was murdered, and Lisa was nowhere to be found. Tom was the prime suspect, and, thinking his mother had committed the murder, he said little to demonstrate his innocence. When Lisa returned to town, she could not remember the events leading to Michael's murder, but eventually the murder was revealed to have been committed by the mother of a young woman with whom Michael had had an affair.
Lisa had a few more flings, including one with Bob's older brother, Don Hughes. Around this time, she believed herself to be pregnant, though it was later revealed to have been an ovarian cyst.
), an attorney who had recently joined Chris Hughes' law firm. Grant and Lisa fell in love and planned to be married, but on the day of the ceremony, Grant's ex-wife, Joyce (Barbara Rodell) crashed their wedding to announce that during their marriage, she and Grant had had a son of whom Grant was unaware. Grant postponed the wedding to investigate, and determined that he and Joyce had indeed had a son who had since been adopted. He decided not to interfere in the boy's life, and let him remain with his adoptive parents. Grant and Lisa were finally married, but Joyce continued to scheme and interfere in their lives, and for a while they also had to contend with the equally scheming Valerie Conway was also attempting to seduce both Bob and Grant at the same time. Lisa eventually pointed Valerie in Bob's direction, so she would stay away from Grant.
Though Grant and Lisa were very happy together, Lisa's ongoing jealousy of Joyce and later Valerie continue to be a problem, and at one point, Grant asked Lisa for a divorce. Lisa pretended to be ill, and staged and elaborate scheme designed to demonstrate Valerie's true calculating ways. Though she succeeded in this, Grant and Lisa's lives continued to be complicated, this time by a new woman, Tina Cornell, who had a played a role in the previous manipulations involving Valerie, and was injured as a result. Lisa invited Tina to recuperate with her and Grant. Tina told Lisa that she had developed agoraphobia
, but she in fact was becoming obsessed with Grant. When Lisa discovered this, she ordered Tina to leave, but Grant saw this as just another case of Lisa's jealousy. He and Lisa separated, but when Tina attempted to seduce him, he realized that Lisa had been right all along.
Though he claimed to be through with scheming women, Joyce now reentered Grant's life, pretending to be terminally ill. Though Lisa disputed Joyce's claims of illness, Grant believed her and the two became engaged. He learned that Lisa was correct, but Lisa was hurt by Grant's refusal to believe her, and refused to give her relationship with Grant another try. Grant left town in late 1981, though he and Lisa would get over their bitterness and would become friends again.
(Elizabeth Hubbard
), who claimed Whit was responsible for the suicide of her husband, Whit's former business partner. Lisa became very close to Whit's two sons, Brian and Kirk McColl, and when Whit was murdered in 1984, Lisa continued to serve as a mother figure to her stepsons Kirk (Christian LeBlanc
) and Brian (Mark Pinter
).
Though deeply saddened by Whit's death, Lisa embarked on two new business ventures during this period that would help her through the sorrow. In 1985, Lisa joined her friends, Kim Sullivan Hughes
(Kathryn Hays
) and Barbara Ryan
to launch Fashions, a high-end boutique showcasing top designs. Kim and Barbara eventually both sold their shares in the business to Lisa; she remains the sole owner as of 2009. In 1986, Lisa and Craig Montgomery
(Scott Bryce
) purchased a restaurant formerly known as Caroline's, and reopened it as The Mona Lisa. Lisa became the sole owner when Craig left Oakdale in the late 1980s, and presumably still operates the restaurant today although it has not been seen or referred to on camera since 2005. In addition to these two businesses, Lisa also co-owns the Lakeview Hotel with Lily Snyder (Noelle Beck
); she owned and operated the Argus newspaper and was a partner in the nightclub Java (which has since been sold a number of times and is currently known as Metro).
