List of One Tree Hill characters

The original five from the first season; Upper row (L-R) Lucas, Peyton and Haley. Lower row (L-R) Brooke and Nathan.

One Tree Hill is an American television series created by Mark Schwahn for The WB in 2003. After its third season, The WB and UPN merged to form The CW, which is the current broadcaster for the show in the United States. Schwahn serves as executive producer while also writing and directing for the show, including the premieres and finales of all seasons.

The show began with nine main characters in its first season. Since then, characters from that first season have left the show, with new main characters having been both written in and out of the series. Originally it followed two half-brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott who started out as enemies but later formed a close bond as brothers. It also followed the brothers various relationships with other female leads during their high-school years and in their early twenties.

Casting

Chad Michael Murray was the first person to be cast for One Tree Hill.^[1] The producers were originally unsure as to who Murray would play. Series creator Mark Schwahn wanted him to play the character of Nathan Scott since Murray had played a bad guy several times before, he felt it was only natural to give him this role.^[1] Murray, however, wanted to portray Lucas due to a connection he felt with the character. He felt that he could inhabit the character as the two share several similarities. Murray's mother left him when he was young, and Lucas was abandoned by his father. Murray's passion for the role led the producers to cast him as Lucas.^[1] Murray had turned down the lead role of Ryan Atwood in The O.C. to accept the role of Lucas Scott.^[2] James Lafferty was later cast in the role of Nathan as he was a good basketball player.^[3]

Hilarie Burton, auditioned for the part of Ed Harris's daughter in the film Radio. She was encouraged by subsequent callbacks, but did not land the role. However, the casting department remembered her and asked her to send an audition tape for One Tree Hill, and producers promised her a character that she could sink her teeth into – Peyton.^[4] "[Burton] is an old soul," said Mark Schwahn, the series' creator. "She's great. She's always just thrilled to do the job, even though she's kind of new to acting. She's just a joy to be around."^[5] Burton said, "I've never studied acting or anything because I've been so lucky with MTV. I'm convinced I got the chance to be on One Tree Hill because I did a guest thing on Dawson's Creek as myself, when the cast appeared at the MTV Beach House." She added, "And my only scene was with Chad Michael Murray (Lucas Scott). So, now The Chad and I are reunited. How bizarre is that?"^[6]

Main characters

The following is a list of series regulars from One Tree Hill. Some are currently starring, recurring or have left the series over the course of the nine seasons.

Lucas Scott

Chad Michael Murray played the central character of the show during the first six seasons and for one episode in the ninth and final season.

Further information: Lucas Scott

Portrayed by Chad Michael Murray from season one till six, Lucas Eugene Scott is Haley's best friend and Nathan's half-brother. He and Nathan started on bad terms but later become close brothers. He is a star on the high school basketball team. He had to quit playing the sport after he found out he had a genetic heart problem, inherited from his father - this meant he had more time to focus on writing. He was involved in a complicated love-triangle between Brooke and Peyton, but eventually realized Peyton was the one for him. After Peyton temporarily turned down his proposal in favour of her career, he begins dating his book editor Lindsay and gets engaged. Peyton returns to Tree Hill to get him back and after Lindsay realizes Lucas still loves Peyton she leaves him at the altar. Lucas tells Peyton he hates her and wishes she never came back to Tree Hill because she ruined his life. They later make amends and get married and have a daughter "Sawyer Brooke Scott". Lucas is currently traveling with Karen and Andy, while raising Sawyer and writing a new book.

Nathan Scott

James Lafferty portrays Nathan Scott.

Further information: Nathan Scott

Portrayed by James Lafferty since the pilot, Nathan Royal Scott was a basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats, husband of Haley James Scott and the father of James Lucas Scott and Lydia Bob Scott . He originally started out as a villain and enemy of his brother, Lucas. After falling for Lucas's best friend, Haley, he becomes a better person and later forms a strong bond with his brother. During the course of his life he has experienced many obstacles including spending time in a wheelchair following an accident after a fight; dealing with an overbearing father; an alcoholic-drug addict mother; allegations he cheated on Haley. Nathan overcomes all of his problems throughout the series and vows to never raise his child the way Dan raised him. Nathan maintains a strong bond with his mother - who was at one point Jamie's nanny. Haley and Nathan are now expecting another child. After waiting for Haley to go into labor, Haley gives birth to Lydia Bob Scott.

Peyton Sawyer

Hilarie Burton portrayed Peyton Sawyer during the first six seasons of the show.

Further information: Peyton Sawyer

Portrayed by Hilarie Burton from the pilot until the season six finale, Peyton Elizabeth Scott, née Sawyer, was introduced in the first season as Brooke Davis's best friend, and also as Nathan Scott's on-and-off girlfriend. She has a huge love for music and for art, and frequently sketches certain events in her life, or feelings she cannot bring herself to tell anybody about. Peyton develops feelings for Lucas Scott in the first season, but frequently tries keeping them to herself since he was consistently off-and-on with Brooke for the first four seasons. Her adoptive mother died in a car accident when she was young, and her adoptive father works out on the sea, which leaves Peyton on her own for most of the first four seasons. She met her birth mother Ellie Harp near the end of the second season, however she also dies from cancer by the middle of the third season. Peyton was consistently surrounded by terrible events: she was shot during the school shooting in season three, but rescued by Lucas, and was brutally attacked twice by Ian Banks, who pretended to be her long-lost brother Derek. She was saved the first time by Lucas and her real brother, and she was saved the second time by Brooke. Peyton left for Los Angeles to work as an intern at a major record label at the end of season four, but did not enjoy herself or feel she was accomplishing anything, so she returned to Tree Hill in the season five premiere. Peyton eventually married Lucas near the end of season six, and the two had a daughter, Sawyer Brooke Scott. Peyton and Lucas leave Tree Hill to raise Sawyer on the road, alongside Lucas's mother Karen, her daughter Lily, and her husband Andy.

Haley James Scott

Bethany Joy Galeotti portrays Haley James Scott.

Further information: Haley James Scott

Portrayed by Bethany Joy Galeotti since the pilot, Haley Bob James Scott is Lucas Scott's best friend. She is also married to Lucas's brother Nathan and is responsible in part for helping Lucas and Nathan become close. She is credited with making Nathan a better person. At the end of season 4, she gives birth to her and Nathans first child, Jamie Lucas Scott. Haley has a passion for music and has enjoyed a successful music career and embarked on two tours. She returned to Tree Hill and her family and friends. She became a popular teacher at Tree Hill High for a limited period but lost her job for standing up for what she believes in. She then became a music producer and takes over ownership of Peyton's recording studio. After losing her mother, Haley dealt with depression, even attempting suicide. She later begins to recover with the help of her family and friends. In the season seven finale, she finds out she's pregnant and believes it will be a girl. She was the one who found Clay and Quinn after being shot and while staying with Quinn at the hospital, she declares that she wants Quinn to be the godmother of the baby because Quinn's being there for Haley has helped her deal with everything the past year. She goes into labor and gives birth to Lydia Bob Scott. After giving birth to her daughter, Haley re-opens Karen's Cafe, where she worked throughout high school and became Lucas' best friend.

Brooke Davis

Further information: Brooke Davis

Sophia Bush portrays Brooke Davis.

Portrayed by Sophia Bush since the series' second episode, Brooke Penelope Davis was originally an immature party girl, who was neglected by her parents. She is best friends with Peyton Sawyer, but forms a close bond with Haley and Lucas (also her ex) who all help her evolve into a better person. After being betrayed by Lucas and Peyton twice she loses her will to love and enter relationships. Although she later forgives them and remains best friends with the two, she does not fall in love again until six years later when she met Julian Baker. She owns a multi-million dollar corporation, "Clothes Over Bro's" which she founded while still in High School and originally co-owned with her mother. Brooke has a turbulent relationship with her mother and is angry at the way her parents ignored her while she was growing up but are interested in her now she has money and a successful company. Victoria signs 100% of the company over to Brooke realizing she cares more about her daughter than money. She tells Brooke to go LA and tell Julian she loves him and to not let her inability to open her heart affect her - a trait she gets from Victoria, who was also responsible for causing it. Victoria remains working for Brooke's company. Brooke is now married to Julian. In season 8 she is almost arrested after Victoria and Millicent began forging documents for the company but Victoria faces the charges and goes to prison instead. Brooke pays all the investors back by selling her company. She later turns down an offer to return as vice president. Brooke and Julian decide to adopt a child, but shortly after the mother changes her mind, Brooke discovers she is pregnant with twins. Brooke takes an accidental fall in Karen's Cafe causing her to go into premature labour. The twins, Jude and Davis, are fine and Brooke and Julian continue to raise them.

