Starr Manning

Starr Manning
File:Kristen Alderson.jpg Pictured above: Kristen Alderson as Starr Manning, from the One Life to Live opening sequence.
First appearance	January 1996
In-universe information
Occupation	Student at Llanview High School

Starr Manning is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. Kristen Alderson is best known in the role, a part she began playing at age six in March 1998. In 2001, she was put on contract; making her the youngest performer on daytime television with a contract role.

Manning is the oldest of two children to parents Blair Cramer Manning and Todd Manning. Living at a penthouse on 17 Corinth Street in the fictional Philadelphia suburb of Llanview, Starr is known for her mischievous behavior, caused in part by the volatile relationship of her parents.

Character history

Starr has suffered through her father Todd's many mistakes, especially his rape of Marty Saybrooke many years ago. After Todd's supposed death at the hands of Mitch Laurence, Starr was not willing to accept Walker Laurence as the new man in her mother Blair's life. However, Walker shared a secret with Starr: He was really Todd (after extensive plastic surgery). Elated that her father had returned and would be with her mother, Starr kept her father's secret. When the truth came out Blair was furious with Todd and wanted nothing to do with him. After a heated night of passion, Blair accused Todd of rape. Starr found herself in the middle of her parents' battle, but ultimately blamed her mother. Starr was devastated when Todd was found guilty and sent to prison for rape. Starr took matters into her own hands by enlisting Matthew Rappaport's help in arranging her father's escape. They stopped the van that was transporting Todd to prison, but in the process Matthew was kidnapped by Troy MacIver. Starr felt terrible, and was relieved when Matthew was returned safely. For several days Starr also stopped eating to protest her father's situation. With the help of her aunt Viki Lord Davidson, Starr realized she was behaving in a dangerous manner, and agreed to start eating again.

Following all this, Blair was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. It turned out the tumor caused memory lapses and caused her to misinterpret situations. Blair realized Todd had not raped her, and dropped all charges against him. Starr was ecstatic to have her father back, but soon realized her parents would never reunite. Depressed, Starr met a young man named Travis on the internet, and lied to him about her age. She planned a mother/daughter trip to New York City so that she could meet Travis in person so they could run away together. The first meeting with Travis did not go as planned, and he was angry that she lied about her age. Travis contacted Starr again, and asked for a second meeting. It turned out he had also lied about his age, and still wanted to run away with Starr. She agreed to meet him and together they ran away. Blair was frantic when she realized Starr was missing, and asked for Todd's help. While walking through Central Park, Starr and Travis were chased by cops. Although Starr got away, Travis was apprehended. Starr came across a young man named Laser, who kidnapped Starr, and contacted Todd and Blair for ransom money. He told them to meet him back in Llanview where they would make a trade: $1 million and Starr would go home. Travis followed Todd and Blair to Llanview and was determined to help them get Starr back. The exchange for Starr went awry, and Todd and Blair were unable to get her back. Laser then contacted Blair, and told her to meet them back in New York. He sent her on a wild goose chase, and when the time came to get Starr back, Laser took Blair hostage. Luckily Todd had followed Blair out to New York, and after a suspenseful showdown, was able to rescue both Starr and Blair. The kidnapping brought Blair and Todd closer together, and they eventually decided to reconcile. Later, Travis came to Llanview for summer camp, and Starr spent the entire summer with him. Despite growing feelings between them, the relationship ended when Travis had to return to New York at the end of the summer.

Starr distracted herself by helping with her parents' wedding. Starr was devastated when her father disappeared right before the wedding, leaving only a note that claimed he couldn't go through with the nuptials. Starr comforted her mother, but was convinced that there was more to her father's disappearance. Starr was right: Todd was actually kidnapped and held captive in an isolated cabin by an obsessed stalker, Margaret Cochran. Blair caught on to Margaret's role in Todd's disappearance, and set out to find Todd. However, Blair soon went missing, and Starr eagerly awaited the return of both parents. Starr was ecstatic when Todd returned to Llanview, but her happiness was short lived when she received the news that her mother was killed by Margaret. Starr was crushed, but Todd was certain Blair had survived. Starr helped her father get to the truth of Blair's whereabouts by confronting Asa Buchanan. It turned out that Asa had hidden Blair in an insane asylum, and Todd was able to bring her home safe and sound. Starr was reunited with both parents, but was wary that Margaret could return at any moment.

