Jenny Wolek is a fictional character from 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 ...

''. The distant cousin of original characters

Larry Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence (given name), Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment *Larry D. Alexander, American arti ...

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, and Vince Wolek, Jenny debuted June 1975, appearing continually until May 1986.

Casting and character history

Tim

Jenny Wolek was originated by actress Katherine Glass in June 1975 and introduced as a

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nun preparing to take her final vows. Instead, she falls in love with Jewish, blue-collar Tim Siegel ( Tom Berenger). When Jenny announces she is leaving the Order to marry Tim, her cousin Vince "Vinny" Wolek (

Jordan Charney Jordan Charney (born April 1, 1937) is an American character actor. Many of his earliest roles were on daytime television, with appearances in numerous soaps. Jordan created the role of creepy Julian Dark in the early to mid-1960s on the CBS so ...

) heatedly objects, complaining of how Tim is "stealing Jenny from the church". A fist fight ensues, leading Vinny to aggravate in Tim a latent brain injury, which results in his being taken to the hospital in critical condition. Jenny marries Tim on his deathbed April 5, 1976, and she remains resentful toward Vinny for the duration of his appearance on the serial.

Brad

No longer planning to become a nun, Jenny takes a secretarial job with Dr.

Will Vernon Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

( Farley Granger) in 1976. Jenny grows enamored with Dr. Vernon but begins dating his son Brad ( Jameson Parker) in 1977. The two marry on the episode aired January 3, 1978. Soon after marrying, Jenny learns Brad is a philanderer and the two suffer a rocky marriage. Actress Brynn Thayer, a fan of Katherine Glass' Jenny, assumed the role in August 1978 amid a contract dispute between Glass and ABC Daytime. Jenny becomes pregnant into 1979 and looks forward to motherhood. But the stress of a perpetually unfaithful Brad (Steve Fletcher onward) and learning he had raped her sister,

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( Judith Light), causes Jenny to blackout, go into premature labor, and give birth stillborn daughter Mary Vernon in November. Not told her child was dead in the morgue instead of the maternity ward, misguided sister Karen conspires in a plot with ex-boyfriend-con man

Marco Dane Marco Dane is a fictional character from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live''. The role was played by actor Gerald Anthony from its debut in 1977 through 1986, and from May 17, 1989 until 1990. Anthony crossed over in the role on sister soa ...

( Gerald Anthony) to switch dead Mary with a live newborn.

Mary Vernon and Peter

Jenny rears a child born during Jenny's delivery to Karen's former fellow prostitutes,

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(

Nancy Snyder Nancy Snyder (born December 2, 1949) is an American actress who won the Clarence Derwent Award in 1976 and the Outer Critics Circle Best Actress award in the 1977–78 season. Life and career Snyder was born in Kankakee, Illinois, the dau ...

). She then divorces Brad, marrying Dr.

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(Denny Albee) September 2, 1981. She is soon widowed for a second time when Peter is killed in a car accident in May 1982. Only a short time after losing her husband Peter, Jenny learns the truth about Karen's baby switch and makes the wrenching decision to give the child back to Katrina. Unknown to Jenny and Katrina, both of their children were fathered by Brad.

David Renaldi and death

Jenny next engages in a relationship with David "David Renaldi" Reynolds ( Michael Zaslow), the former lover of Dr. Dorian Lord ( Robin Strasser) and father to Dorian's daughter, Cassie. Despite being married to

Herb Callison In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

(Anthony Call) at the time, Dorian does her best to split up Jenny and David. After finally getting Dorian to relent, Jenny and David wed June 1, 1984. She soon becomes worrisome upon learning David to be a secret agent investigating

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espionage activity for the American government. Jenny last appears onscreen making amends with cousin Larry and ex-husband Brad before relocating to

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with David in May 1986. David Renaldi returns to Llanview in 1997, divulging to Dorian that Jenny was assumed dead in Switzerland from an avalanche.

Reception

Jenny Wolek was a part of a move by new head writer Gordon Russell in 1975 to incorporate younger talent into the cast following the 1973 onscreen death of Meredith Lord, played by Lynn Benesch. Katherine Glass garnered much fanfare and controversy as one-half of soap opera's first teen and interfaith

supercouple A supercouple or super couple (also known as a power couple) is a popular and/or wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or obsessive fashion. The term originated in the United States, and it was coined in the earl ...

alongside Tom Berenger ( Tim Siegel)."Kathy takes a day at a time" by Jon-Michael Reed, '' The Salina Journal'', August 25, 1975, p. 9"Actress Joins 'Soaper' Cast", '' Florence Morning News'', February 22, 1975, p. 27 Glass' Jenny had particular resonance with younger viewers who identified with the Wolek heroine. Brynn Thayer's work as a Jenny learning her daughter, Mary Vernon, was stillborn and switched soon after birth with the child she raised for two years,

Kristine Karr Kristine, a variant of Christine, may refer to: * Kristine (given name) * Lisa Kristine (born 1965), American photographer * Liv Kristine (born 1976), Norwegian singer, songwriter * ''Kristine'' (TV series), a 2010 Filipino television series * ...

, is considered one of ''OLTL''s most tragic and riveting performances.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolek, Jenny One Life to Live characters Television characters introduced in 1975 American female characters in television Fictional characters from Pennsylvania Fictional physicians Fictional female doctors Fictional Polish-American people