In 1986, though Brian McColl's girlfriend Shannon O'Hara (who herself had become very close to Lisa), she met Shannon's uncle, the mysterious, charming Earl Mitchell (screen veteran Farley Granger
). The two began dating, and though Earl had a mysterious side, disappearing without explanation for days on end, Lisa agreed to marry him. A few months into their marriage, Earl disappeared, and Lisa soon received a message that Earl had been kidnapped. Her ex-husband Grant returned to Oakdale to show his support. Lisa received a call from someone who claimed to know of Earl's whereabouts, but when she drove to meet him, her brakes failed. She was not injured, but started to see images of Earl and hear his voice, causing her family to worry and question her sanity. The truth about Earl was finally revealed: he was an Interpol agent who'd been killed while attempting to investigate James Stenbeck
(Anthony Herrera
).
) and writer Duncan McKechnie (Michael Swan
) when she voiced her opinion that she believed the black Jessica and white Duncan should not be married or have children, an opinion that flew in the face of Fulton's actual beliefs. Through compassion and education, Lisa warmed to Jessica and Duncan's union and was even asked to become godmother to their child, Bonnie, which she accepted.
In late 1994, Lisa married Eduardo Grimaldi, a Maltese
gangster. Lisa's happiness lasted only a few weeks, because Eduardo was shot by an associate, and was rushed to Oakdale Memorial. His cousin Orlena Grimaldi snuck into his room and killed him, resulting in Lisa believing Eduardo's death was due to medical incompetence on the part of John Dixon (Larry Bryggman
), who was on duty in the ER when he was brought in. Lisa sued John for malpractice, threatening to end his career, before the truth of Eduardo's death came out. John took revenge on Lisa by wooing her and proposing to her, only to publicly dump her at their engagement party. She and John remained estranged for some time, until he and their mutual friend Barbara Ryan
(Colleen Zenk Pinter
) rescued Lisa from Martin Chedwyn, a criminal who had forced Lisa to marry him as part of a scheme to smuggle assets out of Hong-Kong before the changeover in government in 1999. Lisa forgave John for the public spectacle at their engagement party, and the two remained on good terms thereafter.
In the early 2000s, Lisa befriended Oakdale newcomer Isaac Jenkins, introducing Isaac to her goddaughter Bonnie McKechnie (whom he would later marry), and partnering with Isaac and Bonnie in their new club Java. She would remain involved with Java until Isaac and Bonnie left town, at that time, selling her shares in the club.
In more recent years, Lisa has retreated from the spotlight, interfering in the lives of her son Tom (Scott Holmes
) and daughter-in-law Margo Hughes (Ellen Dolan
), and mentoring Oakdale's younger residents.
In June and July 2008, Lisa became involved in the dramas between Barbara, Paul, Meg and Sofie. This ended when Paul Ryan found Sofie dead in her hotel room. It was revealed that Cole had killed Sofie.
Lisa played a key role in organizing Tom and Margo's twenty-fifth anniversary party.
Lisa reappeared in April 2009 to be involved in the mystery of Luke and Noah's kidnapping.
A special two-part tribute episode aired on May 17–18, 2010, commemorating Fulton's fiftieth anniversary on the show.
She appeared in the final episode in September 2010, her last scenes, making peace with her former fiance John Dixon
and one-time rival Lucinda Walsh
.
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 CBS
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...
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,...
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...
. The daughter of Henry and Alma Miller, Lisa grew up in Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
, USA before moving to Oakdale. The character was created by ATWT creator Irna Phillips
Irna Phillips
Irna Phillips was an American actress and most notably writer who created and scripted many of the first American soap operas.Phillips created radio and TV soap operas including:...
in 1960.
Character synopsis
Originally meant to be a short-term character, Lisa was kept on the As the World Turns canvas due to Fulton's day-to-day acting improvement. A Procter & Gamble executive said to Fulton six months into her run as Lisa, "I want to tell you what a wonderful job you are doing, because when you first came on the show we thought, 'We can't keep her. She's not very good.'"Fulton's eagerness to play Lisa as a villainess contributed to the character's popularity and therefore its longevity. Show creator Irna Phillips said of Fulton, "I can write for that little rascal. She can play a bitch!" A scheming "vixen" in her early years, TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
magazine once referred to Lisa as a "superbitch" and the "most hated woman on TV." Since those days, Lisa has gone on to become a well-respected presence in Oakdale
Oakdale (As the World Turns)
Oakdale is the setting of the television soap opera As the World Turns.-Location:For many years, the writers have been firm on placing the city in the state of Illinois. By all indications, the city is unrelated to the real Oakdale, Illinois. However, show creator Irna Phillips may have modeled her...
