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Sam Morgan
General Hospital character
File:Kelly Monaco as Sam.png
Kelly Monaco as Sam Morgan
Portrayed byKelly Monaco
Duration2003—
First appearanceOctober 1, 2003
ClassificationPresent, regular
Created byCharles Pratt, Jr.
Robert Guza, Jr.
Introduced byJill Farren Phelps
Book appearancesThe Secret Life of Damian Spinelli
In-universe information
Other namesSandra McIntire
Angela Monroe
OccupationPrivate Investigator (2009—)
Host of Everyday Heroes (2007)
Con artist (pre-2004)
FamilyCassadine
ParentsAlexis Davis
Adoptive parentsCody McCall
Evelyn Bass
SiblingsDanny McCall (adoptive)
Kristina Davis
Molly Lansing
SpouseJason Morgan (2011–12)
ChildrenLila McCall (stillborn)
Danny Morgan
Adoptive childrenHope Morgan (former foster)
Rafe Kovich (foster)
GrandparentsMikkos Cassadine
Kristen Bergman
Helena Cassadine (step)
Aunts and unclesStavros Cassadine
Stefan Cassadine
Valentin Cassadine
Kristina Cassadine
Irina Cassadine (step)
First cousinsNikolas Cassadine

Samantha "Sam" Morgan (née McCall) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She is the daughter of high-powered attorney Alexis Davis, and the half-sister of Kristina Corinthos-Davis and Molly Lansing-Davis. She is the eldest granddaughter of Mikkos Cassadine and step-granddaughter of Helena Cassadine. Kelly Monaco has played Sam since the character's arrival in 2003.

Casting

The role of Sam was originated by former Baywatch star and Playboy's April 1997 Playmate of the Month,[1] Kelly Monaco on October 1, 2003.[2] 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.[3][4][5] 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.[3]

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.[1]

In August 2009, a casting call was sent out to recast the role of Sam, leaving fans shocked by her possible departure.[6] 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.[7][8] 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.[8][9]

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.

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.[5] 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 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.[10] Allegra wants Sam to marry Andrew Olsen due to her resemblance to her daughter, Alicia.[11] 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.[11] 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 an 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.

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,[12] who is later revealed to be an alive Diego Alcazar. Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher) stops him and Diego 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 (Julie Marie Berman) are kidnapped by the crazed artist, Franco (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, the couple 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 apparently rapes Sam. Sam learns she is pregnant but 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) reveals to Sam that Franco and Jason are fraternal twin brothers, and a new DNA test reveals 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). 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. 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 Edward just in time before he passes away.

2013—

Todd is arrested for his role in the baby switch. John comes back and tells Sam that "Duke Lavery" was actually Cesar Faison (Anders Hove), and that he shot Jason and threw him into the harbor. Sam finally realizes Jason's gone, and asks Monica to help her plan a memorial. Meanwhile, Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) comes back to town and mistakes Sam and John for "Livvie" and "Caleb." Lucy corners and stabs John. At the hospital, Sam catches Todd trying to escape and she later confronts him about keeping quiet about Danny's true paternity. Todd claims insanity and is sent to Ferncliff. Sam meets Alison Barrington (Erin Hershey Presley), who also believes John and Sam are "Caleb" and "Livvie." When Alison is murdered, both John and Rafe Kovich, Jr. (Jimmy Deshler), Alison's son, are suspected. Sam tries to help clear John's name. Danny is kidnapped by Heather again, and found with Todd. Danny is returned to Sam and they run into "Caleb", who kidnaps them. John, Lucy and Rafe escape prison and find them at Wyndemere. Caleb brings Sam into the tunnels and bites her neck, saying she'll turn back into his wife, Livvie. John and Lucy kill Caleb, who is actually Stephen Clay, a rock musician who went insane. Sam and John admit they have feelings for each other, but agree they cannot act on them. John takes a case out of town and leaves. Sam gets roped into helping out with the Nurses' Ball and meets Anton Ivanov, played by Dancing with the Stars performer Maksim Chmerkovskiy.[13] Anton convinces Sam to fill in for his injured partner. Soon after, Sam agrees to Lucy's request for her to become Rafe's legal guardian, and is awarded temporary custody. When Morgan (Bryan Craig) goes missing, Sam helps Carly track him down to Manhattan, where she meets Dr. Silas Clay (Michael Easton), Stephen's brother, and is disgusted by his lack of care for Rafe.

Character development

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).[2] She is independent and scheming.[5] Soaps In Depth named the character on their list of the 50 naughtiest soap opera vixens in 2009.[14] 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.[15] 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."[16] 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."[12] 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."[12]

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. [17]

Reception

When Monaco originated the role of Sam, her performance was well received by viewers and the network.[5] 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.[18] She also co-hosted the Daytime Emmy Awards that same year.[1]

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. ^ a b c "Kelly Monaco: Biography". TV Guide. tvguide.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Soap Scoop: Daytime TV news". The Vindicator. September 29, 2003. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Kroll, Dan J. (August 27, 2003). "Monaco stays in PC and joins GH cast". Soapcentral.com. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  4. ^ TV Guide News (August 8, 2003). "Those Port Charles kids are hot!..." TV Guide. tvguide.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d Shaffer, Tara (November 22, 2003). "GH's Kelly Monaco On Cloud Nine". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  6. ^ Snyder, Jennifer (August 7, 2009). "GH's Sam McCall Recast?". TV Source Magazine. TVsourcemagazine.com. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  7. ^ Kroll, Dan J. (August 10, 2009). "Casting call for Sam McCall, co-stars deny Monaco leaving". Soapcentral.com. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "GH Stars Debunk Rumors of Kelly Monaco's Exit *UPDATE*". TV Source Magazine. TVsourcemagazine.com. August 8, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  9. ^ Kroll, Dan J. (August 22, 2009). "Monaco says there was 'no doubt' she'd re-sign with GH". Soapcentral.com. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  10. ^ "A Leg Up On Allegra". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. August 29, 2005. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Sam McCall's Twin Alicia Montenegro". The New York Times. about.com. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c Di Lauro, Janet (February 9, 2008). "GH's Sam: Un-'Lucky' at Love". Soap Opera Digest. soapoperadigest.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  13. ^ 'DWTS' Maksim Chmerkovskiy to star in 'General Hospital'
  14. ^ "50 Naughtiest Vixens". Soaps In Depth. Bauer Publications. November 2, 2009. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  15. ^ Ciaccia, Maria. "Sam McCall: Con Artist turned Detective". ABOUT. about.com. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  16. ^ Newcomb, Roger (September 15, 2011). "JaSam Wedding Fortune Cookies + Kelly Monaco and Steve Burton Interview". We Love Soaps. welovesoaps.net. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  17. ^ "Best of the Decade: General Hospital". SOAPnet. SOAPnet, LLC. December 18, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  18. ^ Koomar, Susan (February 10, 2006). "Poconos native nominated for Daytime Emmy". Pocono Record. poconorecord.com. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
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