Danny Romalotti

Daniel Romalotti Sr. is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. He was played by Michael Damian from 1980 to 1998, returning briefly in December 2002 and on recurring status from November 2003 to mid-2004.

Character

Danny's parents and his sister, Gina (Patty Weaver) were "con artists" when Danny was young, and the three of them did jail time for their crimes. Danny, refusing to be a part of it, ran away from home as a teenager and ended up in Genoa City, where he worked as a waiter at Jonas' Restaurant with Paul Williams (Doug Davidson). Danny and Paul became friends.

Gina, who had shortened her last name to "Roma", came to Genoa City after getting out of prison, wanting Danny's help to reform. For a long time Danny didn't trust her, but got her a job singing at Jonas'. Later, when Jonas decided to move on, Gina bought the restaurant and renamed it Gina's Italian Restaurant.

Danny began his career as a teenaged rock star, doing concerts in Genoa City. He was often joined by Gina, and friends Traci Abbott (Beth Maitland), Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman), and Amy Lewis (Stephanie E. Williams), who sang with him when he performed on stage. Lauren also joined him on tour for a while.

When Danny's friend (and fan club president) Traci was impregnated by her college professor Tim Sullivan (Scott Palmer), Danny married her with the intention of being a father to her child. Danny had been seeing Patty Williams (Andrea Evans), who left town devastated. Danny and Traci's marriage was annulled after she miscarried. Danny toured worldwide and recorded many albums. He once lost his voice after being slowly poisoned by Shawn Garrett (Grant Cramer), who was jealous of his relationship with Lauren, and was told that he would never sing again. However, he had a miracle recovery during a Christmas Eve church service.

In 1987, Danny and Gina's father turned up in Genoa City, homeless, having just returned from prison. He was molded and renamed by Jill Abbott (Jess Walton) as "Rex Sterling" to con Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper). But Rex and Kay fell in love, and he became a reformed. Danny, Gina and Rex ended up becoming close until Rex's death by gunshot in 1994.

Though the much younger Christine Blair (Lauralee Bell) had previously been "just a kid" in Danny's eyes, they began dating and fell in love. Christine's recently widowed best friend Nina Webster (Tricia Cast) was being pursued by David Kimble (Michael Corbett). Danny and Christine were convinced he was a gold-digger after Nina's inheritance, and tried to interfere with their getting married, so David set Danny up to be arrested for cocaine possession. David was exposed at the trial, and Danny got off, but David was never prosecuted. Danny and Christine married in Hawaii, and Nina and David stood up for them. David went so far as to attempt to murder Christine and Nina at a masquerade ball while wearing the same costume as Danny to inherit Nina's wealth. But Paul foiled his plan, and David was crushed to death in a trash compactor.

Christine became a lawyer, and she and Danny were happily married, even though he spent a lot of time on tour. Christine's boss, Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) became obsessed with having her, to the point of sexual harassment. Chris filed charges, and Michael was fired. Michael quickly married Hillary Lancaster (Kelly Garrisson), and being a brilliant lawyer, got another law firm to give him a job. In retaliation against Christine, Michael arranged for a woman named Rebecca to pose for photos with the drugged Danny, which he used in his trial to insinuate that Christine made the advances since Danny was cheating on her. Christine got Hilary to testify, and Michael was found guilty and jailed by the State Supreme Court.

Danny temporarily left town to appear on Broadway in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (as did Michael's portrayer, Michael Damian, in real life). The show was renewed, and Danny stayed away much longer than expected. This caused their marriage to suffer, and Christine began spending a lot of time with Paul. While in New York, Danny was stalked by obsessed fan Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford). She drugged his drink, got him into her bed and claimed to be pregnant by him. Danny divorced Christine and joined Phyllis in a "trial marriage", in order to "do the right thing" for the child. When Danny realized how manipulative his new wife was, he divorced her.