Dan Scott

Played by Paul Johansson as a series regular from the pilot to the thirteenth episode of season seven. He appeared as a special guest star for two episodes in season eight, before returning as a full-time series regular for the ninth and final season.^[7] Daniel Robert "Dan" Scott is the original villain in Tree Hill. Dan is the ex-husband of Deb Lee and the father of Nathan and Lucas Scott. Originally wanting nothing to do with Lucas, he begins to want a part in Lucas's life. He hired a woman (Jules) to make Keith fall in love with her as revenge for sleeping with Deb. But Jules actually falls in love with Keith, but leaves him on the alter after being threatened by Karen. Deb attempted to murder Dan by burning down his dealership. Dan, thinking it was Keith shoots Keith and lets Jimmy Edwards take the blame as Jimmy committed suicide. Lucas gradually accepts Dan as his Dad until he finds out what he did. Dan, realizing Lucas will never forgive him turns himself into the police. He then spends almost five years in prison.

After prison Dan and Nathan's son Jamie become close friends. Dan is kidnapped by Carrie, Jamie's ex Nanny who planned to kidnap Jamie and set Dan up for it. He is later rescued by Haley (who went to see him after Carrie called pretending to be a nurse saying Dan was about to die) and Deb (who came afterwards to help Haley and Jamie after realizing where Haley had really gone). He shoots Carrie and she is believed to be dead. When Jamie finds out what he did, Jamie at first stops talking to him. Dan leaves Tree Hill to die as he does not think he will be able to find a new heart since one became available while he was being held hostage. In the year time gap between seasons six and seven, Dan married Rachel, who takes him to Mexico and illegally buys a heart. After realizing the type of person Rachel is when she wants to take their TV show to the corridor he murdered Keith, he gives all his money to charity and divorces her. Before leaving Tree Hill once again he says goodbye to Jamie, who tells him he forgives him. Nathan also thanks Dan for helping him get to the NBA. He is seen working in a burger joint where he is visited by Quinn for help with murdering Katie. He appears shortly in the season eight finale when Nathan gives him a photograph of Lydia and a baseball that Jamie hit.

Whitey Durham

Barry Corbin plays Brian Dale Durham, also known as Whitey, as a series regular through seasons one to four, as a guest star for one episode in season five and as a special guest star for one episode in season six. Durham was the Tree Hill Ravens basketball coach throughout seasons one to four, and also a source of wisdom and advice not only for the students of Tree Hill High, but occasionally the adults living in Tree Hill. He was close to Keith Scott and Karen Roe but had a major rivalry with his former basketball player, Dan Scott. Whitey eventually left the Tree Hill Ravens, and during the time period between seasons four and five, he coached a college basketball team, before finally retiring, leaving the college team for Lucas to coach. In season 6, now retired, he is visited by Dan where Dan finally apologizes and they have a reconciliation where Whitey tells Dan that he still has time to earn his family's forgiveness.

Keith Scott

Played by Craig Sheffer as a series regular for seasons one till three and as a special guest star in two episodes in season four, Keith Alan Scott was Dan Scott's older brother, and also a recurring love interest for Karen Roe, Lucas Scott's mother and Dan's ex. Keith was portrayed as Lucas's father figure, and was dearly loved by most characters in the show. He was a mechanic and spent a lot of time teaching Lucas about cars. Keith was in love with Karen from their schooldays and despised the way his younger brother Dan had treated her when she became pregnant and had his son. After Dan and Deb split up for a short time, Keith ended up sleeping with Deb. Dan was angry when he found out and accused Keith of always wanting his leftovers. In revenge Dan hired Jules to make Keith fall in love with her and to stand him up at the altar. Instead she actually fell in love with Keith but left when Karen found out about Dan's plan and told her to leave Tree Hill or she would tell Keith the truth. In season three, Dan shot Keith dead as he believed Keith had attempted to murder him in the dealership fire.

Karen Roe

Played by Moira Kelly as a series regular from seasons one till four and as a special guest star in seasons five and six, Karen Roe is the single mother to Lucas Scott. She has a very fraught relationship with Lucas' father, Dan Scott. She is a businesswoman and owned Karen's Cafe and Tric nightclub, the venue where both Lucas and Nathan had their wedding receptions. She is seen as a mother figure to Haley, often offering her support and advice. After the breakup of Dan and Deb's marriage, Karen and Deb become good friends and end up going into business together. But later end their partnership ends due to Deb's drug addiction and when she accidentally shoots a gun off in the customer filled cafe. When Brooke moves in with her and Lucas she also becomes a mother figure for her and somebody Brooke looks up to. After years she admitted her feelings for Keith and decided to marry him, unfortunately Keith dies before they can marry. It was later revealed she was pregnant and had a daughter Lily Roe Scott. She later sells the Cafe and goes travelling the world with her boyfriend and later husband, Andy.

Deb Scott

Barbara Alyn Woods portrays Deborah Helen "Deb" Lee, previously Scott, as a series regular from the second half of season one until season four and in season six, and as a recurring character seasons one and five. She will return as a guest star for the ninth and final season.^[8] She is Dan Scott's ex-wife and Nathan's mother. She becomes good friends with Dan's ex and Lucas's mother Karen and they go into business together. She battled alcohol and drug problems in season two and set fire to Dan's car lot, hoping he would die but Lucas dragged him to safety. She again battled drugs in season four, but cleaned up her act and became Jamie's Nanny. She meets a man on the internet who turns out to be her son's friend "Skills" and begins a relationship. Deb later ends it as she believes he should have children and get married which she does not want to do again. In her final episodes Dan tells her it's as much her fault Keith died as his as he thought it was Keith who set fire to the car lot which is why he killed him, which again leaves Deb filled with guilt. However, in Deb's last scene Dan tells her to not blame herself and to not feel guilty as it's not her fault.

Mouth McFadden

Lee Norris portrays Mouth McFadden.

Marvin Leonardo McFadden, also known as Mouth, is portrayed by Lee Norris. He is Lucas's friend from the river court. Originally a recurring character during seasons one and two, he was upgraded to series regular status from the third season. He becomes close friends with Brooke and Rachel. Mouth is the only one who knows it was Rachel who released the time capsule which caused the events leading up to Keith's death. He at first stops speaking to her but forgives her in the end. Four years later; Mouth falls in love with Millicent, Brooke's assistant. After the pressures of the modelling industry cause her to worry about her weight she begins to take drugs and rejects all her friends, including Mouth. When Skills leaves for a new job in season 7, Mouth begins to date Lauren, which ends his friendship with Skills when he finds out. Skills later forgives Mouth. Despite Lauren wanting to continue their relationship, Mouth refused as his friendship to Skills meant more to him. Since Lucas left Tree Hill, Mouth and Nathan have become close friends. Mouth lost his job because he refused to speak on air about Nathan's scandal. At the beginning of season 8, Mouth and Millicent sleep together after getting drunk together at a bar discussing their problems and why they broke up.

Skills Taylor

Portrayed by Antwon Tanner as a series regular from season four to the thirteenth episode of season seven and in a recurring role in seasons one to three and season seven episode eighteen onwards, Antwon Charles Taylor, also known as Skills, is one of Lucas's best friends from the River Court, who later becomes good friends with Nathan too. He begins to date Bevin, a cheerleader but their relationship ended sometime in the time-jump between season 4 and 5. He meets someone else online, who turns out to be Nathan's mother, Deb. After initially saying nothing can happen, they sleep together and start a relationship. Deb later ends the relationship feeling he can do better and deserves to have children and get married, which she does not want to do again. He then starts dating Jamie's teacher, Lauren. He moves to Los Angeles to start a new job but comes back as he cannot get over Lauren. Skills finds out Lauren and Mouth started dating whilst he was away but later forgives Mouth.

