Dr. Claire Morton is a fictional character on the television drama '' Peyton Place''. She was portrayed by

Mariette Hartley Mary Loretta Hartley (born June 21, 1940) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for work with Bill Bixby on '' The Incredible Hulk'' (1978) and ''Goodnight, Beantown'' (1983–1984), an original ''Star Trek'' episode (1 ...

. She appeared in 30 episodes in 1965.

Character history

Claire is the daughter of Dr. Robert Morton (

Kent Smith Frank Kent Smith (March 19, 1907 – April 23, 1985) was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theatre and television. Early years Smith was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Smith. He was born in New York City and was educated ...

) and his wife Grace (

Edith Atwater Edith Atwater (April 22, 1911 – March 14, 1986) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Career Born in Chicago, Atwater made her Broadway debut in 1933. In 1939, she starred in ''The Man Who Came to Dinner''. Her film career i ...

). She is married to Vincent Markham (

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

), a successful lawyer. She tells her parents she returned to the United States to receive an award in New York City for a paper on tropical medicine. However, she had actually left her husband. She told her parents she would visit them in Peyton Place for a while, but was actually planning on staying there permanently. Vincent keeps on sending her letters, wondering why she has left him. However, Claire never opens them, explaining she doesn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. She decides to work as a doctor in the local hospital and meets Dr. Michael Rossi (

Ed Nelson Edwin Stafford Nelson (December 21, 1928 – August 9, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Michael Rossi in the television series '' Peyton Place''. Nelson appeared in episodes of many TV programs, more than 50 mov ...

). She falls in love with him, although he is her father's biggest rival. They start dating and Michael urges her to tell her father she is legally married to Vincent. She had never told him about that, fearing he would be disappointed with her. Michael pressures her to tell her father she is married. After she does, she announces she wants to divorce Vincent. He later travels to Peyton Place as well and demands to know why she doesn't want to be with him anymore. His health has gone downwards and Dr. Rossi confirms he is suffering from polycyclemia and has to go back to Peru immediately. Claire starts feeling guilty about divorcing a dying man and decides not to go forward with it. They eventually reunite and travel back to Peru. They are never heard from again. Peyton Place characters Television characters introduced in 1965 {{drama-tv-char-stub