Margaret did return and tried to kill Starr. Starr escaped, but noticed that Margaret was pregnant. Todd confessed that it was his child---Margaret had raped him while she held him hostage---but begged Starr to keep the truth from Blair out of fear that Blair would be unable to accept the truth. Starr agreed. Some time later, Margaret and her unborn child were murdered and Todd was accused of the crime. Starr refused to believe her father was guilty. However, Todd was convicted and sentenced to death. Todd was executed just before it was found that Margaret was not really dead. Although Todd had been given a lethal injection, the doctors were able to revive him.

Starr met Cole Thornhart, a classmate, at a high school party and became friends with him right away when he stuck up for her when mean girl, Britney Jennings teased her. Starr and Cole remained friends and, when the Halloween dance came around, Starr asked Cole to be her date. Cole had already accepted a date with Britney but turned her down to go with Starr. Both had a wonderful time at the dance, even though Britney arranged for a video that mocked Starr by portraying all her family's problems. Cole stuck up for Starr and the two shared a kiss after the dance. Starr and Cole kept getting closer, but things started to go wrong at a party one night. Cole had been taking steroids because of peer pressure from his football buddies. At the party Cole got in a fight with another football player. Then, when Starr and Cole were alone together and kissing, Cole got very angry when Starr she asked him to slow down. In order to cause further trouble, Britney called the police on Cole and pretended to be Starr. At the police station, it was discovered that Cole's mom was none other then Marty Saybrooke, the victim of a rape by Todd Manning, which occurred when the two were in college. Because of this, Cole and Starr's parents attempted to keep them away from each other. After trying to stay away from each other for some time, Cole and Starr were finally reunited on prom night. Now, after some convincing, Cole and Starr finally have their mother's permission to date. When Starr's father went missing, Starr wasn't aware of the fact that Cole knew about her father's whereabouts and kept quiet in order to keep the secret of his mother killing Spencer Truman. Eventually, Starr forgave Cole when she viewed what he had gone through from his perspective.

Family and relationships

Parents

• Todd Manning (father)
• Blair Cramer (mother)

Sibling(s)

• Brendan Thornhart (maternal half-brother, deceased)
• Jack Manning (brother)
• Thomas "Tommy" McBain (paternal half-brother)

Marital status

• Dating: Cole Thornhart

Children

• None

Other relatives

• Victor Lord (paternal grandfather, deceased)
• Irene Manning Clayton (paternal grandmother, deceased)
• Addie Cramer (maternal grandmother)
• Victoria Lord (paternal aunt)
• Meredith Lord Wolek (paternal aunt, deceased)
• Tina Clayton Lord (paternal aunt)
• Dorian Cramer Lord (maternal great aunt)
• Melinda Cramer (Maternal great Aunt)
• Betsy Cramer (maternal great-great aunt, deceased)
• Megan Gordon (paternal half first cousin, deceased)
• Kevin Buchanan Sr. (paternal half first cousin)
• Joseph "Joey" Buchanan (paternal half-first cousin)
• Jessica Buchanan Vega (paternal half-first cousin)
• Natalie Buchanan (paternal half-first cousin)
• Clinton James "C.J." Roberts (paternal first cousin)
• Sarah "Flash" Roberts (paternal first cousin)
• Cassie Callison (maternal first cousin once removed)
• Adriana Cramer (maternal first cousin once removed)
• Kelly Cramer (maternal first cousin once removed)
• Paul Cramer (maternal first cousin once removed, deceased)
• Demerest "Duke" Buchanan (paternal half-first cousin once removed, deceased)
• Kevin Buchanan Jr. (maternal second cousin/paternal first cousin twice removed, deceased)
• Megan Buchanan (paternal first cousin once removed, deceased)
• Brennan "Bree" Buchanan (paternal first cousin once removed)
• Zane Buchanan (maternal second cousin/paternal first cousin twice removed)

Relationships & Flings

• Travis O'Connell (ex-boyfriend)
• Ricky Garza (crush)
• Cole Thornhart (boyfriend)