Sam McCall

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Sam McCall
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General Hospital character
Portrayed by Kelly Monaco
Duration 2003–
First appearance October 1, 2003
Created by Charles Pratt, Jr. and Robert Guza, Jr.
Introduced by Jill Farren Phelps
Book appearances The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli
Classification Present; regular
Profile
Other names <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Occupation <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • ELQ shareholder (by proxy; 2012–)
  • Private investigator (2009–)
  • Host of Everyday Heroes
  • Con artist (pre–2004)
Residence <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>

Samantha "Sam" Morgan (maiden name McCall) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. Created by Charles Pratt, Jr. and Robert Guza, Jr., the character made her debut on the episode airing on October 1, 2003, portrayed by Kelly Monaco. Sam is the daughter of mob boss, Julian Jerome (William deVry) and powerful attorney Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn), born and given up for adoption when both were teenagers. She arrived in town as a con artist trying to reverse her family's bad luck by destroying the five lucky cards of the "Dead Man's Hand." Upon her arrival she was characterized as a "sexy bad girl, with a nose for intrigue." Since her introduction, the character has matured into a self-assured and confident woman, while still retaining traces of her adventuresome, bad girl ways.[2]

Casting

The role of Sam was originated by former Baywatch star and Playboy's April 1997 Playmate of the Month,[3] Kelly Monaco on October 1, 2003.[4] Monaco, who had previously portrayed Livvie Locke on the ABC Daytime soap opera Port Charles, was one of several performers from the cancelled soap to join the cast of a main daytime show.[5][6][7] Monaco had also auditioned for ABC Daytime's All My Children as well as CBS Daytime's As the World Turns, both of which were based in New York at the time, and Monaco's eagerness to stay on the West coast led to her ultimately signing with General Hospital, based in Los Angeles.[5]

In 2005, Monaco joined the first season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars and was the first champion of what turned into a multi-season competition.[3]

In August 2009, a casting call was sent out to recast the role of Sam, leaving fans shocked by her possible departure.[8] Despite rumors and speculation, Monaco's co-stars Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) denied she was departing from the show.[9][10] Monaco herself dispelled the rumors, stating there was "really no doubt" she would renew her contract; it was merely standard procedure for ABC to release the casting call since she and the network had not signed off on a new contract by a set deadline.[10][11]

Storylines

Backstory

Sam is born on May 11, 1980 (Mother's Day) in Chatham, Maine[note 1] to a 16-year-old Alexis Davidovitch (Nancy Lee Grahn). While at boarding school, Alexis' father, Mikkos Cassadine (John Colicos), forces her to give the child up and later forges documents to make Alexis believe the child is dead. Her biological father, Julian Jerome (William deVry), was not aware of her existence until they met when she was an adult.

Sam is adopted by Cody McCall (Stanley Kamel) and his wife, Evelyn Bass, who choose adoption based on fear of having another mentally handicapped baby like their first child Danny (then Henri Lubatti). Cody is a con artist and his way of life forces Evelyn to leave when Sam is only three years old, taking Danny with her. Cody raises Sam on his own and teaches her the art of the con. When Sam is 17, she tracks down Evelyn in Bailey's Beach, South Carolina and is shocked to find Danny locked in the basement. When Sam helps Danny escape, he accidentally knocks a candle over that burns down the house, not knowing Evelyn was inside. Sam is arrested for arson, but gets out on bail and goes on the run with Danny to avoid being convicted for Evelyn's murder. A young Sam does her best to care for Danny but eventually resorts to extreme measures to pay his bills. Using skills she learned from Cody, Sam marries several wealthy men, and steals their money so she can care for her brother. During her last attempt at a con as "Angela Monroe", Sam finds herself in an abusive situation when her wealthy mark, Bill Monroe, discovers Sam's intentions, and attacks her. Sam ends up killing Bill in self-defense.