Rachel Gatina

Played by Danneel Harris as a series regular in season four, along with a recurring role during seasons three, five and seven, Rachel Virginia Gatina, previously Scott, was introduced as a bad girl and rival to Brooke Davis, before becoming good friends with Brooke and a friend to Mouth. She was originally obese before undergoing plastic surgery treatments to alter her appearance before moving to Tree Hill. In season four she tries to break up Nathan and Haley but fails which causes Haley to confront her. In the time gap between seasons four and five, she worked for Brooke's company "Clothes Over Bros" and began using drugs which forced Brooke to let her go. However, after finding her lying unconscious from an overdose in her private New York apartment, Brooke decides to bring her back to Tree Hill to look after her. Rachel then (after being taunted by Victoria that she'll never really recover from her addiction and is kidding herself) steals Brooke's money and leaves. In season seven she returns and is married to Dan Scott and is the mastermind behind his Redemption TV series. After realizing the sort of person she is, Dan gives all his money to charity and divorces her, leaving Rachel with nothing. She has not been seen since.

Jamie Scott

Played by Jackson Brundage since season five, James Lucas Scott, known as Jamie, is Nathan and Haley's eight year old son. He gets his middle name from his uncle and godfather, Lucas Scott. Brooke Davis is Jamie's godmother and they spend much of their time together, and Brooke always gives Jamie a check with "a lot of zeroes" each year on his birthday. Jamie is often a shoulder to lean on for many of the characters and is shown to be very intelligent. He forms a close bond with his grandfather, Dan Scott, as he feels everyone deserves a friend. After Dan reveals to him he was the person who killed Keith, Jamie feels lost. Lucas takes him to the auto shop where he grew up to tell him about Keith. Jamie later forgives Dan. Jamie is shown to be a good basketball player and has a strong friendship with Skills and Mouth. Jamie is very fond of both Brooke and Julian, serving as best man at their wedding. He has had a very big interest in playing baseball, which grew after Julian gave Jamie a glove once worn by Roberto Clemente and he met ace pitching prospect Ian Kellerman. He misses his uncle Lucas greatly and mentions this to his father often. In season eight, he gets braces for his teeth and has a growing attraction for female classmate Madison, allowing her to win the school spelling bee. He also helps his father study for his college course. In season eight he becomes a big brother to Lydia Bob Scott. He is seen to love his baby sister.

Millicent Huxtable

Recurring in season five and starring from season six onwards, Millicent "Millie" Huxtable, played by Lisa Goldstein, is Brooke's friend and originally her assistant. She began a serious relationship with Mouth after moving to Tree Hill with Brooke to open a store for "Clothes Over Bro's." In season seven after modelling for Brooke, she becomes a full-time model and the face of "Clothes Over Bro's". This causes her to worry about her weight. As the pressure became too much, she started using cocaine with her new modelling friends. She became a shadow of her former self rejecting Mouth's love and Brooke's friendship. After help from Victoria and Alex, she gets her life back on track and moves back to New York to resume her position as Vice President of the company. She assisted Victoria in forging documents for "Clothes Over Bro's," causing Brooke to be arrested when it all came out. Brooke says to her "the old Millie would have never done this." She later falls into bed with Mouth after a drunken night and after a while they get back together. After "Clothes Over Bro's" closes, she gets a job as a news reporter. At the end of season eight, she and Mouth get their own talk show.

Julian Baker

Played by Austin Nichols in a recurring role during season six and as a regular from season seven onwards, Julian Andrew Baker is a movie producer and director. He has gone through life feeling as though he is never good enough as his father had never shown him that he is proud of his achievements. When he first appears he begins a relationship with Peyton when she has broken up with Lucas. After he realizes she will never get over Lucas, he leaves her. Some time after, he heads to Tree Hill to produce a movie version of Lucas's book. At first it seemed like he just wanted Peyton back, but later falls for Brooke as he feels a connection with her as they share a similar past both as footnotes in the Lucas/Peyton love story. In season seven, Julian catches Alex Dupre's eye, a model and actress hired by Brooke for "Clothes Over Bro's." Brooke becomes very jealous of the friendship between the two and they break up for a while. After getting back together, the gang take a trip to Utah where Julian proposes to Brooke. She says yes. In season eight, he marries Brooke. Julian and Brooke decide that they want to start a family, so they explore adopting. They meet a nineteen year old girl named Chloe. Chloe then decides to give her baby to Brooke and Julian, but once she reconciles with her ex-boyfriend she decides to keep the baby, leaving Julian and Brooke heartbroken. A few weeks later Brooke and Julian decide to move to New York until she discovers they are expecting a baby and decide to stay in Tree Hill. The couple then found out they were expecting twins and after a fall while working they were delivered at seven months and put in a special care unit. At the end of season 8, Julian and Brooke are seen playing at home with their sons, whom they named Jude and Davis.

Clay Evans

Played by Robert Buckley from season seven onwards, Clayton "Clay" Evans became Nathan's agent and close friend during the time jump of fourteen months between season six and seven. He's also close to Nathan's family, his wife Haley James Scott and their son James Lucas Scott. At first Clay is shown as a flirt and fond of one night stands. Upon meeting Quinn James, Haley's sister, he's immediately drawn to her but backs off once he learns that she's going through a separation with her husband. In his past, Clay was married to a woman named Sara who died suddenly, leaving Clay emotionally scarred and unable to let go of her. Clay is a loyal friend and helps the Scotts through the Renee scandal but is fired once he fails to re-sign Nathan with the Bobcats. Quinn helps him get his job back and make peace with the loss of his wife so he can move on and the two fall in love. In the season seven finale, both he and Quinn are shot by Clay's stalker, Katie Ryan and left for dead. Clay lingers between life and death with a gunshot wound to the chest and comes close to dying when his organs start to fail, but makes a miraculous recovery after a kidney transplant and awakens with Quinn at his side. He later helps Nathan with a career as a sporting agent.

Quinn James

Shantel VanSanten joined the cast in season seven as Haley's sister, Quinn.

Played by Shantel VanSanten since season seven, Quinn Isabella James, previously Fletcher, is a photographer and Haley's older sister who moves back to Tree Hill after her marriage breaks down. She feels that her husband has begun to change and that they no longer have anything in common and later divorces him. She later begins a relationship with Nathan's agent Clay. Her older sister, Taylor, returns to Tree Hill with Quinn's former husband causing a fight between the two. They later make things right before their mother dies of cancer. Quinn was the first one to be shot by Katie Ryan when she was heading to bed. She and Clay are in limbo while fighting for their lives. Clay tells her that she has to wake up because she is needed, especially by Haley. They confess their love for each other ("Til kingdom come") before Quinn wakes up and makes a full recovery in time, but fears for Clay when Haley tells her that his organs are failing. She visits Clay every day and he awakens with her by his side. Once they return home, it's shown that Quinn is still haunted by the attack from Katie and keeps a gun hidden. When Clay finds it, he tells her that she should go to Africa for a photography gig because that will be what saves her. She does and when she returns, it's revealed that part of her trip had been spent tracking down Katie as she has numerous photographs of her. She then visits Dan for help in killing her, but backs out at the last minute. Katie however, initiates an attack on Quinn when Clay is out of town but this time it is Quinn who shoots Katie. In season eight she goes to Brooke's bachelorette party and ends up, after a drunken night, with a tongue piercing, raw meat in her purse and a stolen skateboarding dog.

Alex Dupre

Portrayed by Jana Kramer since season seven, Alex Dupre, real name Alice Whitehead, was originally a recurring character, but was moved to starring in the fourteenth episode. She is a fallen starlet whom Millicent hires to be the face of Clothes Over Bro's new line. At first, everyone thinks she is a ditzy and promiscuous girl. She later tries to have Julian produce a movie she scripted (although she at first does not disclose that she wrote it) and butts head with Brooke who sees her as a potential rival for Julian's attention. She almost ruins her chances of working with Julian by making a move on him, but they later reconcile and begin to write a script for a movie. She also jump-starts Millicent's modeling career by drugging another model, leaving Millie to take her spot. She is fired by Brooke when it is revealed she exposed herself to Julian in her hotel room. Later on, Alex and Millie become quite close, and Alex also tries to become close to Julian. When Julian refuses to be with her, she attempts suicide by slitting her wrists. She was hospitalized, and in a coma for a while, but she survives. Eventually, she takes her own place in the Tree Hill crowd, and everyone accepts her. Whilst at the film festival to promote the film she made with Julian, she begins to develop a crush on Chase, who had just broken up with Mia. On the last night, they kiss and then sleep with each other. In the season eight premiere, they have become a couple and Alex flaunts this in front of Mia while Chase teaches her how to bartend. Chase breaks up with her after she lies to him about a new movie project. Alex and Mia later fight over chase, before it is revealed that he wants to be by himself now. After "inviting herself" to Brooke's bachelorette party, while they are all partying and drunk, Alex becomes included within the girls' group. At the end of the episode, she says to Quinn that even though the gang does not like her, she likes them and enjoys spending time with real friends, even though she is not their friend. Quinn then tells her that she considers Alex a friend.