(the fictional town in which As the World Turns is set), often offering advice and support to the town's younger residents.
When the character of Lisa was introduced in 1960, the name "Lisa," which had only seen a popular resurgence in the previous ten years, was the sixth most popular baby name in the United States. Fulton's Lisa was credited with speeding up the popularity of the name for baby girls; "Lisa" became the most popular name for girls between the years of 1962 and 1969.
The character briefly crossed over into her own primetime spinoff series, Our Private World
Our Private World
Our Private World is an American serial. It was the first prime-time spin-off from a daytime soap . Created by Irna Phillips and William J. Bell, it premiered on May 5, 1965 and aired Wednesdays and Fridays over the summer; the multiple-episode-per-week format was inspired by ABC's hit show Peyton...
, for a few months in 1965, during which Lisa left Oakdale and moved to Chicago. She returned to Oakdale in 1966, where she has remained ever since.
The character has two living sons—a third son was killed in an automobile accident in the early 1970s—and four grandchildren.
Since 1960, she has been portrayed primarily by Eileen Fulton
Eileen Fulton
Eileen Fulton is an American actress.Fulton is known for her role as Lisa Grimaldi on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, a role that she played almost continuously for 50 years from May 18, 1960 until the show's cancellation on September 17, 2010.-As the...
, with a few other actresses filling in during brief absences. Most notably, Pamela King filled in as Lisa during 1964 and Betsy von Furstenberg
Betsy von Furstenberg
Betsy von Furstenberg is a German-born American radio, television, film, and Broadway actress.-Birth and childhood:...
played the role from late 1983 to early 1984 during a contract dispute between Ms. Fulton and Procter & Gamble. On multiple occasions from 1991 to 1994, former movie actress Jane Powell
Jane Powell
Jane Powell is an American singer, dancer and actress.After rising to fame as a singer in her home state of Oregon, Powell was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer while still in her teens...
replaced Ms. Fulton as Lisa and even soap veteran Maeve McGuire
Maeve McGuire
Maeve McGuire is an American actress, best known for her role as "Nicole Travis Drake" on the soap opera The Edge of Night, which she played from 1968 to 1974 and from 1975 to 1977...
filled in during that same the time period as well. Australian actress Carmen Duncan
Carmen Duncan
Carmen Joan Duncan is an Australian actress.-Biography:Carmen Duncan is known to Australian audiences as a character actress in films and on television...
, best known to US audiences for her role as Iris on Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
, filled in for Fulton for three episodes in late 2004 while she was on emergency medical leave.
Bob and "Scheming Lisa"
The character first appeared in May 1960, as the fiancée of medical student Bob HughesBob Hughes
Dr. Robert "Bob" Hughes. M.D. is a fictional character on the American soap opera, As the World Turns. Bob was played by actor Don Hastings from October 1960 until the series' final episode on September 17, 2010...
(Don Hastings
Don Hastings
Donald Francis Hastings is a longtime American actor, singer, and writer best known for his 50-year role as Dr. Robert "Bob" Hughes" on the soap opera As the World Turns...
). They soon eloped when they discovered that Lisa was pregnant. Though Bob's and Lisa's parents were at first opposed to their marriage (they believed the pair to be too young), they accepted it when they learned of Lisa's pregnancy. The young couple moved in with Bob's parents, Chris (Don MacLaughlin
Don MacLaughlin
Don MacLaughlin was an American soap opera actor.He was born on November 24, 1906, in Webster, Iowa, under the name William Donald McLaughlin....
) and Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner
Helen Wagner
Helen Wagner was an American actress. Born in Lubbock, Texas, she is best known for her long running role as Nancy Hughes McClosky on the soap opera As the World Turns. Wagner also played the role of Trudy Bauer during the initial TV years of Guiding Light in the early 1950s...