2003–07

Sam first appears in Port Charles working with Jasper Jacks (Ingo Rademacher) to find the five lucky cards of the "Dead Man's Hand." They have a brief affair, but when Jax's father dies he blames Sam, due to her scheming.[7] Sam then has an affair with Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and soon learns she is pregnant. For the sake of Sonny's marriage to Carly Corinthos (then Tamara Braun) and their sons, Michael (then Dylan Cash) and Morgan Corinthos, his best friend Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) claims to be the child's father. Jason and Sam bond as Sam prepares to give birth and they decide to raise the child together. She wants to name her daughter Lila McCall after Jason's late grandmother, Lila Quartermaine (Anna Lee).

When Sonny's daughter Kristina Davis (then Kali Rodriguez) is diagnosed with a blood disease, her mother Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn) begs Sam to induce labor two weeks early in order to donate her child's stem cells. Sam refuses, fearing it could hurt the baby. While arguing with Alexis, Sam collapses and Baby Girl McCall is stillborn. Jason helps Sam through the aftermath, and they realize they still care about each other and want to stay together, eventually getting engaged. They plan to adopt baby Hope, who Sam helps deliver in a storm to a teenage mother. The mother decides to keep the baby, leaving Sam devastated. After Sonny's three children are kidnapped, Jason and Sam rescue Kristina and Morgan, but Michael is presumed dead. He is eventually found with his biological father, Jason's brother, A. J. Quartermaine (then Billy Warlock) and returns home. A.J. is presumably murdered and Michael is a suspect, forcing Sam and Jason to rush him out of town. Michael's psychiatrist, Asher Thomas (Larry Poindexter) is eventually discovered as the real murderer.

Jason and Sam are on a trip when they are kidnapped by Allegra Montenegro, played by Meg Bennett, the wife of Executive Producer at the time Robert Guza, Jr.[12] Allegra wants Sam to marry Andrew Olsen due to her resemblance to her daughter, Alicia.[13] The storyline was received as an attempt to win ratings due to Monaco's recent success on the first season of Dancing with the Stars, as Sam is forced to learn to ballroom dance in order to make Andrew believe she is really Alicia.[13] When Andrew is killed, Sam is nearly sent to jail until Alicia is arrested for the murder. Jason loses his memory as a result of severe headaches, and Sam accompanies him back to Port Charles where his parents, Alan (Stuart Damon) and Monica (Leslie Charleson) reveal he is dying. Jason's ex-girlfriend, Dr. Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough) returns to town and saves his life.

As Sam settles back into her life, Manny Ruiz (Robert LaSardo) begins stalking her. When several Port Charles residents are infected by the encephalitis plague, Danny (David Greenman) dies; Sam blames Alexis because she wouldn't refuse the antidote. On his death bed, Danny unintentionally hints to Sam that she is adopted and a DNA test confirms it. Sam and Jason discover that Alexis is her biological mother, but Sam keeps it to herself, wanting nothing to do with Alexis. However, when Sam is shot and near death, Jason tells Alexis the truth, and she becomes very protective of Sam. After Alexis pressures Jason into ending the relationship, Sam has a one-night stand with Alexis's husband, Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst). Ric later frames Sam for theft, forcing her to go on the run. She and Jason are ambushed by thugs, and Sam appears to kill Diego Alcazar (Ignacio Serricchio) as Kristina watches.

After Sam escapes during the Metro Court Hotel hostage crisis and warns the police, television producer, Amelia Joffe (Annie Wersching) hires her as the host of the new talk show, Everyday Heroes. However, Amelia is actually looking for revenge on Sam for killing her father, Bill Monroe. Sam does her best to keep her past from coming out and she begins lying to Jason. Meanwhile, Sam learns that Elizabeth Spencer (Rebecca Herbst)'s son, Jake is actually Jason's son. Later, Sam witnesses as Jake is kidnapped but she doesn't say anything. After Jake is rescued, Jason finds out about Sam and Jake and the couple breaks up in July 2007; she also hires men to hold up Elizabeth Webber in the park while she has her two children with her. Sam fakes a rescue but Jason tracks the men and finds out Sam hired them and he threatens to kill Sam for trying to hurt Elizabeth and her boys.