Chase Adams

Stephen Colletti portrayed Chase Adams in a recurring role from seasons four till eight, before being upgraded to a regular from the eleventh episode of season eight. He was another member of the Clean Teens who got close to Brooke after she and Rachel joined the Clean Teens. Brooke, after earning a high grade in a test by cheating, agreed to tutor Chase, who initially had no idea of how Brooke really got the grade and they begin to date. When he found out that Brooke cheated he forgave her and they continued to date. Brooke and Chase attended a party at Nathan's mom's house and everyone found out that Nathan and Brooke filmed a sex tape. He visited Brooke while she was setting up for prom and told her that his ex-girlfriend cheated on him with his best friend. He told her that it's over between them, but he knows how important prom is to her so they will still go together. Brooke told him it's over because she did not want to be with someone who does not want to be with her. Chase later bumped into Brooke at school, he had been calling her after he heard about her being tied up by Psycho Derek. He was no longer wearing his 'Clean Teens' t-shirt and it is revealed that he still has feelings for Brooke, as she does for him. After a heartfelt confession, Chase and Brooke decided to get back together. In the finale, Brooke and Chase took their relationship to the next level and had sex in the backseat of his car. Chase said "it was the best 60 seconds" of his life.^[9] Four years later, he was friends with Owen and came back to Tree Hill for Lucas' bachelor party (before his wedding with Lindsay), unwittingly getting set up with Peyton, which they used to make Lucas and Brooke jealous.^[10] Chase told Brooke that Owen was not returning to Tree Hill, marking the end to Owen and Brooke's relationship.^[11] Chase returns to Tree Hill to discover Owen has slipped back into his previous ways, and offers to take over his job working at TRIC until Owen regains sobriety. Chase then asks Mia out on a date, which ends with them having their first kiss in Peyton's studio. He was also the inspiration for Mia's new song for her second album. In the season seven finale Alex ask him out for a date and kisses him just before he receive a text message from Mia wanting to get back together. Since they came back from the Utah he is now dating Alex. In the fifth episode of the eight season, he breaks up with Alex because she lied to him about a new movie project. Alex and Mia then fight over Chase, before it is revealed that because of their decisions he no longer wants to be with either and is instead choosing to be by himself. On Brooke and Julian's wedding he has "slutty wedding sex" with Mia. He then realizes he wants to be more than just a bar manager at TRIC after having a conversation with Mia the day after the wedding, and becomes a "Big Brother" to Chuck, one of Jamie's friends.

Chris Keller

Tyler Hilton prepared for the role by purchasing the show's first season on DVD.

Chris Keller is played by Tyler Hilton as a guest star in sixteen episodes spanning across seasons two, three and four and as a main character in season nine.^[12] He is introduced when Peyton asks to put up a flyer in the record shop which he works at. He later shows up for the auditions to perform at Tric'.^[13] With Peyton being impressed by his audition, he agrees to perform, however leaves the stage with the intention that Haley would have to perform in his absence.^[14] Impressed by Haley's talent he invites her to share some studio time, and the two record a cover to Ryan Adams' When the Stars Go Blue.^[15] Upon finding out that the two worked together, Nathan threatens Chris warning him not to take advantage of her.^[16] He later kisses Haley and invites her to join him on tour, which she initially accepts^[17] however backs out last minute.^[18] He returns to Tree Hill whilst touring and convinces Haley to join him on tour.^[19]

He returns in the third season when Nathan asks him to help Haley with her song writing.^[20] Following getting drunk with Brooke, the two sleep together, causing problems in her relationship with Lucas.^[21] With no money to pay for Haley's music masters from the studio, he and Nathan play poker to gain money. However the two become stranded with no money, leading Chris to sell his guitar to pay the studio. He then leaves Tree Hill on good terms with Nathan. He later appears while the gang are in Honeygrove rescuing Mouth.^[22]

"Being such an opposite of him and coming into contact with people like that, I know what it's like to hate those kinds of people, I know what those people do to make me hate them and that's what I try to do as Chris"

— Tyler Hilton on his portrayal of Chris Keller.[23]

Tyler Hilton was awarded the role for playing his song Glad with Mark Schwahn seeing that he was right for the part by the first chorus. Hilton watched the show's first season to know more about the show having never seen an episode.^[23] Hilton enjoys being able to play his music live on the show as music is such a large part of One Tree Hill.^[24] Schwahn notes that the audience initially thought the character was there for Peyton, and were praising him for his confidence, however when they learned he was there for Haley to break up her marriage they began hating him.^[23]

Recurring characters

The following is a list of characters that are, or at one time were, a recurring guest on the series; they are listed in the order that they first appeared on the show. Many characters have had storylines that have spanned multiple seasons, while the others are restricted to arcs that occurred during a single season of the show.

Jake Jagielski

Bryan Greenberg portrays Jake Jagielski through the show's first three seasons, becoming a major love interest for Peyton.

Jake Jagielski, portrayed by Bryan Greenberg in twenty-five episodes between the first three seasons, is a Ravens basketball player who first appears in the pilot episode.^[25] He forms a friendship with Lucas, not joining in on the team's hatred towards him.^[26] He is the single father to his daughter Jenny,^[27] however he had kept her a secret until Lucas convinces him otherwise.^[28] He forms a friendship with Peyton as she first offers to watch Jenny during basketball practice^[29] and later babysits while he attends his cousin's wedding.^[30] He briefly holds a job at Karen's Café, allowing him to take Jenny into work with him if unable to find a babysitter.^[31] Jenny's mother, Nicki, returns to Tree Hill, hoping to become part of her daughter's life,^[30] but Jake wants to have nothing to do with her, considering the fact that she left him and Jenny 9 months ago.^[32] Unable to sort their differences, Nicki begins a custody battle for Jenny, causing Jake to leave town with the help of Peyton's dad.^[33]

In the second season, it is made clear that Peyton has romantic feelings for him, and that she has been e-mailing him without response.^[34] Jake returns to Tree Hill when he receives a telephone call from Lucas informing him that Peyton is going through hard times. The two then take a road trip together to collect Jenny from Savannah, Georgia.^[18] He and Peyton share their first date upon their return,^[35] and later begin a sexual relationship.^[36] Nicki returns, having been awarded full custody of Jenny, due to Jake not being present at the hearing.^[37] He initially hides himself and Jenny from the police, but later turns himself in, with Whitey taking his daughter to Florida.^[32] Nicki, however, finds Jenny and leaves town with her, causing Jake to leave Tree Hill to find his daughter.^[38] In the third season, Peyton visits him in Savannah where he and Nicki are awaiting trial to determine who will receive custody.^[39] Peyton asks him to marry her, but the two part ways after she states that she loves Lucas in her sleep.^[40]

The role of Jake Jagielski was written specifically for Bryan Greenberg, having previously worked with series creator Mark Schwahn on The Perfect Score. Plans for the character to return in the second season were helped by the audience responding well to the character.^[41] Schwahn expressed interest in having the character return. He has approached Greenberg about reprising his role, however noted that Greenberg's busy schedule is likely to prevent any further appearances.^[42]

Tim Smith

Played by Brett Claywell in seasons one till three and five, Tim Smith was Nathan's best friend until Nathan married Haley. He then clinged on Nathan and had a hard time adjusting to the fact that Nathan had new friends outside of him. His appearances slowly turned to comic-relief such as when he mistook a pair of female police officers for strippers at a party, insisting on them giving him a show even as they handcuffed him and put him in a police car. He then attended a school for "slower students". In Season five, he is a pizza-boy, married to Bevin and they have a son named Nathan.

