Barbara Ryan

Barbara Ryan is a fictional character in an American soap opera, a resident of Oakdale in As the World Turns. In the early 1970s, Barbara was played by a succession of short-lived actresses, but the actress most associated with the role is Colleen Zenk Pinter, who has played her since September 1978.

Barbara was introduced to the show when her mother, Jennifer Sullivan, married Bob Hughes. Unlike her brother Rick, Barbara expressed great approval of the marriage. She left for art school soon after, only to return six years later.

For much of the character's run, Barbara was a heroine who experienced many tragedies, mostly at the hands of her controlling ex-husband, James Stenbeck (Anthony Herrera). When writer Douglas Marland came on board at ATWT in 1985, he made Barbara a "bitch" of sorts, and had her break up a long standing couple (Tom and Margo). This proved to be unpopular, and Marland quickly reverted the character back to being "good" by pairing Barbara with Oakdale police detective (and later chief) Hal Munson (Benjamin Hendrickson).

Barbara again became a villainess in 2000 under the writing reign of Hogan Sheffer. Leaving Hal Munson for roguish Craig Montgomery, she was ostricized by much of her family, and was eventually caught in an explosion that permanently scarred her face. As a result, she became resentful, withdrawn, and committed a multitude of sins, including kidnapping three of the main characters and meddling in her children's lives, most notably causing her son Will to snap and poison Rose (Martha Byrne), the fiancé of her older son Paul (Roger Howarth). In 2004, when writers felt that they could not make the character any more destructive without her eventually being imprisoned (and thus written out), they made her slightly more sympathetic, attributing many of her transgressions to ex-husband James Stenbeck's influence.

Barbara reached out to her daughter Jennifer the following year when Jen became pregnant by Craig Montgomery. Talking her out of aborting the child, Barbara remained at her daughter's side throughout the pregnancy and lent support when it appeared as though the baby died shortly after birth. This wasn't the case however, and eventually Jennifer and son Johnny were reunited. In a cruel twist, it was Barbara who ultimately lost a child when Jennifer, so newly reconciled with her mother, caught pneumonia and died in 2006.

This tragedy, along with the death of ex-husband Hal, have helped mend the relationship between Barbara and her sons Paul and Will.

Family and relationships

Parents

• Charles "Chuck" Ryan (father)
• Jennifer Sullivan (mother, deceased)

Sibling(s)

• Rick Ryan (brother)
• Melinda Grey (maternal half-sister, deceased)
• Frances "Frannie" Hughes (maternal half-sister)

Marital status

• Single

Past marriage(s)

• James Stenbeck (divorced; first time) [1980-1983]
• Gunner St. Clair (dissolved) [1983-1984]
• Harold "Hal" Munson Jr. (divorced; first time, deceased) [1988-1990]
• Harold "Hal" Munson Jr. (divorced; second time, deceased) [1992-1994]
• John Dixon (divorced) [1995-1996]
• Harold "Hal" Munson Jr. (divorced; third time, deceased) [1999-2001]
• Craig Montgomery (divorced) [2001-2002]
• James Stenbeck (divorced; second time) [2002]

Children

• Paul Ryan (son, with James Stenbeck)
• Jennifer Munson (daughter, with with Darryl Crawford, adopted by Harold "Hal" Munson Jr., deceased)
• William "Will" Munson (son, with Harold "Hal" Munson Jr.)
• John "Johnny" Dixon Jr. (son, with John Dixon, deceased)

Grandchildren

• John "Johnny" Donovan (grandson, via Jennifer)
• Jennifer Ryan (granddaughter, via Paul, deceased)

Other relatives

• Kimberly "Kim" Sullivan Hughes (maternal aunt)
• Sabrina Hughes (maternal cousin)
• Andrew "Andy" Dixon (maternal cousin)
• Christopher "Chris" Hughes (maternal cousin)
• Hope Dixon (maternal first cousin once removed)

Significant relationships

• Tom Hughes (lovers)
• John Dixon (dated)
• James Stenbeck (lovers)
• Steven Farrell (lovers)
• Tom Hughes (engaged)
• Brian McColl (engaged)
• Duncan McKechnie (lovers)
• Gavin Kruger (lovers)
• Darryl Crawford (affair)
• Tonio Reyes (affair)
• Evan Walsh (lovers)
• John Dixon (lovers)
• Walker Daniels (dated)

Businesses

• Simply Barbara (Ryan's first fashion line, started in mid 1980s.)
• BRO (Fashion line, created after Simply Barbara was dissolved.)
• Fashions, LTD (boutique which Ryan founded with Lisa Miller Grimaldi in 1985. She sold her shares to Grimaldi in 2003 to pay her attorney's fees, during legal troubles.)

Evil misdeeds/Crimes committed

• had tried to break up Tom and Margo Hughes, tried to get Hal Munson to her side and then ended up pregnant by him....
• blackmailed Denise Darcy to keep quiet about Tad Channing's past
• tried to kill James Stenbeck twice
• had James kidnap Emily Stewart, Rose D'Angelo and Carly Snyder to keep them away from her, executing revenge on them...
• had Will poison Rose, but it eventually killed her...
• tried to gaslight Rosanna Cabot by using Emily to do the deed
• Tried to keep Will, Jennifer and Paul happy by manipulating Craig Montgomery, Rosanna Cabot, and Meg Snyder later on...
• blackmailed Emily Stewart to stay away from Paul
• viciously accused Will and Gwen Norbeck of assaulting her
• blackmailed Lucy Montgomery to stay away from Dusty Donovan
• will attempt to bribe Jade Taylor to stay away from Will

Medical crises

• (1981) Shot in the heart/in a coma
• (1983) Injured ankle in bullring
• (1994) Injuries in malfunctioned elevator
• (1997) Injured in church bombing/son was stillborn
• (2001) Another explosion/badly scarred
• (2002) Strangled and beaten by Will,Rose and Alison
• (2004) Crashed through window/injured her hand
• (2005) Fell and hit her head on table/framed Gwen for assault
• (2006) Injured in the storm