2008–12

Sam begins dating Elizabeth's ex-husband Lucky Spencer (then Greg Vaughn) to make Jason and Liz jealous, but they eventually fall in love. However, once Lucky finds out about Sam's part in Jake's kidnapping, they split up. Meanwhile, Sam is stalked and injured by the Text Message Killer,[14] who is later revealed to be an alive Diego Alcazar. While fleeing from Diego she is struck by a car driven by Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson), who is under the influence of alcohol. Sam does not hold any ill-will toward Monica and speaks up for her at trial, gaining Monica a lenient sentence to rehab. Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher) stops Diego who accidentally hangs himself. When Sam and Damian Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) start their own investigative agency, Jason and Sam begin to grow close again. In the summer of 2009, they go to Mexico to rescue Michael and Kristina from Jerry Jacks (Sebastian Roché) and eventually get back together. In early 2010, Sam, Carly and Lulu Spencer (then Julie Marie Berman) are kidnapped by the crazed artist, Franco (then James Franco); Jason rescues Sam and Carly (Laura Wright) while Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna) rescues Lulu. A few months later, Sam shares with Kristina her experience of being in an abusive relationship after Kristina is beaten by her boyfriend, Kiefer Bauer (Christian Alexander). After Michael is convicted and sent to prison for Claudia's murder, Sam struggles with Jason turning himself in for a crime so he can protect Michael. Jason is eventually released, and later that year must protect Brenda Barrett (Vanessa Marcil) from the European crime boss The Balkan (Daniel Benzali). Sam is initially jealous of all the attention Brenda garners, but Jason assures Sam he loves her. In 2011, during Sonny and Brenda's wedding, Sam is nearly killed in a car bomb set for Brenda, and she temporarily loses her hearing. Sam gets reconstructive surgery so she and Jason can have a baby. Sam and Jason soon become engaged and marry in the garden of a Chinese restaurant in September 2011. During their honeymoon, Sam becomes pregnant with Jason's child. The honeymoon is interrupted by Carly and Shawn Butler (Sean Blakemore) who have received threatening messages from Franco. Later, Franco drugs both them, locks Jason in a room and forces him to watch as he supposedly rapes Sam. In reality, the event was another mind game with no rape occurring, but Sam is not aware of this until a year later. Sam discovers her pregnancy in January 2012 and a paternity test establishes Jason as the father.

In early 2012, Sam hides Robin Scorpio's supposed death from Jason when he is recovering from brain surgery. Meanwhile, she meets John McBain (Michael Easton), who is in town investigating Sonny. Jason is upset over Sam's lies and does not want her to see McBain, whom he does not trust. Jason's cousin Heather Webber (Robin Mattson) tells Sam that Franco and Jason are fraternal twin brothers, and a new DNA test shows Franco is the father of Sam's baby. Jason is unsure if he can love Franco's child, and Sam moves out. McBain helps Sam give birth, but she passes out and is unaware that Todd Manning (Roger Howarth) and Heather switch the baby with the stillborn son of Téa Delgado (Florencia Lozano) after Robin's death. Soon after, Todd learns that Heather had altered the DNA test and Jason is the father of Sam's baby, but he does not tell Sam. Sam continues to confide in John, and they share a flirtation. Jason figures out the truth about Sam's baby, and tells Sam, but Heather kidnaps the baby. Jason and Sam confront Heather on the roof of General Hospital. Heather jumps, but Jason grabs the baby before he falls. They name the baby Daniel Edward. After reconciling and arriving home together, Jason goes to help Bernie Abrahms (Richard Fancy) and is shot. Jason falls into the water and is presumed dead; however Sam remains determined to find him after Jason killed Joe Scully, Jr. (Richard Steinmetz). Guilt ridden, Todd finds a way to alert Steven Webber (Scott Reeves) of Daniel's paternity, who confirms the test results and tells Sam. Sam is able to introduce Danny to Jason's grandfather, Edward Quartermaine (John Ingle), just in time before Edward passes away.