Junk Moretti

Played by Cullen Moss since the pilot, Jonathan Moretti, also known as Junk, is one of the players from the River Court. He once said he had a Canadian girlfriend. Following the four year gap, he lived with Mouth, Skills, Fergie and, later, Millicent.

Fergie Thompson

Played by Vaughn Wilson since the pilot, Ferguson "Fergie" Thompson is another one of the players from the River Court. He attended the Prom by himself. He is usually seen with Skills and Junk. After the four year gap he lived with Mouth, Skills, Junk and, later, Millicent.

Bevin Mirskey

Played by Bevin Prince during seasons one to five, Bevin Evan Smith, née Mirskey, is portrayed by Bevin Prince in over thirty episodes spanning the first five seasons. Originally intended to be an extra during cheerleading scenes, Prince was later given lines to speak. Her friendship with Brooke is established in season two when Bevin expresses that she is a great captain. Bevin dates Skills in seasons three and four, but breakup after the relationship not working out throughout the missing years. She is not very bright, but she reveals in season four that she only acts dumb for people to rely on her in that way. In season five, we see that she is married to Tim Smith, who is also not smart, and they have a son named Nathan. She now works in a department store.^[43] It was recently revealed that Bevin would be returning for the final episode in 2012.

Larry Sawyer

Played by Thomas Ian Griffith in season one and Kevin Kilner in season three, Larry Sawyer is the adoptive father of Peyton Sawyer who raised her alone after the death of his wife Anna. He is often away because of his work but he and Peyton maintain a close relationship and talk frequently. He is very over-protective of his daughter and, to an extent, Brooke as well. He first meets Lucas in his house holding a rake and threatening him, but Larry comes around and grows fond of Lucas, especially after he saved Peyton's life during the school shooting. Larry also is attracted to Karen for a time, but it fades when she meets Andy.

Nicki

Emmanuelle Vaugier played Nicki during the first two seasons. She first appeared as a girl who had a one night stand with Lucas. She wanted to get involved in her daughter's life but Jake would not let her. She told him that she would get to Jenny with or without him. She tried to use Brooke to find out where he was but was fooled into going to Seattle while he was actually in Savannah. She returned in Season two, saying she had earned custody of Jenny through a trial which Jake did not attend because he was in hiding. When Jake refused to give Jenny to her and turned himself in to the police because there was a warrant out for his arrest, she still managed to locate her and take her away. Jake then chased after her and in Season three, it is revealed that they both live in Savannah and will continue to share custody until the next trial.

Lydia James

Played by Bess Armstrong during seasons two and seven. Lydia James, née Brigard, is the matriach of the James family and the mother of Haley, Quinn, Taylor, Vivian and several other children. She fully supported Haley's decision to marry during her junior year, opposing the views of Nathan's mother Deb but it was a decision she made because her children's happiness is very important to her. In Season seven, Lydia visits her daughters, Haley, Taylor and Quinn and it is revealed that her husband had died several years prior and that she has Pancreatic Cancer and is dying, but wants to spend her remaining time with daughters rather than fight it. This causes Taylor to leave. She also rents a photography studio for Quinn, encouraging her to chase her dreams. Lydia's condition worsened and she was hospitalized. Quinn talked to Taylor, asking her to visit their mother and Taylor eventually did. Taylor eventually apologized for her behavior and Lydia then told her that out of all of her kids, Taylor reminded her the most of a younger version of herself. Haley, Nathan, Quinn, Taylor, Jamie & Clay then stayed with Lydia and she eventually passed away. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered by Haley, Quinn & Taylor. Haley named her daughter after her in season eight.

Felix Taggaro

Played by Michael Copon during season two, Felix Taggaro is Anna's brother and dated Brooke Davis. He was Lucas's new rival because of those two facts and they never saw eye-to-eye. He painted "dyke" on Peyton's locker to protect his bisexual sister from what he believed to only be rumors. Brooke dumped him when she found out about the locker and he was later sent to military school. He also betrayed his own sister after she came out to him.

Andy Hargrove

Played by Kieren Hutchison during seasons two and five, Andy Hargrove was a teacher at Karen's college, who happens to be extremely wealthy, as he had quit a successful CEO job after a car accident with a woman which worked as a wake-up call. The two began dating but after his mother became ill, he returned to New Zealand. He was a suspect in the attempted murder of Dan. Karen visited him but they broke up because she did not want to have children. They got back together sometime during the time-jump and he returns with Karen for Lucas' wedding.

Karen and Andy are now married and travelling the world while raising Karen's daughter, Lily.^[44]

Anna Taggaro

Portrayed by Daniella Alonso, Anna Taggaro appeared in eleven episodes of the second season. The character is credited by AfterEllen.com as the first recurring bisexual character of color on television; though whether the character is "truly bisexual" or simply gay is debated by fans.^[45] Anna moves to Tree Hill to escape rumors that she has been having a relationship with another girl.^[18] She is first introduced in season two's "I Will Dare", when she helps Lucas escape the security guards at the local mall. The two then go to a pizzeria together.^[46] She and Lucas watch a meteor shower which her brother Felix disapproves of.^[13] They decide to take things slow becoming ‘friends with potential’,^[14] however she offers him sex after a formal dance, which he turns down due to not being in love with her.^[16] Lucas ends the relationship after realizing that he has feelings for Brooke,^[17] however the two remain friends as she confides her sexuality to him. Anna forms a strong relationship with Peyton and kisses her after misreading the signs.^[18] When she discovers that Felix wrote ‘dyke’ on Peyton's locker she turns him in getting him expelled. She comes out to him and states how hurt she is by his use of the word.^[37] Anna decides that she should stop running from who she is and comes out to her parents, and eventually leaves Tree Hill to re-join her previous school.^[32]

"Her use of the word 'gay' instead of 'bisexual' wasn't meant to imply that Anna is not bisexual. If I had known the word bisexual was more taboo, we may have gone in that direction. For me, it seemed like Felix was so homophobic, that for her to say 'I’m gay' to him felt even stronger for her."

— Mark Schwahn on the decision for the character to come out using the word 'gay'.[45]

When creating characters for the second season, Mark Schwahn had wanted to add a family, which the addition of Anna and Felix allowed him to do. Once casting Daniella Alonso, he refrained from telling her that the rumors were true, however once informing her on her character's back story it was like "flipping a switch" as she knew what to play.^[23] The character was made bisexual as opposed to a lesbian so that her past could be kept secret. Anna was presented as a romantic interest for Lucas, "[Schwahn] thought if she was strictly a lesbian character, that would be really out of nature for her, and a little disingenuous to lesbians", and they needed to hide what her journey was going to be.^[45] Alonso feels that the audience was not receptive to the character initially—especially with a large portion of the audience wanting Brooke and Lucas to be together—however over the course of her arc they began to accept Anna.^[23]

Emily Chambers

Emily Chambers, who pretended to be Jules, was portrayed by Maria Menounos during season two. She is a woman who Dan paid to make Keith fall in love with her and then break his heart, as way to get revenge on him for sleeping with Deb. She took the "job" to pay for hospital bills she had from being regularly beaten up by her boyfriend. She actually did fall in love with Keith, but left on their wedding day after Karen blackmailed her.

Taylor James

Lindsey McKeon portrays Taylor James during seasons two and seven. Taylor is Haley and Quinn's sister. She comes to Tree Hill in season 2, and stays in Nathan and Haley's apartment.It is revealed that Nathan lost his virginity to Taylor. When Haley is constantly absent because of her music career, Taylor is stirring up trouble with Nathan. Taylor takes him to a bar, where she dances with other women on the table. Nothing happens though, and Nathan returns to Tree Hill. She returns in season seven, episode thirteen with Quinn's ex-husband David, who she is dating. She, along with Haley and Quinn are visited by their mother, Lydia, who reveals that she has pancreatic cancer and is dying. When Lydia tells the girls that she does not want to spend the remainder of her life in a hospital, Taylor gets angry and believes her mother is giving up. Haley later finds her packing and despite her attempts to persuade Taylor to stay, Taylor leaves. When Lydia collapses and ends up in the hospital, Quinn comes to try and convince her to come see their mother, but Taylor angrily refuses in tears, but Quinn leaves a picture of her, Taylor and Haley when they were close as kids and Taylor ends up going to the hospital to see Lydia. Taylor is told by Lydia that out of all her children she reminds Lydia the most of a younger version of herself. She, Quinn, Haley, Nathan, Jamie and Clay are present when Lydia dies and she along with her sisters, scatter her ashes.