), while Bob finished his residency at Oakdale Memorial Hospital. Lisa initially demonstrated her scheming ways by faking "difficulties" with her pregnancy to get out of helping her new mother-in-law with the household chores. However, Nancy and Lisa eventually became very close, forming a bond that would remain intact for decades (even after Lisa and Bob divorced). Lisa's new sister-in-law, however, Penny Hughes (Rosemary Prinz
Rosemary Prinz
Rosemary Prinz was a stage and television actress. She is most known for her work in the early era of the American soap opera.-Life and career:Prinz was born in New York City...
) (who also was still living with Chris and Nancy) and Lisa took an immediate dislike to one-another. Penny, who had lost a baby, and recently learned she could no longer have children, resented Lisa's pregnancy. Lisa disliked Penny and her best friend Ellen Lowell (Patricia Bruder
Patricia Bruder
Patricia Bruder is an American actress. She attended James Madison H.S., where she graduated in June 1954....
), whom she felt thought they were better than herself, while Ellen and Penny found Lisa to be an idle gossip. The animosity between Penny and Lisa led to considerable tension in the Hughes home, with Lisa exploiting Penny's emotional estrangement from Chris and Nancy, attempting to further alienate Penny from her parents. (Though Lisa and Penny would eventually become a bit more friendly as they both matured, Lisa maintained an adversarial relationship with Ellen right up until Ellen left Oakdale in the late 1990s.)
A year into Bob and Lisa's marriage, after their son Tom was born, Lisa became tired of living as the wife of a young resident, resenting Bob's long hours in the hospital. She had an affair with flashy businessman Bruce Elliott, asking him to take her with him when she left town, but he told her the affair was just a diversion for him, and that he cared nothing for her. Meanwhile, Bob, whom she had already alienated, had found out about the relationship and divorced Lisa. Lisa responded by poisoning Tom's mind against his father, eventually fleeing to California with Tom, without Bob's knowledge. When Bob finally tracked them down, he found Lisa in a near-catatonic state, following a brutal rape. He brought her back to Oakdale, enlisting the help of Sylvia Hill, a nurse with whom Bob had been involved. Once Lisa recovered from the trauma, she attempted to guilt Sylvia into ending her relationship with Bob, falsely suggesting that she was the only thing preventing Bob and Lisa to reconcile. Nancy also cautioned Sylvia that Lisa was the only person she would ever accept as her daughter-in-law. Though Sylvia eventually decided to end her relationship with Bob, Bob informed Lisa that he was not interested in a reconciliation with her.
Our Private World
Rejected, Lisa moved to Chicago in mid-1965 (with the character relocating to the primetime soap Our Private WorldOur Private World
Our Private World is an American serial. It was the first prime-time spin-off from a daytime soap . Created by Irna Phillips and William J. Bell, it premiered on May 5, 1965 and aired Wednesdays and Fridays over the summer; the multiple-episode-per-week format was inspired by ABC's hit show Peyton...
), where she became involved with the Eldridge brothers. She married wealthy John Eldridge, but soon began a torrid affair with his brother Tom. When the affair was revealed, Lisa fled Chicago in disgrace. It was revealed in the early 1990s that Lisa was in fact pregnant when she left, and that the Eldridge family had paid Lisa a hefty divorce settlement, in exchange for her having nothing to do with her baby. The baby, Scott Eldridge, was presumably born during the several-month long lapse between when Our Private World went off the air in the fall of 1965 and when Lisa and Eileen Fulton returned to As the World Turns in the spring of 1966; viewers were not made aware of Scott's existence until he tracked Lisa down as an adult in 1992.
Return to Oakdale
Several months after leaving Chicago, Lisa resurfaced in Oakdale, and began having an affair with Dr. Michael Shea, a charming, manipulative sociopath. Though she asked Michael to leave his wife so they could be married, especially after Lisa discovered she was pregnant, Michael refused. After Lisa's baby, Charles "Chuckie" Shea was born, Lisa told Michael's wife, Claire Cassen (Barbara BerjerBarbara Berjer
Barbara Berjer was a well-known American television actress born in Seattle, Washington.Among her many soap opera credits were her roles as alcoholic actress Lynn Franklin on From These Roots ; Claire English Lowell Cassen Shea #4 on As the World Turns ; Barbara Norris Thorpe #2 on Guiding Light...
