Brad Vernon 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 American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

''.

Creation

Casting

Actor

Jameson Parker Francis Jameson Parker Jr. (born November 18, 1947) is an American actor, best known for his roles as the first Brad Vernon in the soap opera ''One Life to Live'', and as A.J. Simon on the 1980s television series ''Simon & Simon''. Early life ...

was cast on-the-spot by ''OLTL'' executive producer Doris Quinlan for the role of Brad following an encounter in a

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

elevator. Parker originated the role onscreen in June 1976 and played it through 1978. Actor Steve Fletcher assumed the role regularly from July 1978 through September 1986. Ted LePlat temporarily substituted in the role in the early months of 1980 when Fletcher took ill.

Characterization

Nicknamed "The Cad", Brad is an ambivalent, abusive philanderer. Soap opera critics describe the character as a villainous

antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...

who appealed to viewer empathy by possessing redeeming qualities.

Storyline

1976–81

Brad (Parker) is introduced onscreen as a promising twentysomething tennis player in June 1976, but a knee injury soon cuts his pro-athlete dreams short. Bitter and self-pitying, Brad becomes a womanizing

Lothario Lothario is an Italian name used as shorthand for an unscrupulous seducer of women, based upon a character in '' The Fair Penitent'', a 1703 tragedy by Nicholas Rowe.

to fill his time. He romances several young women concurrently, including his father's secretary

Jenny Wolek Jenny Wolek is a fictional character from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live''. The distant cousin of original characters Larry, Anna, and Vince Wolek, Jenny debuted June 1975, appearing continually until May 1986. Casting and character hi ...

(

Katherine Glass Katherine Glass (born January 11, 1947) is an American actress best remembered for her television work in the 1970s. Early life Glass was raised as a Roman Catholic in New Haven, Connecticut."Kathy takes a day at a time" by Jon-Michael Reed, '' ...

). Jenny resists his advances, eventually falling for him until uncovering his affair with waitress Lana McClain (

Jacklyn Zeman Jacklyn Lee Zeman (March 6, 1953 – May 9, 2023) was an American actress who portrayed Bobbie Spencer on the ABC daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' for 45 years. Early life and education Zeman was born in Englewood, New Jersey, to a fam ...

), which resulted in Lana becoming pregnant. Jameson Parker One Life to Live 1977

One night during their romantic escapades, Brad gives a drunk Lana a glass of milk laced with

sleeping pills A hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), also known as a somnifacient or soporific, and commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep and to treat insomnia (sleeplessness). Th ...

, and she dies. Fearful he might be blamed for murdering her, Brad coaxes Jenny into providing him an alibi, but the police do not accept it. Brad and Jenny were married on January 3, 1978, preventing her from testifying against Brad in court. Nevertheless, Brad goes to jail for

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

. When Jenny realizes she was used, she begins divorce proceedings. Brad (Fletcher onward) becomes distraught over learning his sister Sam (

Julia Montgomery Julia Montgomery (born July 2, 1960) is an American film and television actress. She first gained public attention for her role as Samantha Vernon on the soap opera ''One Life to Live'' (1976–1981, 1987). She subsequently appeared in the slashe ...

) suffered a serious accident, and Jenny puts their annulment on hold to console him. Jenny (

Brynn Thayer Brynn Thayer is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Jenny Wolek on the television soap opera ''One Life to Live'' from 1978 to 1986, which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. Career Thayer is well known for her w ...

onward) decides to continue with their marriage upon Brad's release from jail in October 1978, discovering herself pregnant by him months later in May. Brad soon rapes Jenny's sister Karen Wolek (

Judith Light Judith Ellen Light (born February 9, 1949) is an American actress. She made her professional stage debut in 1970, before making her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of ''A Doll's House''. Her breakthrough role was in the ABC daytime soap oper ...

) and pressures Karen into secrecy by telling her any upsetting news would cause Jenny to miscarry. Ironically, with stress of Brad's constant womanizing exacerbated by finding out he raped her sister, Jenny blacks out, goes into

premature labor Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the Childbirth, birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks Gestational age (obstetrics), gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 ...

, and unknowingly miscarries their child, Mary Vernon. Stillborn Mary is soon switched in 1979 in a scheme by Karen and con man ex-boyfriend Marco Dane ( Gerald Anthony) with the live-born child of Karen's fellow ex-prostitute and friend Katrina Karr ( Nancy Snyder), Kristine Karr. Jenny and Brad's divorce is finalized in April 1981, and in a heartwrenching move, Jenny's "

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

", born Kristine Karr, is eventually returned to Katrina after she raises the child for over two years.

1981–86, 1988

After Jenny divorces him, Brad soon engages in a brief romance with auto mechanic Georgina Whitman (

Ilene Kristen Ilene Kristen (born Ilene Schatz; July 30, 1952) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Delia Ryan in the ABC soap opera ''Ryan's Hope'' (1975–1979, 1982–1983, 1986–1989) and her Emmy-nominated performances as Roxy B ...

). When Jenny plans to marry Dr. Peter Janssen (Denny Albee), a jealous Brad objects to the marriage, as he pined after ex-wife Jenny again. Jenny rebuffs his advances. She goes ahead with the marriage in 1981, but is widowed for a second time in 1982. Brad comforts her, proposing marriage to both Katrina and later Jenny, both of which never come to fruition. Brad soon opens and runs the eponymous Vernon Inn hotel for several years, marrying Connie O'Neill (Terry Donahue) and leaving Llanview in September 1986. Upon returning to Llanview in 1988 for the funeral of her sister

Didi Didi Chuxing Technology Company is a Chinese vehicle for hire company headquartered in Beijing with over 550 million users and tens of millions of drivers. The company provides app-based transportation services, including taxi hailing, private ...

, Connie (

Elizabeth Keifer Elizabeth Keifer (born November 14, 1961) is an American actress. Biography Keifer was born in Pacific Palisades, California. She played the role of Christina "Blake" Marler on ''Guiding Light'' from August 1992 until the program ended in Septem ...

) and Brad tell Delilah and Rafe of their lives in France.

Reception

The introduction of Jameson Parker was met with fanfare by fans enamored with the actor's good looks and easygoing portrayal. When Brad physically abused Jenny (Glass) onscreen in 1978, a group of angry viewers left a note at the ''OLTL'' New York City studios threatening violence if Parker did not "leave Jenny alone". The onscreen October 1979 rape storyline of ex-hooker Karen (Light) by brother-in-law Brad (Fletcher) was highly controversial, garnering acclaim and criticism for ''OLTL'' and

ABC Daytime ABC Daytime (sometimes shortened to ABC-D or ABCD) is a division responsible for the daytime television programming block on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Network and syndicated programming. The block has historically encompassed soap o ...

for the frank nature of the

story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing narrative, storyline in episode, episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strip ...

and moral implications of the sexual assault of a former

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

References

External links

Llanview Labyrinth — Bradley Vernon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Brad One Life to Live characters Television characters introduced in 1976 Fictional tennis players Fictional businesspeople in soap operas Fictional rapists Fictional criminals in soap operas American male characters in soap operas Male villains