Sam Bennett is a fictional character from the

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DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. It ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

, ''

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and pro ...

'', portrayed by James Hyde.

Early life

Samuel Benjamin "Sam" Bennett II was born in Harmony on July 7, 1954. He is the third child of ten children and the third son of ten sons born to Samuel Benjamin Bennett I (born March 17, 1925–1998) and Margaret Bennett (née Joyce) (born August 23, 1929–2005). His father Sam was the former Harmony Chief of Police. Sam would eventually follow in his father's footsteps and become the Harmony Chief of Police himself in 1999. Sam has nine brothers: Timothy Bennett (1950), Zachariah Bennett (1952), Casey Bennett (1955), Gavin Bennett (1957), Lachlan Bennett (1959), Neil Bennett (1960), Nathan Bennett (1963), Simon Bennett (1969), and Hank Bennett (1972), who is not much older than Sam's eldest son Ethan (born 1975). He is the widower and former husband of Grace Bennett (born November 12, 1955). He had three children with Grace: Noah Bennett (born June 11, 1980), Kay Bennett (born January 29, 1984), and Jessica Bennett (born October 5, 1985). Sam also has a son named Ethan Winthrop (born March 9, 1975) from his previous relationship with his first love and high school sweetheart Ivy Winthrop. Growing up, Sam was best friends with T. C. Russell since childhood and is still very close with him to this day.

Character history

Sam is the eldest son of the Harmony chief of

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

, and later becomes chief of police himself. He has a younger brother named Hank Bennett, who is not much older than Sam's eldest son. Growing up, Sam had a best friend T.C. Russell, and they remain close. When Sam is a teenager, he falls for Ivy Winthrop, daughter of Governor Harrison Winthrop, whom he meets while working as a lifeguard. One summer, he goes away to work on one of Ivy's father's boats so he can afford to marry her. However, his letters to her are intercepted by father, and she thinks Sam has forgotten about her and is seeing other women. She begins to date Alistair Crane's son Julian. Since the Winthrop and Crane families are both affluent, the two patriarchs think a marriage between their children is far superior to Ivy marrying a Bennett. But the night she marries Julian, Ivy realizes she does not love him and had succumbed to her father's wishes. Ivy runs off to find comfort in the arms of Sam. Ivy gives birth to Sam's son Ethan, but she passes him off as Julian's son. She chooses to stay with Julian because Sam has no money. Ivy and Julian go on to have three children:

Fancy Crane Fancy Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera ''Passions'' and is portrayed by actress Emily Harper from the May 13, 2005, episode through the series finale. Following her debut, Fancy quickly becomes one of the soap's lead ...

Fox Crane Fox Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera ''Passions'' and was portrayed by Justin Hartley from December 16, 2002—February 10, 2006, and Midland lead singer Mark Cameron Wystrach from February 14, 2006, to September 7, ...

and

Pretty Crane This is a list of significant characters who have appeared on the soap opera ''Passions''. A ;Dr Ackland :Michael Woods (December 22 to 26, 2003), : Roark Critchlow (December 26, 2003 to March 17, 2004) ;Stuart Allen :Emanuelle Xuereb (2006 ...

. However, Ivy dotes on Ethan because he is Sam's child. Sam leaves Harmony for several years and goes to Boston where he saves a woman named Grace Standish from a fire. She later suffers from amnesia, though the two fall in love. Sam and Grace marry and have three children of their own: Noah Bennett,

Kay Bennett Kay Bennett is a fictional character from the NBC/DirecTV soap opera ''Passions''. Kay was introduced as a character in 1999 and has been played by Taylor Anne Mountz (July 5, 1999 – August 2, 2000), Deanna Wright (September 25, 2000—Octo ...

and Jessica Bennett. They stay together for 20 years.

1999–2008

In August 1999, Ivy and Sam see each other for the first time since 1974. Ivy decides to come back into Sam's life and does everything in her power to break up his marriage. The revelation that Ethan is actually Sam's son causes friction in Sam and Grace's marriage, as well as causing Grace to miscarry in shock. Ivy blackmails photographer David Hastings into pretending to be Grace's first husband, from before the fire that took her memory. Grace leaves Sam for David, believing David is her first husband. When Hurricane Peggy hits Harmony, Ivy helps Sam place a beacon on the lighthouse to save teenagers, including the Bennett girls, who are stranded on an island after a school trip. Ivy is struck by lightning, falls, and becomes paralyzed. In time, Sam and Ivy reconnect, and after Julian divorces Ivy, she moves in with Sam. In late October 2006, Ivy's secret is revealed when

Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald This is a list of significant characters who have appeared on the soap opera ''Passions''. A ;Dr Ackland :Michael Woods (December 22 to 26, 2003), :Roark Critchlow (December 26, 2003 to March 17, 2004) ;Stuart Allen :Emanuelle Xuereb (2006) ...

presses Sam's daughter Kay to reveal what has been causing her pain. Much to Ivy's horror, Kay reveals the truth, and Sam believes her. Sam subsequently tells Ivy to leave, causing a scene and trashing the kitchen in the process, and telling Ivy that if she is not out of his house by the time he returns home, he will not be responsible for his own destructive actions. Grace, upon learning the truth about Ivy's plot, decides to come home and reunite with Sam. However, she dies when a bomb explodes on the bus, she is taking to the airport to return to Harmony. This sends Sam and their children into mourning. He forgives Ivy for what she did to Grace, but they do not get together. Sam and Eve walk in on Ivy and Julian having drunken sex. Several months later Sam and Ivy would become a couple again.

''Hidden Passions''

In the book ''

Hidden Passions ''Hidden Passions: Secrets from the Diaries of Tabitha Lenox'' is a tie-in novelization released by HarperEntertainment in 2001, loosely based on the NBC soap opera, ''Passions''. It delved into the backstories of several prominent characters on ...

'', Sam's parents were named Benjamin Bennett (on the show he was also Sam) and Margaret Joyce. He had at least two more brothers.

References

External links