), about the affair, and she divorced him. A short while later, Michael decided that he wanted to play a role in his son's life, and tried to get Lisa to marry him, but by this time, she wanted nothing to do with him. Around the same time, Lisa's son Tom (who'd been SORASed to his late teens) had returned from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
with a drug habit. One night, Michael caught Tom breaking into his office to steal drugs, and he used this information to blackmail Lisa into marrying him. By this time, Lisa hated Michael with a passion, and though she did marry him (to save Tom), she refused to have any kind of a sexual relationship with him. Michael responded by orchestrating a series of events designed to make Lisa look like an unfit mother, so he could divorce her and sue for custody of Chuckie. However, in early 1970, Michael was murdered, and Lisa was nowhere to be found. Tom was the prime suspect, and, thinking his mother had committed the murder, he said little to demonstrate his innocence. When Lisa returned to town, she could not remember the events leading to Michael's murder, but eventually the murder was revealed to have been committed by the mother of a young woman with whom Michael had had an affair.
Lisa had a few more flings, including one with Bob's older brother, Don Hughes. Around this time, she believed herself to be pregnant, though it was later revealed to have been an ovarian cyst.
Lisa, Grant and Joyce
In 1973, Tom and his young brother Chuckie were struck by another driver. Though Tom survived, Chuckie was killed in the accident. The grief was almost too much for Lisa to bear but she received a great deal of support and love from her former mother-in-law Nancy Hughes, as well as from a new man in her life, Grant Colman (James DouglasJames Douglas (actor)
James Douglas is an American actor probably best known for his role as Grant Colman on As the World Turns ....
), an attorney who had recently joined Chris Hughes' law firm. Grant and Lisa fell in love and planned to be married, but on the day of the ceremony, Grant's ex-wife, Joyce (Barbara Rodell) crashed their wedding to announce that during their marriage, she and Grant had had a son of whom Grant was unaware. Grant postponed the wedding to investigate, and determined that he and Joyce had indeed had a son who had since been adopted. He decided not to interfere in the boy's life, and let him remain with his adoptive parents. Grant and Lisa were finally married, but Joyce continued to scheme and interfere in their lives, and for a while they also had to contend with the equally scheming Valerie Conway was also attempting to seduce both Bob and Grant at the same time. Lisa eventually pointed Valerie in Bob's direction, so she would stay away from Grant.
Though Grant and Lisa were very happy together, Lisa's ongoing jealousy of Joyce and later Valerie continue to be a problem, and at one point, Grant asked Lisa for a divorce. Lisa pretended to be ill, and staged and elaborate scheme designed to demonstrate Valerie's true calculating ways. Though she succeeded in this, Grant and Lisa's lives continued to be complicated, this time by a new woman, Tina Cornell, who had a played a role in the previous manipulations involving Valerie, and was injured as a result. Lisa invited Tina to recuperate with her and Grant. Tina told Lisa that she had developed agoraphobia
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...
, but she in fact was becoming obsessed with Grant. When Lisa discovered this, she ordered Tina to leave, but Grant saw this as just another case of Lisa's jealousy. He and Lisa separated, but when Tina attempted to seduce him, he realized that Lisa had been right all along.
Though he claimed to be through with scheming women, Joyce now reentered Grant's life, pretending to be terminally ill. Though Lisa disputed Joyce's claims of illness, Grant believed her and the two became engaged. He learned that Lisa was correct, but Lisa was hurt by Grant's refusal to believe her, and refused to give her relationship with Grant another try. Grant left town in late 1981, though he and Lisa would get over their bitterness and would become friends again.
Whit and Earl
In 1982, Lisa eloped with wealthy businessman Whit McColl. Their lives were soon complicated by the arrival in town of Lucinda WalshLucinda Walsh
Lucinda 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...
(Elizabeth Hubbard
Elizabeth Hubbard
Elizabeth Hubbard is an American film, soap opera, stage and television actress. Hubbard was born in New York City]. She attended Radcliffe College, and graduated summa cum laude. She pursued her theatrical education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she was the first American...
