Ryan's Hope
The Soap Opera Book, 1978
Johnny Ryan (Bernard Barrow): patriarch of the Ryan clan; husband to Maeve; father to Frank, Mary, Pat (and a few others not seen); grandfather to little John; a traditional Catholic with a big heart and the proverbial Irish wit and temper.
Maeve Ryan (Helen Gallagher): matriarch of the Ryan clan; wife to Johnny; mother to Frank, Mary, Pat, etc.; grandmother to little John; as traditional as her husband, but a bit more tolerant. She is a kind and strong-hearted woman with a sense of humor and an unshakeable faith.
Frank Ryan (Andrew Robinson): a politician reminiscent of the Kennedys (but now in decline); estranged husband to Delia; father to Little John; son to Maeve and Johnny; brother to Mary and Pat; lover to Jill Coleridge. He is a decent and impassioned man who will do the "right thing" if he can.
Delia Reid Ryan (Ilene Kristen): estranged wife to Frank; mother to little John; sister to Bob Reid; ex- lover to Roger Coleridge and Pat Ryan (her high school sweetheart); a spoiled and insecure child/woman with a dangerous habit of getting her way. She worships the Ryans for the family values she never had as a child.
Bob Reid (Earl Hindman): a big Irish policeman; brother to Delia; friend and former colleague to Frank; a calm man with sensible, traditional ideas.
Mary Ryan Fenelli (Kate Mulgrew): a TV reporter; wife to Jack (and pregnant with his child); daughter to Maeve and Johnny; sister to Frank and Pat. She is a good girl torn between Jack's irreverent ways and her parents' traditional values.
Jack Fenelli (Michael Levin): a reporter; husband to Mary and unwilling father to her unborn child; currently an invalid recovering from auto injuries that may leave him with "sexual dysfunction." Life as an orphan left him defensive and jealous of love; he is determined to have Mary to himself— which never happens.
Dr. Pat Ryan (Malcolm Groome): an intern in neurology; son to Maeve and Johnny; brother to Frank and Mary; sometime love interest of Delia and Faith Coleridge. He's handsome and full of charm—but there's a wild streak that can cause problems.
Jillian ("Jill") Coleridge (Nancy Addison): an outstanding lawyer; sister to Faith and Roger; lover to Frank, and briefly involved with Seneca Beaulac (which resulted in pregnancy). She is a strong, imaginative woman who feels impelled to act on moral principles—at some cost to herself.
Dr. Roger Coleridge (Ron Hale): brother to Jill and Faith; a wealthy, idle bachelor, who lies, cheats— and is surprised when no one sympathizes with his behavior. His only excuse was his genuine love for faithless Delia.
Dr. Faith Coleridge (Catherine Hicks): an intern in pediatrics; sister to Jill and Roger; friend and lover to Pat. She was transformed from a sweet, naive girl into a paranoid; now cured, she seems stronger for the ordeal she has been through.
Dr. Clem Moultrie (Hannibal Penney, Jr.): a sort of foster brother to Jill, Roger and Faith; the protégé son their father needed to make up for the rascally Roger. He is the only black man around—a brilliant surgeon and an idealist.
Dr. Seneca Beaulac (John Gabriel): wealthy widower of Bucky's Aunt Nell; a compelling man, with serious purposes—and a sense of fun. He was recently convicted for having pulled the respirator plug on his dead-but-breathing wife now working as a doctor/administrator and courting Jill.
Dr. Bucky Carter (Justin Deas): an intern in neurology; best friend to Pat and heir to thirty million. He is sensitive about his money; a nice young man who has been taken advantage of in the past.
Dr. Alex McLean (Ed Evanko): a young widower an old army buddy of Jack Fenelli, and currently his doctor. He gets along with Mary and the Ryans ever so much better than Jack does
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