Wolek family
Encyclopedia
The Wolek family were one of the fictional core families on the American
soap opera
One Life to Live
when it debuted in 1968
. They were the working class reflection of the affluent Lords
, with early storylines exploring the ways these families interacted and contrasted. The family was created around the relationships of Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Wolek
, a character who appeared from the debut episode in summer 1968 through the spring of 2004.
—the girlfriend of Vince's best friend, reporter Joe Riley
. Eventually Vince learned the truth and, though heartbroken, told Viki about her alter ego. 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 Vince. When he urged Niki to marry him, however, Niki's own panic resulted in Viki regaining control. She returned to Joe.
In 1970, Vince unwittingly became involved with the Llanview
drug trade, and was implicated in a drug-related murder. He was eventually cleared of wrongdoing, but not before Joe, investigating Llanview's increasing drug problem for The Banner, was presumed dead in California
. Vince (and Joe's sister, Eileen) had refused to give up the hope that Joe was alive, and both were upset when Viki signed papers declaring Joe dead in 1972. They were vindicated when Joe reappeared; he had returned to Llanview ill, but had been nursed back to health by sassy tell-it-like-it-is waitress Wanda Webb (Marilyn Chris
; Lee Lawson). By the time Joe and Viki reunited in 1973, Vince was a cop. Later, he fell in love with big hearted Wanda, and the two married in February 1975. Vince was poisoned to death by Ted Clayton in 1981.
Vince's widow, Wanda, on the other hand, remained in Llanview and ran a restaurant of her own after years of being a waitress. She still did waitressing at her own restaurant. She offered her no-nonsense advice, her delicious food, and a compassionate shoulder to cry on, when needed. Besides Wanda dating various men after Vince's death, She also took in her nephew, Jason Webb, who eventually left town to go to Texas with LeeAnn Demarest. She crossed swords with Dorian Lord, when she had Sloane Carpenter attacked outside her restaurant and with Marty Saybrooke because Marty slept with Jason who was about to marry LeeAnn. Her restaurant, called Wanda's Place, predated Vega's and then the Buenas Dias cafe. Wanda finally left town in 1994 when she remarried and moved to Seattle to open a bookstore.
and an original protagonist
on the American
serial One Life to Live
, appearing from the series inception
July 15, 1968 through 2004. The former brother-in-law of central heroine Victoria Lord
, the role was notably portrayed for over three decades by Michael Storm
, from 1969 through 2004.
and housewife
on the American
soap opera
, One Life to Live
, appearing from 1976 through 1983. The role was most notably portrayed by actress Judith Light
from 1977 through 1983, garnering two consecutive Daytime Emmy Award
s for Outstanding Lead Actress
during her tenure.
for treatment. Anna left town to live in Florida following the death of her husband Jim and brother Vince Wolek.
Wolek; formerly Siegel, Vernon, and Janssen), a distant cousin of Anna, Vince, and Larry, came to Llanview in 1975. She was a novitiate nun who was preparing to take her final vows. Fate had something different for her though, and she fell in love with blue-collar worker (and half-Jewish) Tim Siegel. When Jenny announced she was leaving the order to marry Tim, her cousin Vinny heatedly objected - he thought Tim was 'stealing Jenny from the church'. Vinny got into a fist-fight with Tim, one that aggravated a latent brain aneurysm in Tim. Jenny ended up marrying Tim on his deathbed! Even though it was an accident, it was a long time before Jenny forgave her cousin for his actions (or before Vinny forgave himself.)
No longer a nun, Jenny took a secretarial job with Dr. Will Vernon, and found herself in a tortured Oedipal love triangle as both Will (married at the time) and his son Brad fell in love with her. Jenny chose to be with Brad and married him. But only after vows were exchanged did Jenny realize what a cad he really was. Despite a rocky marriage, Jenny became pregnant and looked forward to motherhood. Unfortunately, she lost her baby under extremely bizarre circumstances (she went into early labor after discovering that Brad had raped her sister Karen). The baby died in the maternity ward, and sister Karen (displaying well-meaning, but remarkably misguided judgement) switched the dead baby with that of someone else's living baby. For several years, Jenny reared another woman's baby, actually thinking it was her own child. During that time, Jenny left Brad for good and married Dr. Peter Janssen, only to become widowed. It was only a short time after losing her husband Peter that Jenny learned the truth about Karen's baby-switcheroo, and made the extremely painful decision to give the child back to her rightful mother Katrina. Unbeknown to all both the child that Jenny had lost and the child she had reared were fathered by her ex-husband Brad Vernon.
