Daniel Wolek is a fictional character on the American soap opera ''
One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
''. He is the only son of original characters
Larry Wolek
Larry Wolek is a fictional character from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live'', played for List of longest-serving soap opera actors#United States, 35 years by actor Michael Storm. Storm is the second longest running cast member of the ABC ...
and
Meredith Lord
Meredith Lord is a fictional character from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live''.
Actress Trish Van Devere originated the role of Meredith from the series television pilot, pilot aired July 15, 1968 through December 1968. Meredith was then ...
.
Background and storyline
Daniel, nicknamed "Dan" or "Danny," is born onscreen November 17, 1971.
He is the first grandchild of series patriarch
Victor Lord
Victor Dalby Lord is a fictional character and patriarch of the Lord family from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live''.
An original protagonist on the series, Victor is introduced in the first episode as the preeminent mass media magnate ...
(
Ernest Graves) to appear on the
serial, and Victor's third-born grandchild in the show's final
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western ca ...
after
Megan Gordon
This is a list of characters from the ABC Daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live'' that began their run between the beginning of 1980 and the end of 1989.
Austin Buchanan
Austin Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC Daytime soap opera ' ...
and
Brian Kendall. His twin sister is born stillborn, which prompts mother Meredith (
Lynn Benesch
Lynn Benesch, born Lynn Benish in Westchester, New York, aka Lynn Chester, is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Meredith Lord on the daytime drama ''One Life to Live'' from 1969 to 1973. In 1972 she won praise for her ...
) to suffer
post-partum depression
Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a type of mood disorder associated with childbirth, which can affect both sexes. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, Fatigue (medical), low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irr ...
and seek help from Dr.
Joyce Brothers
Joyce Diane Brothers (October 20, 1927 – May 13, 2013) was an American psychologist, television personality, advice columnist, and writer.
She first became famous in 1955 for winning the top prize on the American game show ''The $64,000 Quest ...
(playing herself).
In 1973, Daniel's mother dies
of a
traumatic brain injury
A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity (ranging from mild traumatic brain injury TBI/concussionto severe traumatic b ...
following a freak accident during an attempted robbery at the
Lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...
estate
Llanfair.
Larry raises young Danny a single father
and with help from his siblings
Anna
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221)
...
and
Vince
Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname.
It may refer to:
Given name People
* Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player
* Vince Cable (born 1943), British politician ...
. Danny leaves fictional
Llanview
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, Penn ...
in 1979 attends to boarding school overseas.
Danny is
aged
Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In ...
to an adult in 1983
and becomes a
newspaper reporter
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
for his grandfather's newspaper, ''The Banner.''
Dorian Lord Callison (
Robin Strasser
Robin Victory in Europe Strasser (born May 7, 1945) is an American actress, best known for her role as Dorian Lord on the ABC daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live''.
Life and career
Strasser's middle name is a tribute to her being born the day ...
) seduces Dan into a brief love affair in 1984.
The character returns to Llanview on an ongoing basis in August 1986
as Dr. Dan Wolek (Joshua Cox), a
resident physician
Residency or postgraduate training is specifically a stage of graduate medical education. It refers to a qualified physician (one who holds the degree of MD, DO, MBBS, MBChB), veterinarian ( DVM or VMD) , dentist ( DDS or DMD) or podiatrist ( ...
at Llanview Hospital. He dates shy
Allison Perkins
Allison Perkins is a fictional character on the American 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 ...
(
Barbara Garrick
Barbara Garrick is an American actress. Garrick has appeared on stage, television and in film.
Life and career
Garrick was born in Los Angeles, California. A graduate of the Juilliard School of Drama, she has several stage credits, including ' ...
)
briefly before she falls under the spell of
Mitch Laurence
Mitch Laurence is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera '' One Life to Live''. He was portrayed by Roscoe Born from 1985 to 1987 and again from 2002 to 2003. Born returned from November 9, 2009, to April 6, 2010. Born reappeared ...
(
Roscoe Born
Roscoe Conklin Born (November 24, 1950 – March 3, 2020) was an American actor and songwriter. He is best known for his roles on various television soap operas, most notably as archvillain Mitch Laurence on ''One Life to Live'' in six stints be ...
). Dan (
Michael Palance) returns again in 1989 and soon becomes a rival to his own father Larry for the affection of nurse
Brenda McGillis
This is a list of characters from the ABC Daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live'' that began their run between the beginning of 1980 and the end of 1989.
Austin Buchanan
Austin Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC Daytime soap opera ' ...
(Brenda Brock) in a
love triangle
A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...
. The nefarious Michael Grande (
Dennis Parlato
Dennis Parlato (born March 30, 1947 in Los Angeles) is an American dancer, actor, and singer.