After seeing Phyllis (now played by Sandra Nelson) in a new light during their baby son Daniel's life-threatening sickness with bacterial meningitis, Danny remarried her. Christine and Paul stood up for them. Chris and Paul were able to plant enough doubt in Danny's mind regarding Daniel's paternity that he had a blood test done on Daniel. Danny was devastated to discover that their son was really the child of a man in Phyllis' past named Brian Hamilton (Steven Culp), and that she had set him up all along. However, because Danny was Daniel's legal father, he still had rights. A vicious divorce and custody battle ensued, with Christine as Danny's lawyer, and the recently-paroled Michael assisting Phyllis' legal council. Phyllis and Michael began an affair. With the help of Brian Hamilton (now William A. Wallace), all of Phyllis' lies and manipulations were brought out in court - including the fact that Danny had been drugged that first time and never even made love to Phyllis as she claimed. The court found her to be unstable and an unfit mother. Danny won full custody of Daniel, whom he still considered his son, although Phyllis was allowed visitation.

As Paul and Christine were about to be married, Danny decided he wanted Christine back. He and Christine began talking about the past, one thing led to another, and Paul ended up walking in on the two of them in bed. Paul forgave Chris, and he and Danny began competing for Christine's love, pressuring her to make a decision. Before she could make up her mind, Danny was attacked by a mugger and received major kidney damage. He needed a transplant to survive. Gina, Paul and Christine were all ruled out as possible donors. In a last ditch effort to prove to Christine that he was a changed man and worthy of being reinstated as a lawyer after his prison term was served, Michael donated the needed kidney. After Danny's recovery, Chris made her decision and chose Paul. Danny left with toddler Daniel for a European tour. Danny coerced Phyllis into agreeing that it was not in Daniel's best interest for Phyllis to stay in contact with them. Phyllis soon left town as well (but returned two years later).

In the fall of 2003, Danny returned to Genoa City to lend moral support and help Gina get her life back together after the devastating loss of her restaurant, which had been burnt to the ground by a then-psychopathic Kevin Fisher (Greg Rikaart). Apparently a "washed-up has been", Danny stayed on. The first person he visited was Christine, who had once again split from Paul, physically but not emotionally. After reuniting with Gina, Danny ran into Phyllis (again played by Michelle Stafford). Although the two had a civil exchange, he refused to give her any information on her son Daniel, who was still in boarding school. It turned out that while Phyllis spent years pining for the child who was taken from her, Daniel grew up in a Swiss boarding school. Danny seldom saw Daniel, and never told him he was not his real father. Whenever Phyllis asked Gina about Daniel, she was given the cold shoulder, and not even given photos of her son. Left to believe his mother abandoned him, and his father didn't have time for him, Daniel developed resentment for both parents.

Several months later, son Daniel (Cam Gigandet) returned to Genoa City, a 16-year-old, to visit his father for spring break. Phyllis, who had heard he was coming, and was desperate to get to know her son again. But Danny and Christine thought it better to wait until they could break it to Daniel. Phyllis ran into Daniel (now Michael Graziadei) at Crimson Lights Coffee House, realized who he was, and began making contact. She told Daniel she was his mother, and although he was angry at first, eventually he asked her to tell him the truth about his family. Once Daniel had heard Phyllis's side and discovered that Danny was not his real father, he took off to confront Danny and Christine, who had resumed their relationship. Daniel decided he and Phyllis should move in together so they could bond. Unable to find a suitable apartment, Phyllis and Daniel moved into Victoria Newman's (Amelia Heinle) then-vacant house on the Newman Ranch. After being exposed as a neglectful parent who dumped Daniel in boarding school his entire life, Danny went back on tour.

Family, marriages and romantic entanglements

Parents

• Unknown (mother)
• Rex Sterling (father; deceased)

Siblings

• Gina Roma (sister)

Marriages

• Traci Abbott (divorce)
• Christine Blair (divorce)
• Phyllis Summers (divorce)
• Phyllis Summers (divorce)

Romantic entanglements

• Patti Williams Abbott
• Lauren Fenmore Baldwin

Children

• Daniel Romalotti (stepson; via Phyllis)