Jenny next fell in love with David Reynolds, also known as David Renaldi, the former lover of Dorian (and father of Dorian's daughter Cassie). Despite being married to Herb Callison at the time, Dorian did her level best to split up Jenny and David. After finally resolving that feud, Jenny and David wed. Only then did Jenny discover that David was a spy and a double agent, pretending to be working for the Soviet Union but actually reporting to the U.S. government on communist espionage activity. Jenny relocated to Switzerland with David in 1986. Years later, David Renaldi returned to Llanview with the news that Jenny had been killed while skiing by an avalanche. (By then, however, the Wolek family had largely been written out of the storyline and was a distant memory to most of the characters still on the show.)
and his wife Meredith Lord
, born on-screen November 1971. His twin sister was stillborn, causing his mother to suffer post-partum depression. In 1973, Daniel's mother dies of a cerebral hemorrhage following a freak accident during an attempted robbery at the Lord
estate, Llanfair. Larry raises Danny as a single father with help from his sister, Anna, and brother, Vince. Danny later attends to boarding school overseas.
Danny returns on several occasions, returning to Llanview on an on-going basis in 1986 as Dr. Dan Wolek, an resident physician at Llanview Hospital. He dated shy Allison Perkins
briefly before she fell under Mitch Laurence
's spell. Dan returned again in 1989 and soon became a rival to his own father for the affection of nurse Brenda McGillis. Later, when the nefarious Michael Grande sought to woo Brenda, Michael rigged a malpractice case so that Dan was fired from the hospital. He then ran a clinic for low-income Llanview residents and fell for Laura Ellis, the estranged wife of one of Carlo Hesser
's mob lieutenants. Dan left town with little fanfare in 1991.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
when it debuted in 1968
1968 in television
The year 1968 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1968.For the American TV schedule, see: 1968-69 American network television schedule.-Events:...
. They were the working class reflection of the affluent Lords
Lord family
The Lord family is the core legacy family on the American soap opera One Life to Live, having appeared since the series debut in summer 1968. Initially introduced as the affluent WASP foil to the working class Wolek family, early storylines explored the ways these families interacted and...
, with early storylines exploring the ways these families interacted and contrasted. The family was created around the relationships of Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Wolek
Larry Wolek
Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was originated on the debut episode July 15, 1968, and most notably portrayed by actor Michael Storm who played the role nearly continuously from January 4, 1969 through 2004.-Enter Larry:The...
, a character who appeared from the debut episode in summer 1968 through the spring of 2004.
Vince
In 1968, Vincent "Vince" Wolek fell in love with fun-loving party girl Niki Smith; little did he know that Niki was an alternate personality of 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...
—the girlfriend of Vince's best friend, reporter Joe Riley
Joe Riley (One Life to Live)
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.-Storylines:In 1968, reporter Joe Riley...
. Eventually Vince learned the truth and, though heartbroken, told Viki about her alter ego. 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 Vince. When he urged Niki to marry him, however, Niki's own panic resulted in Viki regaining control. She returned to Joe.
In 1970, Vince unwittingly became involved with the Llanview
Llanview, 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...
drug trade, and was implicated in a drug-related murder. He was eventually cleared of wrongdoing, but not before Joe, investigating Llanview's increasing drug problem for The Banner, was presumed dead 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...
. Vince (and Joe's sister, Eileen) had refused to give up the hope that Joe was alive, and both were upset when Viki signed papers declaring Joe dead in 1972. They were vindicated when Joe reappeared; he had returned to Llanview ill, but had been nursed back to health by sassy tell-it-like-it-is waitress Wanda Webb (Marilyn Chris
Marilyn Chris
Marilyn Chris is an American actress most notably known for her role as Wanda Webb Wolek on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live.-Career:...
; Lee Lawson). By the time Joe and Viki reunited in 1973, Vince was a cop. Later, he fell in love with big hearted Wanda, and the two married in February 1975. Vince was poisoned to death by Ted Clayton in 1981.
Vince's widow, Wanda, on the other hand, remained in Llanview and ran a restaurant of her own after years of being a waitress. She still did waitressing at her own restaurant. She offered her no-nonsense advice, her delicious food, and a compassionate shoulder to cry on, when needed. Besides Wanda dating various men after Vince's death, She also took in her nephew, Jason Webb, who eventually left town to go to Texas with LeeAnn Demarest. She crossed swords with Dorian Lord, when she had Sloane Carpenter attacked outside her restaurant and with Marty Saybrooke because Marty slept with Jason who was about to marry LeeAnn. Her restaurant, called Wanda's Place, predated Vega's and then the Buenas Dias cafe. Wanda finally left town in 1994 when she remarried and moved to Seattle to open a bookstore.