Cooper Lee

Played Michael Trucco during seasons two, three and four, Cooper Lee is Nathan Scott's uncle and Deb Lee's brother. He first came to town to cheer-up Nathan after his break-up with Haley. He then came back to protect Deb from Dan and dated Rachel Gatina. He tried to end it when he found out she was seventeen. The two then drove off a bridge but survived. Cooper moved back home.

Ellie Harp

Lee played Peyton's biological mother who died from breast cancer shortly after coming into Peyton's life.

Portrayed by Sheryl Lee in the season two finale and season three. Elizabeth "Ellie" Harp was a cocaine addict when she got pregnant with Peyton and decided to give her up; Peyton was adopted by Anna and Larry Sawyer. She agreed not to have any contact with her daughter, but she later decided she wanted to see her and finally managed to at the end of season two. Ellie is a writer and pretends to be doing a magazine article on Peyton so they can meet up. When Peyton calls the magazine they tell her there is no-one called Ellie Harp working there, and they know nothing about the article. Peyton begins getting creepy emails from "WATCHMEWATCHU" and assumes they are from Ellie. Ellie shows up on Peyton's door and tells her that she is her mother, and she did not send any emails. At first, Peyton did not believe her or trust her, especially after Lucas Scott caught her buying drugs. However, it was revealed that she was dealing with a recurrence of breast cancer, and that the pills were actually for medical purposes. Peyton was about to change her mind after finding out about Ellie's condition but they fought again when Peyton found that she wrote an article about her. She told her to go away, calling her a liar. Haunted by dreams about her "Angel of Death" persona, Peyton found Ellie again and they bonded. They decided to make a CD to promote Haley's new song and raise funds to fight breast cancer. They finally managed to finish the CD but Ellie died the day the records were ready. Peyton spread her ashes on a place where Ellie had been to a music festival, the best thing she remembered aside from her time with Peyton.

Derek Sommers

Played by Ernest Waddell during seasons four and six. Derek Sommers is the biological half-brother of Peyton. Lucas is startled to discover that Peyton's brother was black, but ultimately this was not much of a discussion point. He rescues Peyton and Lucas from Psycho Derek. While Psycho Derek escaped from Peyton's house, Peyton did not feel safe anymore and closed herself up in the house. Derek returns and teaches her kickboxing, for her anger to deal with. With success, because when Psycho Derek returns, Peyton uses her lessons to beat Psycho Derek. This may have attributed to getting Psycho Derek in jail. Peyton goes with Derek to the Raven's basketball banquet, where he meets her friends. The same night, Derek had orders to ship out to Iraq. Peyton meets up with him several times after that. When he comes back from Iraq he is honored with a medal and Peyton attends the function. He tells her how their dad, Mick, never did the USO concert he promised to do. Peyton organizes a USO concert for him and his fellow servicemen as a thank you gift, and to show that she is his family and she will always be there for him.

Victoria Davis

Daphne Zuniga has played the role of Victoria Davis since the series' fifth season.

Played by Daphne Zuniga since season five, Victoria Anne Davis, née Montgomery, is married to Richard Davis and is the mother of Brooke Davis. She is the former CEO of Clothes Over Bros. She moved from LA because her husband moved around a lot. Brooke felt that they were hiding the fact that it was a trial separation. She came up with many ideas to take Clothes over Bros. to the next level including introducing a formal line and a magazine called b. Davis. She misinterpreted Lucas showing Brooke an engagement ring, as the two getting engaged and told Brooke that she would have annulment papers drawn up fast. She felt that Brooke should be focusing on the company and not ‘boys with rings,’ and reminded her that the company is called Clothes over Bros. Brooke told Victoria that she was ready to take the company to the next level and Victoria replied that they were going to have everything that they ever wanted. She told Brooke that she would like her to call her Victoria, because 'Mom' makes her sound too old. Later on she tried to control Brooke's decision over COB's future as the CEO of the brand (the opening of the Tree Hill boutique and Peyton's label) but ended up alienating her daughter by repeatedly rejecting her. Brooke fired her mother after she went behind her back to scare Rachel off.^[10] At the beginning of Season 6 she returned to inform Brooke that she is part owner of Clothes Over Bros and although Brooke protested, she informed her that designers come and go, but the CEO remains the same. She threatened to go to the board to have Brooke removed or there start a legal battle over the company. Brooke countered by telling her that the new line is going to ensure that Victoria will be fired and Brooke will own the company in full. Victoria later arrived at Clothes Over Bros to scare the sketches for the new line out of Millicent who refused calling her "an evil bitch" to which Victoria replied, "You're going to pay for that". Later that night as Brooke was locking up the store a masked assailant attacked her, brutally injuring her and stealing the computer, money out of the register and the sketches for Brooke's new line. It is speculated that Victoria hired the assailant as a way to steal the sketches with the cover of a robbery so Brooke would be unable to go to the police.

"I loved the opportunity to play such a witch."

—Zuniga on becoming involved with the show.[47]

Brooke later confronted her about the attack/robbery to which Victoria vehemently denied any involvement in. She was shocked to see that Brooke carries a gun with her and explained that she never wanted a child, that she wanted everything Brooke has and that when she could not have it, she decided to end her husband's dream of having a son. Brooke was disgusted with her mother and gave the company over to Victoria who subsequently fired Millicent and closed the Tree Hill Clothes Over Bros store. Victoria returns to Tree Hill after "Clothes over Bros" is failing without Brooke's' help. She manages to convince Brooke to come back with a 51% share, and after previously being shunned by Sam because of her unkindness, also manages to befriend Sam, as shown at the end when she comforts Sam while she cries over Jack's departure. At the end of season 6, she and Brooke reconciles when Victoria admits she should have loved her more than she loved the company. She returns in the seventh season and onsantly picks up on the slight romantic feelings between Julian and Alex Dupre and warns her daughter to be careful. She and Brooke eventually clash once more over the future of the company. Victoria is the one who also learns of Millicent's drug addiction and one night when she and Alex leave TRIC, she calls the cops and reports Millie as a drunk driver and she is arrested. However, just when Millie is about to have the book thrown at her, Victoria comes to her defense and gets her off, as well as offering her old job back as long as she kicks the habit and never steals from C/B again. She then hires a new designer for the companies new men's line "Clothes 4 Bros" named Alexander Coin. Victoria also speaks to Julian and tells him to fight for Brooke as their relationship begins to dissolve. She and her daughter then have another heart to heart where Victoria admits that she is getting "soft." She is caught performing oral sex on Alexander at Quinn's photo gallery opening, and admits as much to the tabloids, which at first thought Brooke was involved.

At the beginning of season eight, it is discovered Victoria and Millicent have been defrauding Clothes Over Bros. and its investors. Victoria pleads guilty to save her daughter and Millicent and is sent to federal prison. She is released near Thanksgiving and is invited to dinner at the Scott house by Sylvia Baker.

Lindsey Strauss

Michaela McManus played the role Lindsey Evelyn Strauss during seasons five and six. Strauss was Lucas' book-editor and ex-fiancée. When she started to edit his book, they fell in love with each other. She came to Tree Hill when Lucas had writers block. She felt threatened when Brooke and Peyton returned to Tree Hill, knowing Lucas' history with the two girls. She eventually tried to be friendly to the two girls but Peyton did not trust her. Later, when Peyton apologised, she agreed to go with Lucas to the opening of Brooke's store. But when she found out that Peyton still had feelings for Lucas, she asked him to stop seeing her. After Lucas kissed Peyton, he proposed to Lindsey, and she said yes. She asked Haley, whom she had befriended, to be her maid of honor and asked Brooke to make her dress. When she got stuck in the Tree Hill Library with Haley, Brooke, Peyton and Mia, she told them her father died from cancer and she had to take him off the ventilator because her mother was too destroyed to do it. The night before the wedding she read Lucas' second novel. At the wedding she realized the book was about Peyton, Lucas' 'Comet', and left Lucas at the altar. Four weeks later Lucas returned to her, she said she still loved Lucas but she cannot be with him. She returned for Jamie's fifth birthday party and after the party she went to Lucas' house to get her last stuff and to give her key back. She later tells him she is dating someone and gave him his book, telling him he can email her the dedication. When he did, she realized she still loved him and confessed that she lied about seeing someone else. She later learned from Lucas that he and Peyton are engaged. She never shows up at the launch of Lucas's second book but sent someone else in her place.