), who claimed Whit was responsible for the suicide of her husband, Whit's former business partner. Lisa became very close to Whit's two sons, Brian and Kirk McColl, and when Whit was murdered in 1984, Lisa continued to serve as a mother figure to her stepsons Kirk (Christian LeBlanc
Christian LeBlanc
Christian Jules LeBlanc is an American actor.LeBlanc currently plays Michael Baldwin on The Young and the Restless. He first played the role from 1991 to 1993, and then resumed the role in 1997. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for the role six times, and won for Outstanding Lead Actor...
) and Brian (Mark Pinter
Mark Pinter
Mark Pinter is an American actor probably best known for his numerous roles in daytime soap operas.-Education:Pinter received his Master of Fine Arts from the Hilberry Repertory Theatre of Wayne State University.-Acting:...
).
Though deeply saddened by Whit's death, Lisa embarked on two new business ventures during this period that would help her through the sorrow. In 1985, Lisa joined her friends, Kim Sullivan Hughes
Kim Sullivan Hughes
Kimberly "Kim" Hughes was a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. The character was portrayed by Kathryn Hays continuously from 1972...
(Kathryn Hays
Kathryn Hays
Kathryn Hays is an American actress. She was born in Princeton, Illinois and grew up in Joliet, Illinois.In the 1966-1967 television season, Hays appeared as Elizabeth Reynolds Pride in the NBC western series The Road West, with co-stars Barry Sullivan, Andrew Prine, Kelly Corcoran, and Glenn...
) and 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...
to launch Fashions, a high-end boutique showcasing top designs. Kim and Barbara eventually both sold their shares in the business to Lisa; she remains the sole owner as of 2009. In 1986, Lisa and Craig Montgomery
Craig Montgomery
Craig Bryant Montgomery is a fictional character on the soap opera As The World Turns.-Actor history:Since the character of Craig Montgomery was introduced in January 1982, he has been portrayed by four actors in total...
(Scott Bryce
Scott Bryce
Scott Macalister Bryce , sometimes credited as Scott M. Bryce, is an American film and television actor. Bryce is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Craig Montgomery on As the World Turns....
) purchased a restaurant formerly known as Caroline's, and reopened it as The Mona Lisa. Lisa became the sole owner when Craig left Oakdale in the late 1980s, and presumably still operates the restaurant today although it has not been seen or referred to on camera since 2005. In addition to these two businesses, Lisa also co-owns the Lakeview Hotel with Lily Snyder (Noelle Beck
Noelle Beck
Noelle Beck is an American actress, best known for her role as Trisha Alden on the ABC daytime soap opera Loving.-Career:...
); she owned and operated the Argus newspaper and was a partner in the nightclub Java (which has since been sold a number of times and is currently known as Metro).
In 1986, though Brian McColl's girlfriend Shannon O'Hara (who herself had become very close to Lisa), she met Shannon's uncle, the mysterious, charming Earl Mitchell (screen veteran Farley Granger
Farley Granger
Farley Earle Granger was an American actor. In a career spanning several decades, he was perhaps best known for his two collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, Rope in 1948 and Strangers on a Train in 1951.-Early life:...
). The two began dating, and though Earl had a mysterious side, disappearing without explanation for days on end, Lisa agreed to marry him. A few months into their marriage, Earl disappeared, and Lisa soon received a message that Earl had been kidnapped. Her ex-husband Grant returned to Oakdale to show his support. Lisa received a call from someone who claimed to know of Earl's whereabouts, but when she drove to meet him, her brakes failed. She was not injured, but started to see images of Earl and hear his voice, causing her family to worry and question her sanity. The truth about Earl was finally revealed: he was an Interpol agent who'd been killed while attempting to investigate James Stenbeck
James Stenbeck
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...
(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...
).
Later years
In 1992 and 1993, Lisa stood up to lawyer Jessica Griffin (Tamara TunieTamara Tunie
Tamara Renee Tunie is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, and medical examiner Melinda Warner on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit...
) and writer Duncan McKechnie (Michael Swan
Michael Swan
Michael Swan is an American film and TV actor.Swan was born in San Jose, California, the son of actress Alys Lucille and Donald Arthur Swan. He was raised in the wine business in Northern California, working for his Uncle Joseph Swan and Louis Martini and still keeps close ties with the industry...