Early life and education
He is the son of Charlie Parlato, and the uncle of Grammy-nominated jazz singer Gretchen Parlato. Parlato taught high school ...
) then seeks to woo Brenda, and rigs a
medical malpractice
Medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical or health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury or death to a patient. The negligen ...
case to get Dan was fired from the hospital. Michael is killed in a
whodunit
A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the cl ...
, and Dan is accused of murdering Michael before the former husband of his aunt
Victoria Lord Buchanan (
Erika Slezak
Erika Alma Hermina Slezak (; born August 5, 1946) is an American actress, best known for her role as Victoria "Viki" Lord on the American daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live'' from 1971 through the television finale in 2012 and again in the ...
),
Roger Gordon (
Larry Pine
Larry Pine (born March 3, 1945) is an American actor.
A veteran of the Broadway stage, he began his career playing the role of Fop in the 1968 production of ''Cyrano de Bergerac''. He has since starred in film and television, with recurring roles ...
), is
revealed
Reveal or Revealed may refer to:
People
* Reveal (rapper) (born 1983), member of the British hip hop group Poisonous Poets
* James L. Reveal (1941–2015), American botanist
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Revealed'', a 2013 novel ...
to be Michael's actual killer.
Dr. Wolek is fired from Llanview Hospital, and starts a private clinic for low-income Llanview residents. He falls in love with Laura Jean Ellis (
Neith Hunter
Neith Andrina Hunter is an American former model and actress. She began her modeling career in the 1980s in her home town of San Francisco, California, where she was discovered as a teen by John Casablancas; she was the first graduate of his exc ...
), the estranged wife of one of the mob lieutenants of
Carlo Hesser
Carlo Hesser is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live''. The role was portrayed by Thom Christopher intermittently between 1990 and 2008.
Storylines 1990–92
Upstate Pennsylvania mob boss Carlo arrives in Ll ...
(
Thom Christopher
Thom Christopher (born October 5, 1940)Staff"Thom Christopher" ''Soap Opera Digest''. Accessed May 28, 2009. "Native New Yorker Thom Christopher hails from the Queens neighborhood of Jackson Heights." is an American actor.
Christopher attended ...
). Dan leaves Llanview with Laura
and with little fanfare
in 1991.
Casting and impact
In spite of being related to original and long-running
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
s Larry Wolek and Victoria Lord, the role of Daniel Wolek failed to achieve the fanfare the
showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
s had hoped for.
Daniel was recast six times
between 1974 and 1991 and is the second-most recast character role on ''One Life to Live'' after
Kevin Buchanan
Kevin Buchanan (born Kevin Lord Riley) is a fictional character from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live''. The character is the first child born to original lead protagonists Victoria Lord and Joe Riley.
Casting
The character of Kevin Buc ...
.
The role was originated by infant children in non-speaking roles from 1971 until 1974. Daniel began appearing as a speaking role in 1974, played
child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in film, movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associ ...
s Neail Holland from 1974 through 1976
and Eddie Moran from 1976 until 1979.
The role was
aged up to a 17-year-old with actor Timothy Waldrip in the role in 1983,
changing the character's onscreen birth year from 1971 to 1966. Actor
Steven Culp
Steven Bradford Culp (born December 3, 1955) is an American actor. Culp appeared in films '' Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday'' (1993), ''James and the Giant Peach'' (1996), ''The Emperor's Club'' (2002), and most notably in the 2000 politica ...
replaced Waldrip in the role from 1983 until 1984.
Actor Ted Demers played the character in 1984.
Waldrip returned to play the role after he was fired in 1983
for a few months in 1985.
Joshua Cox picked up playing the character from 1986 until he was fired
in 1987.
Michael Palance was the last actor to play Daniel Wolek, from March 9, 1989
until he left the show
in 1991.
In 2021,
Wally Kurth
Wallace Kurth (born July 31, 1958) is an American actor. He began his career in 1987 when he was cast in the role of Justin Kiriakis on ''Days of Our Lives''; he departed the role in 1991. That same year, he joined the cast of ''General Hospital' ...
revealed he had auditioned for the role "a few years" prior to his casting as
Justin Kiriakis
Justin Kiriakis is a fictional character on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. Created by head writer Leah Laiman, he is portrayed by actor Wally Kurth from February 3, 1987, to February 5, 1991. From 2007 to 2008, Justin was m ...
on ''
Days of Our Lives
''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
''.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolek, Daniel
One Life to Live characters
Television characters introduced in 1971
Fictional reporters
Fictional medical specialists
Fictional characters from Pennsylvania
American male characters in television
Fictional Polish-American people
Fictional twins