2013—

Sam eventually realizes that Jason is not coming back and tries to move on. When Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) comes to town and claims John is a vampire named Caleb Morley, Sam stays with John after Lucy tries to kill him. Initially, Sam believes Lucy is insane, until a woman named Alison Barrington (Erin Hershey) is murdered, and her son, Rafe Kovich, Jr. (Jimmy Deshler), claims John is the murderer. Sam and John both believe Caleb does exist, and is trying to pin his crimes on John. Sam is kidnapped by Caleb, but rescued by John, Rafe, and Lucy, who reveal that Caleb is actually Stephen Clay, a musician who went insane after losing his wife. Sam takes temporary custody of Rafe afterwards to give him a safe place to stay. Sam gets roped into helping out with the Nurses' Ball and meets Anton Ivanov, played by Dancing with the Stars performer Maksim Chmerkovskiy.[15] Anton convinces Sam to fill in for his injured partner. Sam ends up finding Silas Clay (Michael Easton), Stephen's older brother, who decides to get physical custody of Rafe from Sam. Though the court sides with Silas, he ends up having a change of heart and letting Rafe stay with Sam. Meanwhile, Sam finds out that Danny has leukemia, and needs treatment. Silas assists in Danny's recovery, and eventually lets Sam know that Danny will need a bone marrow transplant. Sam has many people get tested, but no one is a viable match.

Sam then asks Alexis about her biological father, and whether he could get tested. Alexis admits she doesn't know who Sam's father is, because Sam was the result of a one-night stand with a man she only met once. Alexis undergoes hypnosis to help Sam, and finds out Sam's father's name is "Julian." Sam holds a donor drive to find a match for Danny, and finds one in Derek Wells (William DeVry). Derek donates his bone marrow, and Danny recovers. Alexis, afterwards, finds out that Sam's father is Julian Jerome, a mobster presumed dead. Sam looks for answers when Ava Jerome (Maura West), Silas' ex-girlfriend, comes to town, and she finds out that Ava is Julian's half-sister. Sam and Silas start dating, and during a date, Sam finds out that "Derek" is Julian, alive and well. Julian plans to take over Sonny's organization, but when Sonny threatens to kill him, Julian uses Danny as leverage to stay alive, saying he'll need to give bone marrow again if Danny suffers a setback. Sam is disgusted with her father's actions, and writes him off. In the new year, Sam finds out that Silas is married, but his wife has been in a coma for years, and he's being accused of trying to kill her. While trying to prove his innocence, Sam meets her biological half-brother, Lucas Jones (Ryan Carnes). Both of them do not want anything to do with Julian. Sam helps Silas get released, and is suspicious that Ava tried to kill Silas' wife, but it was later revealed to be Madeline Reeves (Donna Mills).

Character development

Introduction

<templatestyles src="Template:Quote_box/styles.css" />

"Sam is a fighter. She's going to put her walls up when she feels turned on or lied to or manipulated. It's her truth. Whether or not people can see that or accept it from her point of view, she's an injured bird, and she's just trying to stay alive."

—Kelly Monaco describes her character (2013)[16]

When the character is introduced, Sam is described as "an adventurous woman trying to reverse her family's bad fortune", who would immediately interact with character Jasper Jacks (Rademacher).[4] She is independent and scheming.[7] Soaps In Depth named the character on their list of the 50 naughtiest soap opera vixens in 2009.[17] When she first arrives in town, she is portrayed as a con artist and bad girl, who knew how to get what she wanted. The motivation behind the character's bad girl ways were revealed, when it was discovered that she was raised on the road by a con artist father, Cody McCall, and used cons to provide for her mentally handicapped older brother, Danny McCall.[18] Sam grows close to Jason Morgan during her pregnancy with the child of Sonny Corinthos. Co-star Burton (Jason) later explained: "It's been a long journey for Jason and Sam. When they first got together, it wasn't really supposed to be that they got together. He was kind of helping her out with her pregnancy. After that whole time they fell in love."[19] When the couple broke up in 2008, Monaco said to Soap Opera Digest, "I feel Sam and Jason was so abruptly ended without any explanation, really, as to the coldness that was so one-sided [on Jason's part]. Of course, Jake came into play, but I felt like Jason and Sam were always strong enough to overcome."[14] Sam begins a relationship with Lucky Spencer to get back at Elizabeth. Monaco describes the progression of the relationship to Soap Opera Digest, "In the beginning it was very calculated and manipulative. Eventually, it turned genuine. [...] finally, she found someone who is trustworthy."[14]