) when she voiced her opinion that she believed the black Jessica and white Duncan should not be married or have children, an opinion that flew in the face of Fulton's actual beliefs. Through compassion and education, Lisa warmed to Jessica and Duncan's union and was even asked to become godmother to their child, Bonnie, which she accepted.
In late 1994, Lisa married Eduardo Grimaldi, a Maltese
Maltese people
The Maltese are an ethnic group indigenous to the Southern European nation of Malta, and identified with the Maltese language. Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea...
gangster. Lisa's happiness lasted only a few weeks, because Eduardo was shot by an associate, and was rushed to Oakdale Memorial. His cousin Orlena Grimaldi snuck into his room and killed him, resulting in Lisa believing Eduardo's death was due to medical incompetence on the part of John Dixon (Larry Bryggman
Larry Bryggman
Larry Bryggman is an American actor.-Early life:Bryggman was born in Concord, California of Swedish descent; his father worked for a neon sign company and his mother was a piano teacher. Bryggman attended the City College of San Francisco as well as the American Theatre Wing in New York...
), who was on duty in the ER when he was brought in. Lisa sued John for malpractice, threatening to end his career, before the truth of Eduardo's death came out. John took revenge on Lisa by wooing her and proposing to her, only to publicly dump her at their engagement party. She and John remained estranged for some time, until he and their mutual friend 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...
(Colleen Zenk Pinter
Colleen Zenk Pinter
-Daytime career:She is best known for her role as fashionista-heroine-turned-evil-bitch-cougar-mother-from-hell Barbara Ryan on the daytime drama As the World Turns, a role she began portraying in September 1978....
) rescued Lisa from Martin Chedwyn, a criminal who had forced Lisa to marry him as part of a scheme to smuggle assets out of Hong-Kong before the changeover in government in 1999. Lisa forgave John for the public spectacle at their engagement party, and the two remained on good terms thereafter.
In the early 2000s, Lisa befriended Oakdale newcomer Isaac Jenkins, introducing Isaac to her goddaughter Bonnie McKechnie (whom he would later marry), and partnering with Isaac and Bonnie in their new club Java. She would remain involved with Java until Isaac and Bonnie left town, at that time, selling her shares in the club.
In more recent years, Lisa has retreated from the spotlight, interfering in the lives of her son Tom (Scott Holmes
Scott Holmes
Scott Holmes is an actor, best known for the role of District Attorney Tom Hughes in the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, a role he played from 1987 through ATWT's 2010 cancellation...
) and daughter-in-law Margo Hughes (Ellen Dolan
Ellen Dolan
Ellen Dolan is an American actress.She has starred in television soap operas such as Guiding Light, where she played the role of Maureen Reardon Bauer from 1982 to 1986, and As the World Turns, where she played the role of Margo Montgomery Hughes from 1989 to 1993, and from 1994 to 2010.In 1992...
), and mentoring Oakdale's younger residents.
In June and July 2008, Lisa became involved in the dramas between Barbara, Paul, Meg and Sofie. This ended when Paul Ryan found Sofie dead in her hotel room. It was revealed that Cole had killed Sofie.
Lisa played a key role in organizing Tom and Margo's twenty-fifth anniversary party.
Final years and ATWT cancellation
During the final years of ATWT, Lisa's portrayer Eileen Fulton criticized producers over the lack of airtime for her character, as well as other longtime characters, whose screentime had dramatically diminished in favor of younger cast members. In 2008, she appeared three - four times per month, but played a large role in the April 2010 episode depicting Bob and Kim's second wedding.A special two-part tribute episode aired on May 17–18, 2010, commemorating Fulton's fiftieth anniversary on the show.
She appeared in the final episode in September 2010, her last scenes, making peace with her former fiance John Dixon
John Dixon
John Dixon may refer to:*John Dixon , Nottinghamshire cricketer and international footballer*John Dixon , Member of Parliament for Carlisle, England, 1847–1848...
and one-time rival Lucinda Walsh
Lucinda Walsh
Lucinda 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...
.