Quentin Fields

Robbie Jones played Quentin Christopher Fields during seasons five and six. He was a member of the Tree Hill Ravens. He is originally portrayed as a lazy jock and harassed Haley on her first day of teaching, and provoked her to fail him for the quarter on her second day, effectively preventing him from joining the revamped Ravens. He quit school, but thanks to Haley's inability to give up on him and a speech from Nathan about how Quentin might lose everything just like he did if he did not quit being such a jerk and tells Quentin that he used to be like that, but Haley is who made him change. He went back to both Haley's classes and the team and slowly started to change his attitude. His jersey number for the Tree Hill Ravens is #44. After hitting Jason to "defend Haley's honor" he suffered from a hand fracture, compromising his chances to be recruited by a college's basketball team. However, after a change of strategy by the Ravens, he became their point guard, even with a broken hand. He also becomes good friends with Jamie and explained that it was because Jamie reminded him so much of his younger brother, Andre. In episode 2 of Season 6, he was shot and killed by an assailant when he accidentally discovered a murder while paying for gas. It is later revealed there is a connection between Quentin's murder and Brooke Davis' attack at Clothes Over Bros. The assailant is the brother (The brother's name is X) of Quentin's classmate (Brooke's foster child) Sam Walker's friend Jack (he also attacked Brooke at her store for Sam). His jersey #44 was retired by Tree Hill High (joining the #23 jersey of Nathan and #1 jersey for coach durham, but replacing the #33 jersey worn by Dan, whose number was un-retired after his murder conviction), and as a tribute to Quentin, the Ravens played with only four players the rest of the season.

Following his death, Quentin appears as a ghost to Nathan, urging him to follow his dreams of reaching the NBA. When Nathan is called up to the Charlotte Bobcats, he goes to the cemetery to leave his Bobcats jersey on Quentin's grave. Nathan wrote his initials "QF" and jersey number "44" on one sneaker, writing the initials of Jamie (JLS) and his favorite number (12) on the other shoe. He is briefly mentioned by Jamie in the season 7 when he mentions the people he misses. Jamie and Nathan are in Lucas' house at the time while Julian, Brooke and Alex are at work on the movie.

Carrie

Portrayed by Torrey DeVitto during seasons five and six. Carrie is a nanny Haley hired to help her when Nathan was in his wheelchair. She made sexual advances towards Nathan when he regained the use of his legs. After Haley catches her, she kicks both of them out, before reconciling with Nathan. Carrie kidnaps Jamie at Lucas's wedding. He is later rescued by Dan, who threatens to kill her if she ever comes near his family again.

In season six, it is revealed she is the person who ran Dan over. She kidnaps him and lures Haley and Jamie to her house pretending to be a nurse caring for Dan, who says that his last wish is to say goodbye to Jamie. Jamie jumped out of the car after Carrie comes up to the car trying to smash the car window to get him. She chases Jamie around a yard of corn. Jamie turns around then being found by Haley who had just woken up from being hit round the head with a weapon by Carrie. When Deb realizes there is something odd about the address, she heads over there and smashes a bottle of champagne over Carrie's head. Carrie goes to get up and attack Deb and Haley until she is then shot by Dan.

Mia Catalano

"It's an interesting blend. I wondered when I got the role -- would it be better if I was playing Kate Voegele? But I think fans are able to separate Kate Voegele as a musician and Mia as this character who is a part of Tree Hill."

—Voegele on singing her own songs on the show.[48]

Voegele has played musician Catalano since the fifth season.

Played by Kate Voegele since season five, Mia Catalano was a member of Jason's band, she played the keyboard. She was the only member to stay after Haley kicked Jason out and became Peyton's label's only artist. After being freaked out by Victoria she came back with the realization that music is about talking to people not money. She then overcame her demons when she played at TRIC in front of Jason and a whole crowd. She was approached by Peyton's former boss but tricked him into launching her under Peyton's label. After returning from tour she admits to Peyton that she is unable to write anything for the label. Haley begins to help her write again and she starts dating Chase. In season seven, she hardballs Miranda Stone by threatening to not record if Red Bedroom Records is shut down. Miranda relents and agrees to work with Haley and Mia to keep the label going. She broke up with Chase via a text message because she was never there. However in the season seven finale she asked him if they could date again via a text message. An answer was not given. She is heartbroken when she finds out about Chase and Alex and soon becomes jealous of her and eventually a rivality starts between them. To take her mind off things, she heads to Portland as part of a Life Unexpected crossover, with Haley to sing at a festival.

After a fist right at Haley's Thanksgiving dinner, they watch a video of Chase saying he does not want to be with either of them. Mia then starts to slowly form a friendship with Alex. She has "slutty wedding sex" with Chase on Brooke and Julian's wedding, but she later leaves Tree Hill.

Owen Morello

Manganiello played Brooke's love-interest through seasons five and six.

Portrayed by Joe Manganiello from seasons five to seven, Owen Morello was the new bartender at TRIC. He did not know Brooke was famous until she told him. She tried to seduce him, but he rejected her saying she was too young, in an effort to make her realize she was still young and should enjoy her youth. He revealed that he was a former addict, and has been clean for eight years. He is friends with Chase. Owen returned in season six and apologized to Brooke, asking for a second chance. He also was Nathan's teammate while playing Slam Ball. He started drinking again and had a one night stand with Millicent. He eventually left for rehab, leaving the bar in Chase's hands.

Sam Walker

Played by Ashley Rickards during season six. Samantha "Sam" Walker is a troubled young girl who shoplifted a top from Clothes over Bros and had an altercation with Brooke. She joined Haley's literature class and Haley encouraged her to write but their relationship was very rocky. In the 6th episode of season six, it is revealed that she was a foster child and that she slept in a car in the workshop at Tree Hill High. Brooke later offered her a room at her home to stay in after being urged by Haley to foster Sam. Sam revealed to Brooke that a waitress at the restaurant she frequents was her birth mom, and one day she was going to introduce herself and tell her 'what a big mistake she made'. Sam and Brooke develop a close relationship, which is strengthened after Brooke saves Sam from Jack's brother, who Brooke realizes was the guy who attacked her in her store (also learning that he'd shot Quentin Fields). Later, both Sam and Haley inform Brooke of the positive effect she's had in Sam's life. Sam leaves Brooke's care at the end of season six to rejoin her birth mother.

Paul Norris

Portrayed by Gregory Harrison since season six, Paul Norris is Julian's father. He has stayed very close to Peyton even though she broke up with his son, but much like most Tree Hill parents, he has a very rocky relationship with his son. He has been hinted of sharing an infatuation with Brooke's mother Victoria.

Lauren

Portrayed by Allison Munn since season six. Miss Lauren is Jamie's teacher in season six. She first appears in episode sixteen by being invited round dinner to dinner round Dan's beach house. Jamie became jealous and angry of Dan when he was telling funny stories of Jamie, Jamie walks in and confronts Dan and Lauren and screams "he was in prison" and storms out. She meets Skills at Jamie's first dance and they begin a relationship. They are still dating, but Skills has stated he is not ready to take it to the next level and move in with her. However, they are dating for a long time until Skills wants more with his job. Skills applies for a job of a sports coordinator and he gets the job. But the catch is that the job is in L.A. Skills asks Lauren to leave Tree Hill with him, but she answers that she cannot and loves him even more. While driving Jamie, and his friends Chuck and Madison home during a hurricane, Lauren crashes her car, leaving her life, as well as the children's lives, in danger. Brooke Davis comes to their rescue, and Lauren, as well as Chuck and Madison, get out of harm's way.