Larry
Dr. Larry Wolek is a fictional characterFictional 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...
and an original protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serial 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...
, appearing from the series inception
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
July 15, 1968 through 2004. The former brother-in-law of central heroine Victoria Lord
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...
, the role was notably portrayed for over three decades by Michael Storm
Michael Storm
Michael Storm is an American actor.Storm has appeared on many television shows, but is recognized by many for his recurring role as the third Dr. Larry Wolek on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. He has played this role on-and-off since 1969, last appearing in May 2004, Storm still remains on...
, from 1969 through 2004.
Karen
Karen Wolek is a fictional characterFictional 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...
and housewife
Housewife
Housewife is a term used to describe a married woman with household responsibilities who is not employed outside the home. Merriam Webster describes a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household...
on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
, appearing from 1976 through 1983. The role was most notably portrayed by actress Judith Light
Judith Light
Judith Ellen Light is an American actress. Her television roles include Karen Wolek on the soap opera One Life to Live, Angela Bower on the sitcom Who's the Boss?, Claire Meade on ABC's TV series Ugly Betty and Judge Elizabeth "Liz" Donnelly on Law & Order Special Victims Unit.-Early life:Light...
from 1977 through 1983, garnering two consecutive Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s for Outstanding Lead Actress
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974...
during her tenure.
Anna
In 1969, Dr. Jim Craig fell in love with Vince and Larry's sister, Anna Wolek. They married, and Anna soon clashed with Jim's rebellious teen daughter, Cathy. Cathy soon started abusing drugs, eventually persuading Jim to take her to Odyssey House in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for treatment. Anna left town to live in Florida following the death of her husband Jim and brother Vince Wolek.
Jenny
Jenny Renaldi (néeNEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Wolek; formerly Siegel, Vernon, and Janssen), a distant cousin of Anna, Vince, and Larry, came to Llanview in 1975. She was a novitiate nun who was preparing to take her final vows. Fate had something different for her though, and she fell in love with blue-collar worker (and half-Jewish) Tim Siegel. When Jenny announced she was leaving the order to marry Tim, her cousin Vinny heatedly objected - he thought Tim was 'stealing Jenny from the church'. Vinny got into a fist-fight with Tim, one that aggravated a latent brain aneurysm in Tim. Jenny ended up marrying Tim on his deathbed! Even though it was an accident, it was a long time before Jenny forgave her cousin for his actions (or before Vinny forgave himself.)
No longer a nun, Jenny took a secretarial job with Dr. Will Vernon, and found herself in a tortured Oedipal love triangle as both Will (married at the time) and his son Brad fell in love with her. Jenny chose to be with Brad and married him. But only after vows were exchanged did Jenny realize what a cad he really was. Despite a rocky marriage, Jenny became pregnant and looked forward to motherhood. Unfortunately, she lost her baby under extremely bizarre circumstances (she went into early labor after discovering that Brad had raped her sister Karen). The baby died in the maternity ward, and sister Karen (displaying well-meaning, but remarkably misguided judgement) switched the dead baby with that of someone else's living baby. For several years, Jenny reared another woman's baby, actually thinking it was her own child. During that time, Jenny left Brad for good and married Dr. Peter Janssen, only to become widowed. It was only a short time after losing her husband Peter that Jenny learned the truth about Karen's baby-switcheroo, and made the extremely painful decision to give the child back to her rightful mother Katrina. Unbeknown to all both the child that Jenny had lost and the child she had reared were fathered by her ex-husband Brad Vernon.
Jenny next fell in love with David Reynolds, also known as David Renaldi, the former lover of Dorian (and father of Dorian's daughter Cassie). Despite being married to Herb Callison at the time, Dorian did her level best to split up Jenny and David. After finally resolving that feud, Jenny and David wed. Only then did Jenny discover that David was a spy and a double agent, pretending to be working for the Soviet Union but actually reporting to the U.S. government on communist espionage activity. Jenny relocated to Switzerland with David in 1986. Years later, David Renaldi returned to Llanview with the news that Jenny had been killed while skiing by an avalanche. (By then, however, the Wolek family had largely been written out of the storyline and was a distant memory to most of the characters still on the show.)
