Dorian Lord
Dorian Lord is a fictional character and matriarch of the Cramer family on the American daytime drama One Life to Live, played most notably and for the longest duration by actress Robin Strasser. Strasser was cast by series creator Agnes Nixon and debuted on the episode first-aired on April 13, 1979. For most of the show's history, the character is the show's primary antagonist and Byronic hero.
Strasser won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 1982 for her portrayal of Dorian, and was also nominated for the award in 1981, 1983, and 1985. Strasser has been nominated for Soap Opera Digest Awards for Dorian in various categories in 1986, 1988, 1994, 1995, and 2005, winning in 1996 as "Outstanding Lead Actress." Princi was also nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award as Dorian for "Outstanding Villainess: Daytime" in 1992.
Character background
Casting
The character of Dorian Cramer was originated by Nancy Pinkerton on April 19, 1973 and was subsequently played by Claire Malis from May 1977 to April 12, 1979. Robin Strasser was hired to play Dorian by her former Another World boss Agnes Nixon — who originally hired her to play Erica Kane prototype Rachel Davis on Another World, and previously offered a 1975 recast role as Cathy Craig. Strasser debuted as Dorian on April 13, 1979, and played the role until her departure in 1987. Elaine Princi portrayed Dorian from January 12, 1990 to January 18, 1993, and appeared in episodes of All My Children when Dorian and Adam Chandler conspired against Natalie Marlowe. Strasser returned to the role in December 1992, making her first onscreen appearance on February 19, 1993. She continued in the role until February 23, 2000. After an absence of several years, she reprised the role from April 1, 2003, until August 25, 2011, shortly before the end of the show's run. Strasser also appeared for several episodes on All My Children in 2003 and 2005. Princi and Strasser had earlier appeared on All My Children in other parts before their cross-over. Strasser returned as a regular to the series when new daily episodes of debuted on Hulu, iTunes, and FX Canada via The Online Network April 29, 2013. In 1974, actress Dixie Carter filled in for Pinkerton, who was out on maternity leave.Characterization
The role of Dorian was originally created by One Life creator Agnes Nixon and protégé Gordon Russell as the central and primary antagonizing foil to series heroine Victoria "Viki" Lord. Jealous of Viki's wealth and prestige in Llanview, the newly arrived town doctor in 1973 soon becomes the town outcast for several decades after she is oft-suspected of negligent complicity in the apparent death her then-husband, Viki's father, and respected Llanview media mogul Victor Lord in 1976. Despite many truces, Dorian and Viki are considered frenemies, occasionally putting aside their animosity to work toward a shared goal, such as in their personal vendettas against the mistress of two of Viki's husbands, Echo DiSavoy.Despite her conniving and vindictive nature, she often displays tender and genuine compassion toward family and loved ones. Dorian suffers from claustrophobia, which is explained to be the result of her mother Sonya's child abuse.
Dorian has a long list of people who she has scorned and fought over the years, ranging from the aforementioned Viki, to other members of the Lord, Buchanan, and Wolek families.
Storylines
1973–1987
A newly minted physician, Dorian Cramer arrives in fictional Llanview, Pennsylvania on the episode first-run April 30, 1973, along with her mentally ill sister, Melinda. Dorian takes a physician position at Llanview Hospital, where she quickly engages in a romantic affair with her married colleague, Dr. Mark Toland. Melinda, in the meantime, wants Mark for herself. Upon learning of their affair, she schemes to drive them apart. After attacking Mark with a butcher's knife, Melinda is sent to a mental institution in 1974.Dorian and Mark continue their affair. During an intense exchange between the two, Dorian makes a careless error on a medical chart, resulting in the accidental death of terminally-ill patient Rachel Wilson Farmer. Fearing for their careers, the two covered up the crime; extenuating circumstance, meanwhile, lead Dr. Larry Wolek to be arrested instead. With the guilt on her shoulders, Dorian later wants to confess, while Mark is content with allowing Larry to take the fall. As they argued over how to handle the situation, Dorian accidentally falls down a flight of stairs and goes into a coma. Upon waking, Dorian confesses and is immediately fired by the hospital board. An angered Dorian, burgeoning medical career dashed, blames Victoria "Viki" Lord Riley, a prominent hospital board member, for her termination. This begins a rivalry that would last for decades. What Dorian didn't know, uncovered in 2004, is that Viki cast the lone vote against her termination.
