Mitch Laurence
Encyclopedia
Mitchell "Mitch" Laurence is a fictional character
, portrayed by Roscoe Born
, on the ABC
daytime
soap opera
One Life to Live
, from 1985 to 1987 and again from 2002 to 2003. Born returned from November 9, 2009 to April 6, 2010.
Arriving in 1985 and soon wreaking havoc in fictional Llanview, villain Mitch's storyline climaxes in 1986 with his apparent murder, during a season in which the series rose from #4 to #3 in the Nielsen ratings
. He reappears alive in 2002 seeking to exact his revenge on long running One Life to Live heroine Viki Lord Buchanan
; seemingly killed again in 2003, he is resurrected a second time in 2009.
in 1985 and sets his sights on ex-girlfriend Tina Clayton
, who has just discovered that she is the daughter of deceased millionaire Victor Lord. Finding out that Victor's estate will revert to Tina if Victor's other daughter Viki Lord Buchanan
has a relapse of her multiple personality disorder
, Mitch convinces Tina to assist him in his plan to do just that. But when Tina realizes that Mitch actually intends to murder Viki's husband Clint Buchanan
and frame Viki, she tries to stop him. Mitch kills Harry O'Neill instead, and Tina is arrested. Tina is later exonerated and Mitch is sent to prison; he "finds God" and manages to be freed, soon becoming the leader of a religious cult and preying upon his young female disciples. He then orchestrates the kidnapping of Clint and Viki Buchanan's newborn daughter Jessica
by his follower Allison Perkins
(daughter of Statesville Prison's warden). Jessica is eventually returned, and Mitch is killed on July 18, 1986, by a blow to the back of the head from Dorian Lord as he attempts to rape her daughter, Cassie Callison.
On April 1, 1987, Mitch is seen again—this time as a voyager on the “Star Ascension,” during Viki’s out-of-body experience as she suffered from a brain aneurysm. During the high stakes dream, which dictates whether she would live or die, Viki is able to ultimately destroy his power over her.
arrives in Llanview in 2001, revealing that she is actually the biological daughter of Viki and Clint Buchanan. At first it is believed that when Allison Perkins had kidnapped the Buchanan baby in 1987, another child was returned and grew up to be Jessica. But when a DNA test
on Jessica proves that she is also Viki's daughter, the real story comes out. Mitch Laurence had secretly raped a drugged Viki around the same time she conceived a child with Clint. Viki unknowingly became pregnant with fraternal twins, one fathered by Clint (Natalie) and the other fathered by Mitch (Jessica). Dr. Walter Balsom, who had been one of Mitch's disciples, took Mitch's daughter during delivery, and Viki never knew she'd had more than one child. Mitch, however, wanted his daughter to grow up loved by Viki in the lap of luxury, and sent Allison to kidnap Clint's child. They replaced her with Mitch's daughter (who would become Jessica), and gave Clint's daughter (who would become Natalie) to Dr. Balsom and his wife Roxy
.
In 2002, Mitch returns from the dead; he had not actually died at Dorian's hands, but Dr. Balsom had helped him make it look that way. As "Michael Lazarus," Mitch woos Natalie into marriage. The union is soon annulled when his true identity is revealed, but in 2003 Mitch marries a newly-returned-to-town Dorian, who wants in on Mitch's true plan: to take control of Victor Lord's estate. A very-much-alive Victor has been living in seclusion but is now in need of a heart transplant; Mitch promises him a perfect match in exchange for his fortune, and Victor agrees. Mitch's own daughter Jessica has the matching organ, but he offers up Natalie instead; Viki's arrival stops the operation, and Victor soon dies in front of his shocked daughter. Later, Jessica accidentally pushes Mitch into the Llantano River. Mitch regains his sight (after an accident had blinded him), and is rescued by Viki's half-brother Todd Manning
(who is impersonating Mitch's brother Walker). Mitch kidnaps Jessica; Viki and Antonio rescue her and Mitch is arrested. He is later released from jail by Todd, who leads him to the docks to make an escape. Mitch tries to kill Todd, and Jessica appears and knocks Mitch over the head with a lead pipe, killing him instantly. Not wanting Jessica to take the blame, Todd plants false evidence to point the finger of suspicion at others. The body is discovered by Tina's daughter Sarah Roberts
, and though Todd and Jessica each confess to killing Mitch, Police Commissioner Bo Buchanan
is inclined to look the other way and abandon the case.
is alive and stalking her. Natalie's husband Jared Banks
appears responsible until Mitch reappears to a stunned Jessica, Natalie, and Jared in California on November 9, 2009. Meanwhile in Michigan, Roxy's son Rex Balsom
's long search for the truth reveals that his biological father is Mitch. Mitch shoots Jared to death and is jailed; on December 3, 2009, he pops out of Jared's coffin during the funeral service, having been released after a mix-up with the evidence against him. On December 8, 2009, a distraught Natalie stabs Mitch, who survives. In January 2010, new mayor Dorian Lord gives in to Mitch's threats against her family and effects Mitch's release from jail. He soon kidnaps Jessica as part of his plan to kidnap Rex's soon-to-be-born baby with Stacy Morasco and have Jessica raise the child in captivity. His plan foiled, Mitch is furious when Dorian betrays him, and vows revenge.