Miranda Stone

Miranda Stone was portrayed by India de Beaufort in season seven. She is an employee of John Knight at Sire Records who was sent to close down Red Bedroom Records, the label run by Peyton and, later, Haley. She currently works at RBR on behalf of Sire Records. While initially hostile and cold, she has shown some loyalty to Haley after she started working at Red Bedroom, standing up for her against a reporter who wanted to discuss Nathan and Renee's scandal. She has, however, maintained her ruthless work ethic with Haley in spite of her personal problems, refusing to let her take days off work which is a distraction Haley appreciates. She started dating Grubbs for a few weeks before she left because she was deported even though he asked her to marry him.

Alexander Coin

Portrayed by Mitch Ryan^[49] in season seven, Alexander Coin is a designer for "Clothes 4 Bro's" who begins a relationship with Brooke's mother, Victoria.

Katie Ryan

Katie Ryan was portrayed by Amanda Schull during seasons seven and eight. She is a prospective tennis client of Clay Evans who bears a striking resemblance to his late wife Sara. She stalks Clay and threatens Quinn, crashing Quinn's art gallery opening and buying the picture of Clay that Quinn took. In the season seven finale she shoots Quinn and Clay and leaves them for dead. She apparently flees town, but Quinn managed to track her down and plotted killing her, but backed out of it. Katie is then seen driving back to Tree Hill where she attacks Quinn again and tells Quinn that she had known all along that she was tracking her. After a chase through her house, Quinn shoots Katie, but calls 911 for her after stating that only a psycho would leave a person bleeding out for twelve hours.

Amanda Schull also played Clay's dead wife, Sara Kay Evans. She appeared during seasons seven and eight in dreams, flashbacks and visions visiting Clay.

Other characters

Musician Huey Lewis guest starred as Haley's father during season two.

Shawn Shepard portrayed Principal Turner, the principal of Tree Hill High until the series fifth season. Played by Colin Fickes in season one and three, James "Jimmy" Edwards was a student at Tree Hill high and a friend of Lucas and Mouth's from the River Court. When Lucas and Mouth started to get close to the 'popular' kids such as Brooke, Nathan, and Peyton, Jimmy felt isolated and started to hate his time at school. After he was humiliated by the time capsule release, he brought a handgun to school and fired a shot putting the school on lockdown. He then held Haley, Nathan, and several other students in the tutor centre before he killed himself. Huey Lewis portrayed James "Jimmy" James during season two.^[50] Jimmy James is the father of Haley, Quinn, Taylor, Vivian and several other children. Easy going, he puts the happiness of his children and wife before anything else showcased when he fully supported Haley's decision to marry during her junior year. He and Lydia toured America in an RV. In Season 7, it was revealed by a visit from Lydia that Jimmy had died several years prior. Katherine Bailess portrayed Erica Marsh in season two, a rival of Brooke's when she wanted to become class president. Erica later began a relationship with Mouth, but dumped him after becoming popular.

Kelsey Chow portrayed Gigi Silveri in seasons three, four and six. In season three Gigi joined Mouth as an announcer on ravenshoop.com and they had a short relationship. In season six Gigi returned as Mouth's intern, causing trouble in his relationship with Millicent. Abigail "Abby" Brown portrayed by Allison Scagliotti in season three and four, is a former Tree Hill High School student who witnessed Dan Scott murder his brother Keith during the school shooting and subsequently told Lucas the truth after he found her. After her confession she left Tree Hill, but the news she delivered shocked the residents. Glenda Farrell, portrayed by Amber Wallace in seasons three till four, is a former Tree Hill High student and a confidant of Lucas Scott who he befriended in his senior year after he was paired with her during a class assignment designed to help students know each other beyond simple high school labels. She is the first to read Lucas' final draft of his first novel, An Unkindness of Ravens. Ian Banks (Psycho Derek), portrayed by Matt Barr in season four, was Peyton's online stalker, and had an obsession with her. Ian pretended to be Peyton's brother Derek in order to get close to her, but when she found out the truth about him he attempted to rape her and was stopped by Lucas and the real Derek. After that, Peyton believed Ian to be in prison but on prom night she and Brooke Davis were held hostage by him and attacked. The two managed to fight him off and he is put in the hospital, and then finally sent to prison.^[51] Elisabeth Harnois played Shelley Simon during season four. She was the leader of the clean teens and a love interest for Mouth. Rick Fox played a loan shark named Daunte Jones during season 4. He ran Haley over after Nathan lost him money during a Basketball game. He died when his car crashed after hitting Haley.^[52]

The specter of Dawson’s Creek is always around us. We’re about to [complete] 128 episodes, which is what Dawson’s did. So I thought it would be cool to get James.

“

”

—Mark Schwahn on casting Van Der Beek.^[53]

John Doe played Mick Wolf, Peyton's biological father during the sixth season, whom Peyton tricks into telling her that he's her real father. She later thanks him for giving her up as she agrees he would not have been able to take care of her properly.^[54] James Van Der Beek played Adam Reese for four episodes during season 6. He joined the cast as an eccentric director who was interested in making a film out of Lucas' novel.^[53]

Kate French played Renee Richardson during season seven as a woman who falsely accused Nathan of getting her pregnant to scam him out of money.^[55] Scott Holroyd played David Lee Fletcher, Quinn's ex-husband for six episodes during the seventh season . He returned to Tree Hill in a bid to win Quinn back. However, after he believes she slept with Clay, he begins a short-lived relationship with her sister, Taylor.^[56] Grubbs, portrayed by Michael Grubbs during season seven, was a barman and musician who worked at TRIC and fell for Miranda Stone. Paul Teal portrayed Josh Avery for the last six episodes of season seven. He was a gay actor who starred next to Alex in Julian's movie. He did not want anyone to know he was gay, so he made a sextape with Alex.

Julian's mother Sylvia Baker was portrayed by Sharon Lawrence in season eight. At first she and Brooke didn't get on very well, but later she showed Brooke that she really cares for her and Julian. Laura Izibor portrayed Erin Macree in season eight, a troubled musician who Haley met through the crisis center and wants to sign to Red Bedroom Records. Peter Riegert portrayed Dr. August Kellerman in season eight, Nathan's strict college professor. At first he and Nathan dislike each other, but after Kellerman takes the blame for an accident his son caused, he and Nathan make amends. Eric McIntire portrayed Kellerman's son, Ian, who is a talented baseball player. Nathan discovers that he is the one that drove the car that hit the car Brooke and Jamie were in. Leven Rambin portrayed Chloe Hall in season eight, a troubled young girl, who chose Brooke and Julian as the parents of the child she is expecting, but when the baby was born she changed her mind, for the father had come to the hospital.

The series has featured musical guests including Gavin DeGraw, Sheryl Crow, The Wreckers, Jimmy Eat World, Pete Wentz, Nick Lachey,^[57] Kid Cudi,^[58] and Dave Navarro.^[59]

References

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2. ^ Banks, Andrew (2007-06-12). "Top movie role reversals". News.com.au. News Digital Media. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,28383,21892173-10388,00.html. Retrieved 2009-02-11. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ The Making of "One Tree Hill" (Documentary). One Tree Hill: The Complete First Season: Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. 
4. ^ Oldenburg, Ann (2003-10-06). "Hilarie Burton is 21 and living a fairy tale.". USAToday. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2003-10-06-burton_x.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-08. 
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8. ^ Mullins, Jenna (August 29, 2011). "The Prodigal Son Returns! Chad Michael Murray Is Coming Back to One Tree Hill". E! Online. http://uk.eonline.com/news/watch_with_kristin/prodigal_son_returns_chad_michael/260689. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
9. ^ One Tree Hill episode 4x21 "All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone"
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11. ^ One Tree Hill episode 5x15 Where do You Go Home to?
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35. ^ "Unopened Letter to the World". Mark Schwahn (writer) & Greg Prange (director). One Tree Hill. The WB. 2005-02-22. No. 15, season 2.
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41. ^ "To Wish Impossible Things" commentary by Mark Schwahn and Joe Davola (DVD). Warner Bros. Television. 2005. 
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50. ^ One Tree Hill season 2; Episode 1: "The Desperate Kingdom of Love"
51. ^ One Tree Hill season 4; Episode 16: "You Call it Madness, But I Call it Love"
52. ^ One Tree Hill season 4; Episode 9: "Some You Give Away"
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