Parentage revealed

The revelation of Alexis Davis (Grahn) as Sam's biological mother was a turning point in the development of the character. The two characters had a rocky past filled with disdain, but the shocking revelation of their kinship forced the characters to co-exist. The newly formed mother-daughter relationship was very antagonistic in its early stages, but over time the two characters were able to reconcile and put the hate of their past behind them. Now the two characters share a close mother-daughter bond. The revelation of Alexis and Sam as mother and daughter was named the best revelation of the decade by SOAPnet.[20] The unveiling of Alexis as Sam's mother led to widespread speculation as to the identity of Sam's biological father. For years, great fanfare was generated around this mystery in anticipation for the revelation of his identity.

<templatestyles src="Template:Quote_box/styles.css" />

"There's also the ongoing mystery of Sam's father and that's not lost on me. Obviously [Sam's mother] Alexis is withholding something huge, otherwise she'd reveal the dad's identity. Our viewers always ask about that and I want them to know I will address it. I just need to figure out the best timing. [Laughs] It's always good to have some Cassadine secrets in your back pocket!"

—Ron Carlivati on revealing Sam's father (2013)[21]

Seven years after Alexis was revealed as Sam's mother, General Hospital began dropping hints that they were ready to tackle the highly anticipated story of Sam's father. In 2013 General Hospital head-writer, Ron Carlivati addressed the ongoing mystery of Sam's father in an interview with TV Guide's Michael Logan. Widespread speculation about the identity of Sam's father was reignited when it was rumored that General Hospital was looking for a "name actor" to cast in the role of Sam's father. Rumors began to circulate naming Duke Lavery (Ian Buchanan), Blackie Parrish (John Stamos) and Dr. Kevin Collins (Jon Lindstrom) as potential candidates for Sam's father; Lindstrom having previously worked opposite Monaco as her father on the soap opera Port Charles. [22] Another rumor emerged that veteran soap actor, Peter Reckell, who played Bo Brady on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1983-2012, would be joining General Hospital in the role of Evan Jerome. It was widely speculated that Reckell was cast to play Sam's father, linking her to the Jerome crime family that was prominent on General Hospital in the 1980s. However, after weeks of speculation, Reckell addressed the rumors stating that he wasn't going back to Days of Our Lives or joining any other soap.[23] In July 2013, ABC unveiled its latest General Hospital promo which showed Sam asking Alexis for the identity of her father. In the storyline, Sam's young son Danny has leukemia and they are trying to find as many potential bone marrow donors as possible.[24]

Following the promo's release, Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis), took to her Twitter account to engage fans in a guessing game as to the identity of Sam's father.[25] During the week the promo was released, it was announced that actor William deVry, who formerly starred on The Bold and the Beautiful as Storm Logan, and All My Children as Michael Cambias was joining General Hospital. There were reports that deVry had taped scenes with Maura West's Ava Jerome, leading to speculation that deVry could be joining the show as a Jerome and as Sam's father.[26] deVry made his debut on July 30, 2013 under the alias Derek Wells, and it was soon revealed that he was actually Julian Jerome—son of mob boss Victor Jerome who was head of the Port Charles mob in the 1980s. Soon after the real identity of deVry's character was discovered, it was confirmed that deVry had been cast as Sam's father, when it was revealed that Sam's biological father is crime figure Julian Jerome.

Reception

When Monaco originated the role of Sam, her performance was well received by viewers and the network.[7] In 2006, Monaco was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Sam.[27] She also co-hosted the Daytime Emmy Awards that same year.[3]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Though Chatham is established by the series as being a town in Maine, in real life, Chatham is actually a town in New Hampshire and it meets with the border of Maine.

References

  1. ↑ Stated by Sam on June 3, 2014
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 'DWTS' Maksim Chmerkovskiy to star in 'General Hospital'
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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