Then shortly, after Dorian's sister, Melinda, turns up dead. It is then later revealed that Schuyler Joplin is Mitch's biological son with Roxy and therefore Rex is not, as the two babies where switched on the night they were born by Allison years before. After this, it is briefly mentioned Mitch is still alive and has been taken to Statesville Prison.
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...
, portrayed by Roscoe Born
Roscoe Born
Roscoe Born is an American actor, born in Topeka, Kansas, who is best known for playing a variety of roles over the years in successful television shows, most recently in The Young and the Restless.-Career:...
, 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...
daytime
Daytime television
Daytime television is the general term for television shows produced that are intended to air during the daytime hours on weekdays. This article is about American daytime television, for information about international daytime television see Daytime television....
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...
, from 1985 to 1987 and again from 2002 to 2003. Born returned from November 9, 2009 to April 6, 2010.
Arriving in 1985 and soon wreaking havoc in fictional Llanview, villain Mitch's storyline climaxes in 1986 with his apparent murder, during a season in which the series rose from #4 to #3 in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. He reappears alive in 2002 seeking to exact his revenge on long running One Life to Live heroine Viki Lord Buchanan
Victoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
; seemingly killed again in 2003, he is resurrected a second time in 2009.
Enter Mitch
Charismatic Mitch Laurence arrives in LlanviewLlanview, Pennsylvania
Llanview, Pennsylvania is the fictional setting for the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The city exists in the same fictional universe as cities from other existing or defunct ABC daytime dramas, including Pine Valley from All My Children, Port Charles from General Hospital, and...
in 1985 and sets his sights on ex-girlfriend Tina Clayton
Tina Lord
Tina Lord Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, originated and most notably portrayed by Andrea Evans...
, who has just discovered that she is the daughter of deceased millionaire Victor Lord. Finding out that Victor's estate will revert to Tina if Victor's other daughter Viki Lord Buchanan
Victoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
has a relapse of her 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....
, Mitch convinces Tina to assist him in his plan to do just that. But when Tina realizes that Mitch actually intends to murder Viki's husband Clint Buchanan
Clint Buchanan
Clinton "Clint" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting:The role was originated in September 10, 1979 by actor Clint Ritchie, portraying the role nearly continuously through December 30, 1999. Ritchie reappeared in the 2003 and 2004. Actor Jerry...
and frame Viki, she tries to stop him. Mitch kills Harry O'Neill instead, and Tina is arrested. Tina is later exonerated and Mitch is sent to prison; he "finds God" and manages to be freed, soon becoming the leader of a religious cult and preying upon his young female disciples. He then orchestrates the kidnapping of Clint and Viki Buchanan's newborn daughter Jessica
Jessica Buchanan
Jessica Eugenia Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
by his follower Allison Perkins
Allison Perkins
Allison Perkins is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.Barbara Garrick originated the role from 1986 to 1987, returning from August 15, 2001 to August 27, 2002 and then making brief appearances from October 24 to October 28, 2002 and January 10 to January 31, 2003....
(daughter of Statesville Prison's warden). Jessica is eventually returned, and Mitch is killed on July 18, 1986, by a blow to the back of the head from Dorian Lord as he attempts to rape her daughter, Cassie Callison.
On April 1, 1987, Mitch is seen again—this time as a voyager on the “Star Ascension,” during Viki’s out-of-body experience as she suffered from a brain aneurysm. During the high stakes dream, which dictates whether she would live or die, Viki is able to ultimately destroy his power over her.
