List of Santa Barbara characters


Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera that aired on NBC from July 30, 1984, to January 15, 1993. The show initially revolved around the lives of four families; the wealthy Capwell family, rivals the Lockridge family, and the more modest Andrade and Perkins families.

Main characters

Danny Andrade

Rupert Ravens
Danny, Santana's younger brother, was part of the very first teen set on the show. Danny and his friends sought fame in Hollywood and even opened a hotel. He was involved with Jade Perkins, but their relationship was eventually phased out. By 1985 Danny was almost forgotten. He returned briefly on a couple occasions only to exit the show permanently in 1986.

Rosa and Ruben Andrade

Margarita Cordova
Ismael 'East' Carlo
The Andrade family had a prominent role in the early months of the show, but their significance waned quickly. Rosa, a maid to the wealthy Capwell family, was always there for the Capwell kids as a surrogate mother, their real mother presumed to be dead. Ruben worked at the Capwell mansion as well as a gardener; he did not have much of a role during his short stay on the show. They had four children: daughters Gabriela, Olivia, Santana, and son Danny. Ruben's last appearance on-screen was in 1985; Rosa continued to mention Ruben, apparently still working on the Capwell grounds, until she stopped appearing as well, in 1987, having remained around as long as daughter Santana was involved in the storyline. Rosa finally reappeared in 1991, as a love interest for Rafael Castillo; Ruben was not mentioned at that time other than her brief explanation that he had abandoned her.

Marcello Armonti

Wolf Muser
Marcello Armonti followed his stepmother, Countess Armonti, to Santa Barbara in 1985. Marcello was a psychiatrist who had treated Sophia. He also helped Kelly to grieve for her husband Joe, who had been murdered by Peter Flint.
Not much was known about Marcello's past at first, but it was obvious he had an ulterior motive. He was actually seeking revenge against C.C. Capwell for the murder of his parents. His plans were ruined by his sympathy for Kelly, whom he nearly killed during his attempt on C.C.'s life. Marcello stuck around in town until it was revealed that Sophia was Channing's murderer. He was later imprisoned for killing Hank Judson.

Ethan Asher

Leigh McCloskey
Ethan Asher was Santa Barbara's District Attorney following Keith Timmons's departure; he was later revealed to be one of the Four Orphans scarred by Cassie Benedict's apparent death. When he arrived in Santa Barbara, he brought his mentally disturbed wife Laura with him. Laura cheated on Ethan with her former lover Michael Donnelly, which prompted Ethan to seek comfort in the arms of Laura's girlhood friend, Gina.
A jealous Laura ran over Ethan. He ended up in a hospital, where he found a possible link to the death of Cassie Benedict. Ethan continued researching the case and did not stop at anything—he was eventually incarcerated for going too far in his pursuit of Cassie's supposed killers.

B

Andrea Bedford

Ally Walker
Andrea made her first appearance in town followed the oil rig explosion—she was involved in the animal rescue effort. Cain Garver, an investigator in Cruz Castillo's agency, suspected that Andrea might be a criminal named Fox. It was later revealed that Andrea was actually a secret agent also investigating the mysterious Fox, who had killed her father. Andrea's mission was complete when she learned that "Fox" was actually a nurse, Kathleen McDougall.
She decided to stay in Santa Barbara, and she started a relationship with Cain. Major Phillip Hamilton asked for Andrea's assistance in reuniting Vietnamese families. Hamilton was actually Cain's former commanding officer and wanted revenge against Cain. He hired an actress named Ming Li to pose as Cain's daughter, in order to drive a wedge between Andrea and Cain. Phillip tried to seduce Andrea, but later realized that she only loved Cain. Cain started acting weird, so Andrea left town for a little time. When she returned, she realized that things had not changed. One day, Andrea was found raped and murdered on the beach. The prime suspects were Phillip and Cain, but it was later revealed that it was in fact Dr. Zach Kelton.

Cassandra Benedict

Karen Moncrieff
Cassandra Benedict was a foster child of the Capwells, believed to have been killed in a cave-in in the tunnel between the Capwell and Lockridge estates—an accident witnessed by four orphan boys who had been Cassie's friends. The boys made a pact to avenge her death. Years later, in 1990, they arrived in Santa Barbara as grown men – Ethan Asher, Stephen Slade, Craig Hunt and Derek Griffin, still haunted by the childhood tragedy. Derek in particular was obsessed with revenge—he blamed Mason, who had tormented his foster sister. Just as Derek was preparing to execute Mason, Cassandra revealed herself to be alive. Cassie was welcomed back into the Capwell fold and made an honorary member of the family, quickly establishing herself as a force with which to be reckoned. Cassie managed to break up Mason's relationship with Julia.
Her life was turned upside down when she discovered her long-lost mother was actually town matriarch Minx Lockridge. Minx sought her illegitimate daughter's forgiveness for abandoning her. Embarrassed and hurt, Cassie rejected Minx and kept her origins a secret to protect her place in the Capwell family. Eventually, Mason's mother, Pamela, revealed the secret, out of spite. C.C. still accepted her as his child. Cassie's relationship with the Lockridges remained strained, especially with the return of her nephew, Lionel's son Warren. Years before, offscreen, Cassie and Warren had had a love affair in Singapore.
Mason and Cassie became engaged while Cassie and Warren fought their attraction. Warren was blamed when Mason was shot. Augusta later revealed the truth: that Warren was not Lionel's biological son. This should have paved the way for a Cassie-Warren reunion. It was too late, however, since Warren was now in love with Angela Cassidy. Obsessed with Warren, Cassie tried to destroy Angela by uncovering Angela's role in her sister Marilyn's mysterious death. When she tried to poison Angela, Lionel was the unintended victim. Heart-broken, Minx shipped her unbalanced daughter off to a mental hospital.

Hayley Benson

Stacy Edwards
Hayley Benson arrived in Santa Barbara in 1986 after running away from her parents. She came to live with her aunt, Gina. Hayley soon won the sympathy of Ted Capwell, who gave her a job at the Capwell mansion. As time passed, Hayley got involved in a group that protested the casino in town. During one of their activities, Hayley threw a projectile that ended up exploding and killing Amy Perkins Wallace. Ted married Hayley so he would not have to testify against her.
Things got more complicated when Ted's ex-girlfriend Laken Lockridge returned to town. At the same time, Hayley was raped by an unknown attacker. She sought comfort in Ted, who could not be around her anymore. Hayley then ended up with Jake Morton. They started a relationship and Ted eventually divorced Hayley so the happy couple could enjoy their lives. Unfortunately, early in 1988, Hayley was run over by Carmen Castillo's drunk boyfriend.

Mack Blake

Steve Bond
Mack Blake, Gina's brother, came to town in 1989: somewhat of a surprise, as Gina had never mentioned a brother. Trouble tended to follow Mack during his brief stay in Santa Barbara: upon arrival, he was immediately accused of stealing a Porsche from his former lover, Yvonne Bartelo. Later, Ilsa, a colleague at the Capwell fitness center, accused him of stealing jewels. In both cases, Mack proved his innocence. Finally, another lover of Mack's, Gretchen Richards, attempted to talk him into murdering her wealthy husband, Harland. When Mack refused, Gretchen accused him anyway. After he was exonerated, Mack left town.
Gina was suspicious of Mack throughout his stay in Santa Barbara and believed him to be a bad influence on Brandon. However, the truth was that Mack spent a lot of time with Brandon, giving him pointers in life and acting as a role model.
Like Gina, Mack was a close friend to Laura Asher; he was surprised to find out that his sister Gina was having an affair with Laura's husband Ethan.