''In a Child's Name'' is a four-hour mini-series televised on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

in 1991. Baby Andrew's mother was murdered by his father and a custody battle ensues between the father's parents and the mother's sister played by

Valerie Bertinelli Valerie Anne Bertinelli (born April 23, 1960) is an American actress. She first achieved recognition as a child actress, portraying Barbara Cooper Royer on the sitcom ''One Day at a Time (1975 TV series), One Day at a Time'' (1975–1984) for w ...

Plot

Ken Taylor (

Michael Ontkean Michael Leonard Ontkean (born 24 January 1946) is a retired Canadian actor. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Ontkean relocated to the United States to attend the University of New Hampshire on a hockey scholarship before pursuing ...

) lives in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and is a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

Staten Island, NY Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and f ...

. He marries Teresa Silvano. On their honeymoon, Teresa is mysteriously beaten within an inch of her life. At the hospital, she tells her sister Angela that she cannot remember what happened and that Ken did not beat her. Ken's partners kick him out of his dental office partnership for stealing money from the

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

(Ken might have an addiction to cocaine). Teresa gives birth to their boy named Andrew. Ken murders Teresa and puts her body in the trunk of his car. He drives Andrew and the dead body to

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

to give physical custody of Andrew to his parents. On the way back to New Jersey, Ken abandons the body in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He calls Teresa's sister Angela Cimarelli (

) and tells her that Teresa is a

drug addict Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

and that she is in a

drug rehab Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general intent ...

center. The police eventually finds the dead body and arrests Ken, who is found guilty of murder. His parents and Angela share custody of Andrew for a while. Ken's parents tried to legally

adopt Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

Andrew, but the state of Indiana declares the adoption void. Angela and her husband Jerry Cimarelli (

Christopher Meloni Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' for its first 12 seasons and its spin-off ' ...

) gain full parental custody of Andrew within a four year time span. The movie was based on a true story.

Cast

as Angela Silvano-Cimarelli *

as Jerry Cimarelli *

as Ken Taylor *

Timothy Carhart Timothy Carhart (born December 24, 1953) is an American actor. He starred in the CBS drama ''Island Son'' (1989–90) and has had recurring roles in ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2000–03) and '' 24'' (2002). He also starred in the 1992 ...

as Lieutenant Robert Fausak *

David Huddleston David William Huddleston (September 17, 1930 – August 2, 2016) was an American actor. An Emmy Award nominee, Huddleston had a prolific television career, and appeared in many films including:'' Rio Lobo'', '' Blazing Saddles'', ''Crime Buster ...

as Zach Taylor *

Louise Fletcher Estelle Louise Fletcher (July 22, 1934 – September 23, 2022) was an American actress who portrayed the antagonist Nurse Ratched in '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975), which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress, a BAFTA Award, ...

as Jean Taylor *

John Karlen John Karlen (born John Adam Karlewicz; May 28, 1933 – January 22, 2020) was an American character actor who played multiple roles on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' on and off from 1967 to 1971. In 1971, Karlen starred as the male lead in ''Da ...

as Joe Silvano *

Joanna Merlin Joanna Merlin (born Joann Ratner; July 15, 1931) is an American actress and casting director who has worked with Stephen Sondheim and starred in the original Broadway production of ''Fiddler on the Roof''. She has written two acting guides and is ...

as Frances Silvano * Karla Tamburrelli as Teresa Silvano-Taylor * Andy Hirsch as Andrew Silvano * Eric Tilley as Tom Taylor * Nancy McLoughlin as Marilyn Taylor *

Vincent Guastaferro Vincent Guastaferro (born April 6, 1950) is an American film, stage and television actor. He is known for playing the recurring role of Sgt. Vincent Agostini in the American police procedural television series '' NYPD Blue''. Born in Jersey ...

as Malinouski *

Mitchell Ryan Mitchell Ryan (January 11, 1934 – March 4, 2022) was an American film, television, and stage actor, who in his six decades of television is known for playing Burke Devlin in the 1960s gothic soap opera ''Dark Shadows'', and later for his co- ...

as Peter Chappell *

Caroline Kava Caroline Kava (born September 25, 1949) is an American actress and playwright of the 1986 Off-Broadway play, ''The Early Girl''. She portrayed a prostitute in the 1980 film '' Heaven's Gate''. In '' Year of the Dragon'' (1985), she portrayed ...

as Janice Miller * Randal Patrick as Ray Engler * Jeff Allin as Edward Lindsay * Dennis Cockrum as Gregg Reid * Lou Criscuolo as Peter Maas * Amy Lord as Karen Oliveria * Rick Warner as Carl Stampler *

Caroline Dollar Caroline Dollar (born December 28, 1983) is an American actress. Life and career Dollar was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. She attended Needham B. Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Like her older sister, actress Aubrey Dolla ...

as Astrid * Frank Hoyt Taylor as Reverend John Hickman * Sam Vlahos as Dr. Vargas * C.K. Bibby as Dr. Longwell * Robert C. Treveiler as Dr. Kingston * Bob Tyson as Dr. Hill * Mark Joy as Lawyer Norton * Tom Mason as Judge Shipp * Mert Hatfield as Judge Pendleton * Terry Loughlin as Judge Neuwirth * Linda Pierce as Judge Skinner * John Bennes as Judge Myrick * Susan Rohrer as Judge Langdon * Randell Haynes as Judge Kittleston * Alma Martinez as Sorayda (uncredited) *

James Cromwell James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940) is an American actor and activist. Some of his best-known films include ''Babe'' (1995), '' Star Trek: First Contact'' (1996), ''L.A. Confidential'' (1997), '' The Green Mile'' (1999), ''The Queen'' ...

as Official (uncredited)

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0102109 1991 television films 1991 films films set in New Jersey films set in New York City films set in Indiana