2002 Resurrection
Natalie BalsomNatalie Buchanan
Natalie Buchanan Banks is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live and daughter of former supercouple Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan...
arrives in Llanview in 2001, revealing that she is actually the biological daughter of Viki and Clint Buchanan. At first it is believed that when Allison Perkins had kidnapped the Buchanan baby in 1987, another child was returned and grew up to be Jessica. But when a DNA test
Genetic fingerprinting
DNA profiling is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals by their respective DNA profiles. DNA profiles are encrypted sets of numbers that reflect a person's DNA makeup, which can also be used as the person's identifier...
on Jessica proves that she is also Viki's daughter, the real story comes out. Mitch Laurence had secretly raped a drugged Viki around the same time she conceived a child with Clint. Viki unknowingly became pregnant with fraternal twins, one fathered by Clint (Natalie) and the other fathered by Mitch (Jessica). Dr. Walter Balsom, who had been one of Mitch's disciples, took Mitch's daughter during delivery, and Viki never knew she'd had more than one child. Mitch, however, wanted his daughter to grow up loved by Viki in the lap of luxury, and sent Allison to kidnap Clint's child. They replaced her with Mitch's daughter (who would become Jessica), and gave Clint's daughter (who would become Natalie) to Dr. Balsom and his wife Roxy
Roxy Balsom
Roxanne Louise "Roxy" Balsom is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live...
.
In 2002, Mitch returns from the dead; he had not actually died at Dorian's hands, but Dr. Balsom had helped him make it look that way. As "Michael Lazarus," Mitch woos Natalie into marriage. The union is soon annulled when his true identity is revealed, but in 2003 Mitch marries a newly-returned-to-town Dorian, who wants in on Mitch's true plan: to take control of Victor Lord's estate. A very-much-alive Victor has been living in seclusion but is now in need of a heart transplant; Mitch promises him a perfect match in exchange for his fortune, and Victor agrees. Mitch's own daughter Jessica has the matching organ, but he offers up Natalie instead; Viki's arrival stops the operation, and Victor soon dies in front of his shocked daughter. Later, Jessica accidentally pushes Mitch into the Llantano River. Mitch regains his sight (after an accident had blinded him), and is rescued by Viki's half-brother Todd Manning
Todd Manning
Thomas Todd Manning is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. Created by writer Michael Malone, the role was originated in 1992 by actor Roger Howarth. In 2003, Howarth departed from the series and the role was recast with actor Trevor St. John as Todd, initially written...
(who is impersonating Mitch's brother Walker). Mitch kidnaps Jessica; Viki and Antonio rescue her and Mitch is arrested. He is later released from jail by Todd, who leads him to the docks to make an escape. Mitch tries to kill Todd, and Jessica appears and knocks Mitch over the head with a lead pipe, killing him instantly. Not wanting Jessica to take the blame, Todd plants false evidence to point the finger of suspicion at others. The body is discovered by Tina's daughter Sarah Roberts
Sarah Roberts
Sarah Victoria Roberts is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She is the daughter of Tina Lord and Cord Roberts.-Casting:...
, and though Todd and Jessica each confess to killing Mitch, Police Commissioner Bo Buchanan
Bo Buchanan
Beaufort Oglethorpe "Bo" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting and awards:The role was originated in 1979 by Robert S. Woods, who briefly left the series in 1986 but returned in 1988, and currently portrays the role...
is inclined to look the other way and abandon the case.
2009 Resurrection
In 2009, Jessica is unnerved by someone making it appear as though her deceased husband Nash BrennanNash Brennan
Nash Brennan is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live, played by Forbes March from July 7, 2005 to June 5, 2008, and then briefly from June 6, 2008 to July 16, 2008.-Tess and Jessica:...
is alive and stalking her. Natalie's husband Jared Banks
Jared Banks
Jared Banks is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live. Originally slated to debut on August 17, 2007, the character, as portrayed by John Brotherton, first appeared a week earlier on August 10, 2007. Chris Bones played a young Jared in flashbacks on January 17, 2008...
appears responsible until Mitch reappears to a stunned Jessica, Natalie, and Jared in California on November 9, 2009. Meanwhile in Michigan, Roxy's son Rex Balsom
Rex Balsom
Rex Balsom is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live, portrayed by John-Paul Lavoisier since May 9, 2002.With the character initially named "Jamie" prior to production, then-Executive Producer Gary Tomlin "toyed with the idea" of putting Rex in a gay storyline;...
's long search for the truth reveals that his biological father is Mitch. Mitch shoots Jared to death and is jailed; on December 3, 2009, he pops out of Jared's coffin during the funeral service, having been released after a mix-up with the evidence against him. On December 8, 2009, a distraught Natalie stabs Mitch, who survives. In January 2010, new mayor Dorian Lord gives in to Mitch's threats against her family and effects Mitch's release from jail. He soon kidnaps Jessica as part of his plan to kidnap Rex's soon-to-be-born baby with Stacy Morasco and have Jessica raise the child in captivity. His plan foiled, Mitch is furious when Dorian betrays him, and vows revenge.
Then shortly, after Dorian's sister, Melinda, turns up dead. It is then later revealed that Schuyler Joplin is Mitch's biological son with Roxy and therefore Rex is not, as the two babies where switched on the night they were born by Allison years before. After this, it is briefly mentioned Mitch is still alive and has been taken to Statesville Prison.