Swearing revenge on Viki, Dorian becomes the private physician to Viki's ailing father, Victor Lord, after she saves him from a near fatal heart-attack while at a party in her home. With dollar signs on her mind, Dorian ended up marrying a grateful Victor in May 1975, to Viki's chagrin. Dorian discovers that the newly arrived Tony Harris is Victor's illegitimate son from Viki's maternal aunt. Unable to keep the truth from being revealed, Tony and Victor eventually share an emotional reunion. Wanting to ensure that Tony's presence would not take away from her inheriting Victor's enormous fortune, Dorian succeeds in soon turning Victor and Tony into enemies and keeping them at odds. In the interim, Dorian manipulates Victor into altering his will in her favor. Victor ultimately learned that Dorian was behind his and Tony's contentious relationship, and suffered a massive heart attack during their confrontation on April 30, 1976. Determined to keep her husband from recovering, Dorian springs into action. She has Victor moved from the hospital to Llanfair, her aim being to keep him isolated as much as possible from his children. Caring for Victor with the help of Dr. Peter Janssen, she succeeds in preventing Victor from revealing the truth. Soon, a second stroke sends Victor back to the hospital. Victor is then able to summon the strength to ask Dr. Jim Craig to bring Viki to his room, much to Dorian's distress. However, once Viki arrives, Victor is only able to utter the words "...Dorian...phone...lawyer..." before collapsing. Under mysterious circumstances, and with Dr. Craig in the room, Victor dies June 16, 1976 without telling children Viki or Tony the truth about his wife's trickery. In the wake of Victor's questionable death, Dorian is named executrix of the Lord family estate. With half of the controlling interest in Lord Enterprises, Dorian is the part-owner of The Banner until Viki assumed control of the newspaper by soon purchasing Dorian's stake.
With their adversarial relationship as heated as ever, Dorian decided to try her hands at Viki's husband, Joe Riley. Dorian fueled the fire even more when she told Joe that he was responsible for the hereditary heart condition which afflicted his late daughter with Cathy Craig, Megan, a secret that Viki kept from him. Dorian's revelation causes a strain on Viki and Joe's relationship and Dorian begins to romance Joe. Joe then begins to suffer blackouts, and Dorian soon learns Joe suffers from a brain tumor; she then lies, telling him that he got violent with her during his blackouts. Dorian convinces Joe to leave Viki, for Viki's own good. However, Joe becomes wise to Dorian's schemes and swears her out of his life.
Dorian continues to live at the Lord landed estate, Llanfair after Victor's death, while Viki and Joe lived in the carriage house. Joe Riley dies in October 1979, leaving Viki devastated. Joe had brought a new editor for The Banner to take over for himself, a man named Clint Buchanan. Dorian became interested in Clint, and the two engage in a one-night stand. Although Dorian desired a relationship, Clint is then repelled by her unrelenting hatred for Viki. In 1981, a young girl named Cassie came to town claiming to be Dorian's daughter. It is revealed that Dorian had Cassie during medical school, with a man named David "David Renaldi" Reynolds. Dorian, not wanting to give up her career, gave Cassie up to David's mother. Meanwhile, Dorian had her sights on a new man, Llanview District Attorney Herb Callison. In 1982, Dorian marries Herb at Llanfair, and Herb adopted Cassie and she adopted Herb's surname. Unfortunately for Dorian, Viki seeks to move back into Llanfair, and exploits a clause in Victor's will which states that ownership of Llanfair would revert to Viki if his spouse at death remarried. Dorian refuses to leave, and Viki and new husband Clint kicked her out. In 1984, Herb and Dorian's marriage began to break down. In 1985, Herb and Dorian divorce.
Meanwhile, Dorian is shocked to learn that Victor had another child and was apparently married to a woman other than Viki and sister Meredith's mother, Eugenia Randolph Lord. In 1985, Tina Clayton claims to have been conceived as the result of a love affair-turned-marriage between Victor Lord and Irene Manning. Further, she claims that Dorian and Victor were never married but that Irene was in fact Victor's widow. Tina asserts that she should take over Dorian's half of the Lord estate. Tina showed Dorian the secret room which Victor had built below Llanfair and Dorian then showed Viki, which caused Viki to turn into alter-ego "Niki Smith" for the first time since 1969. Eventually, Viki reemerges again, and Dorian finds an envelope from Victor addressed to her. Inside is a decree certifying that Victor had indeed divorced Irene long before he married Dorian and therefore Dorian, not Irene, was his widow and rightful heir to half of the Lord fortune. A judge gives Tina nothing, but Viki eventually welcomes Tina into the family and as a member of the Lord estate, after which she changes her surname to "Lord".
In 1986 Dorian witnessed Mitch Laurence attempting to rape her daughter Cassie. Dorian hit Mitch over the head, apparently killing him. Dorian confesses and is sent to Statesville Prison. While there, she becomes involved in a drug operation headed by and meets Roberta Coleman. She is later exonerated when a tape surfaces proving she did it in self-defense. In 1987, Dorian receives an appointment to be the U.S. Ambassador to Mendorra and Dorian leaves town.