Daniel
Dr. Daniel Wolek, later known as Danny or simply Dan, was the only son of Dr. Larry WolekLarry Wolek
Dr. Lawrence "Larry" Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was originated on the debut episode July 15, 1968, and most notably portrayed by actor Michael Storm who played the role nearly continuously from January 4, 1969 through 2004.-Enter Larry:The...
and his wife Meredith Lord
Meredith Lord
Meredith "Merrie" Lord Wolek is an original character on the American soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was originated by Trish Van Devere from the debut episode through 1969...
, born on-screen November 1971. His twin sister was stillborn, causing his mother to suffer post-partum depression. In 1973, Daniel's mother dies of a cerebral hemorrhage following a freak accident during an attempted robbery at the Lord
Lord family
The Lord family is the core legacy family on the American soap opera One Life to Live, having appeared since the series debut in summer 1968. Initially introduced as the affluent WASP foil to the working class Wolek family, early storylines explored the ways these families interacted and...
estate, Llanfair. Larry raises Danny as a single father with help from his sister, Anna, and brother, Vince. Danny later attends to boarding school overseas.
Danny returns on several occasions, returning to Llanview on an on-going basis in 1986 as Dr. Dan Wolek, an resident physician at Llanview Hospital. He dated shy 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....
briefly before she fell under Mitch Laurence
Mitch Laurence
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...
's spell. Dan returned again in 1989 and soon became a rival to his own father for the affection of nurse Brenda McGillis. Later, when the nefarious Michael Grande sought to woo Brenda, Michael rigged a malpractice case so that Dan was fired from the hospital. He then ran a clinic for low-income Llanview residents and fell for Laura Ellis, the estranged wife of one of Carlo Hesser
Carlo Hesser
Carlo Hesser is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live. He has been played by Thom Christopher from 1990 to 1992, 1996 to 1997, in 2005 and from July 3, 2008 to September 11, 2008. The character was named after Lisa S...
's mob lieutenants. Dan left town with little fanfare in 1991.
Family tree
- Unknown Wolek (distant relative; deceased)
- m. Unknown [dissolved] (deceased)
- c. Anna Wolek
- m. Jim Craig [1970-1981; dissolved]
- c. Vince Wolek [deceased 1981]
- m. Wanda Webb [1970-1981; dissolved]
- c. Larry WolekLarry WolekDr. Lawrence "Larry" Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was originated on the debut episode July 15, 1968, and most notably portrayed by actor Michael Storm who played the role nearly continuously from January 4, 1969 through 2004.-Enter Larry:The...
- m. Karen Martin [1969; divorced]
- m. Meredith LordMeredith LordMeredith "Merrie" Lord Wolek is an original character on the American soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was originated by Trish Van Devere from the debut episode through 1969...
[1970-1973; dissolved] (deceased)- c. Danny Wolek [b. 1971
- c. Daughter (b. 1971) (deceased 1971)
- m. Karen WolekKaren WolekKaren Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera One Life to Live. The character first appeared May 1976, originated by relative newcomer Kathryn Breech, and most notably portrayed by actress Judith Light. Light stepped into the role in 1977, subsequently winning two consecutive...
[1977-1979; divorced] - m. Laurel Chapin [1985; dissolved] (deceased)
- c. Anna Wolek
- m. Unknown [dissolved] (deceased)
- Unknown Wolek (distant relative; deceased)
- m. Unknown [dissolved] (deceased)
- c. Jenny Wolek [deceased 1997]
- m. Tim Siegel [dissolved 1976]
- m. Brad Vernon [1978-1981; divorced]
- c. Mary Vernon [stillborn 1979]
- m. Peter Janssen [1981-1982; divorced] (deceased)
- m. David Renaldi [1984-1997; dissolved] (deceased)
- c. Karen WolekKaren WolekKaren Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera One Life to Live. The character first appeared May 1976, originated by relative newcomer Kathryn Breech, and most notably portrayed by actress Judith Light. Light stepped into the role in 1977, subsequently winning two consecutive...
- m. Larry WolekLarry WolekDr. Lawrence "Larry" Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was originated on the debut episode July 15, 1968, and most notably portrayed by actor Michael Storm who played the role nearly continuously from January 4, 1969 through 2004.-Enter Larry:The...
[1977-1979; divorced]
- m. Larry Wolek
- c. Jenny Wolek [deceased 1997]
- m. Unknown [dissolved] (deceased)