Meredith Lord

Meredith Lord Wolek
Lynn Benesch as Meredith Lord Wolek (1969)
One Life to Live
Portrayed by	Trish Van Devere (1968–1969) Lynn Benesch (1969–1973, 1987)
Duration	1968–1973, 1987
First appearance	Episode 1, July 15, 1968
Last appearance	1987
Cause/reason	Appeared to Viki in heaven
Created by	Agnes Nixon
Profile
Nickname(s)	Merrie
Gender	Female
Cause of death	Died from a cerebral hemorrage
Occupation	Socialite Volunteer at Llanview Hospital
Residence	Llanfair, 1177 Regency Drive Llanview, Pennsylvania
Trish Van Devere as Meredith Lord Wolek (1968)
Relationships Parents Victor Lord (assumed father) Eugenia Randolph Lord (mother) Sibling(s) Victoria Lord Tony Lord (deceased) Tina Lord Todd Manning Victor Lord, Jr. Spouse(s) Larry Wolek (1970-1973, dissolved by her death) Romances Dr. Ted Hale Bruce McKenzie Children Daniel Wolek Grandparents Randolph Lord (great-grandfather; deceased) Virginia "Ginny" Fletcher Lord (great-grandmother; deceased) Aunts and uncles Powell Lord I (deceased) Gwendolyn Lord Abbott Dorothy Randolph Nieces and nephews Megan Gordon (deceased) Kevin Buchanan Joey Buchanan Jessica Buchanan Natalie Buchanan Brian Kendall (deceased) C.J. Roberts Sarah Roberts Starr Manning Danielle Manning Jack Manning Sam Manning First cousins Richard Abbott Powell Lord II (deceased) Other relatives Duke Buchanan (great-nephew, deceased) Kevin Buchanan Jr. (great-nephew, deceased) Megan Buchanan (great-niece, deceased) Bree Brennan (great-niece) Chloe Brennan (great-niece, deceased) Hope Manning-Thornhart (great-niece) Ryder Lovett (great-nephew) Liam McBain (great-nephew) Zane Buchanan (great-grandnephew)

Meredith "Merrie" Lord Wolek is an original character on the American soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was originated by Trish Van Devere from the debut episode through 1969. Merrie was most notably portrayed by Lynn Benesch, who assumed the role from 1969 until the character's on-screen death in 1973, briefly reappearing in 1987.

Storylines

Enter Merrie

The presumed daughter of newspaper tycoon Victor Lord and his wife Eugenia, Merrie is introduced in 1968 as the sister of heroine Victoria. An assertive free spirit, Merrie defies her father by dating upwardly-mobile Dr. Larry Wolek, a suitor which was not to Victor's liking. In the opening months of the serial, Victor pushed Meredith into an engagement with the more socially-acceptable Dr. Ted Hale. Meredith disavows her father's choice of wealthy Dr. Hale, the latter who accidentally falls down a flight of stairs while at Llanview Hospital in the company of Larry. Fellow Llanview Hospital nurse Karen Martin overheard Larry and Ted arguing over Meredith on the other side of the closed stairwell door, and Larry threatening Ted. Nurse Martin implicates Larry, leading to Larry's arrest for Dr. Hale's apparent murder.

Larry stood trial and was nearly convicted, but was revealed to have threatened Ted to keep Meredith's terminal blood disease secret. Larry was released from police custody and hoped to spend with Meredith whatever time she had left. Learning of her condition and wanting to spare Larry the pain of watching her die, Meredith ran away to San Francisco and left him a letter telling him a "Dear John" letter telling him that she didn't love him any longer. Depressed, Merrie's ex-boyfriend Dr. Wolek confides in his former accuser, Karen Martin.^[1]

Larry

Merrie (Benesch) and Larry (Storm), 1971

In 1969, Karen saved Larry (Michael Storm) from a fire that left him badly burned and bandaged for weeks; when he recovered, he gave in to her romantic advances and consummated their relationship. Meredith returned from California just a few months after, with her condition miraculously improved. Dr. Wolek, upon seeing Merrie again, hoped for a reconciliation. The two eventually admit to their mutual love for one another, much to Victor's chagrin. Days later, however, Karen revealed to Larry that she was pregnant with his love child. A heartbroken Larry married Karen to prevent her from having an illegal abortion. A heartbroken Merrie meets an amnesiac whom she calls Tom Edwards, and Victor invites Meredith to take him in at Llanfair. Falling for Tom, who's identity is uncovered to be Bruce McKenzie, the two are engaged with Victor's approval.^[2]

Karen Martin miscarried Larry's child in 1970, leading she and the doctor to separated. Larry soon resumes his courtship of Meredith, who by then was engaged to be married to Bruce. Bruce, whom Merrie continues to call "Tom", relents to Meredith's desire to be with Dr. Wolek, ending their brief engagement. Merrie and Larry soon wed in a June wedding on the terrace of Llanfair, with Viki as the maid of honor to Merrie and a begrudging Victor overseeing the ceremony.^[3]

Settling into marriage, the husband and wife determine they wanted to conceive a child, much to the chagrin of Larry, who weary that Meredith's illness would return from remission. Merrie soon convinces Larry, and in 1971 after months of bed rest, Meredith gives birth two children, a son named Daniel and a stillborn daughter. Falling into post-partum depression at the loss of her daughter, the housewife became deeply depressed, and Dr. Wolek calls in a favor to Dr. Joyce Brothers to help with his wife's grief.^[4][5]

In 1973, thieves broke into Llanfair seeking the valuable art collection of Victor, taking Merrie and her brother-in-law Vinny hostage. After days of broken-down crisis negotiations, Vinny and Meredith attempt to escape from the garage where they were held, and a clumsy Meredith falls and hits her head when one of the gunmen shoved her. Merrie suffers massive brain trauma, and before succumbing to her injuries tells Viki (Slezak) to tell Larry how happy he had made her.^[6] Meredith briefly returns in a scene when Viki has a near-death experience and appears in Heaven in 1987.

References

1. ^ "One Life to Live recap (1968)". ABC. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080423033131/http://abc.go.com/daytime/onelifetolive/episodes/1968-69/1968.html. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
2. ^ "One Life to Live recap (1969)". ABC. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080423033246/http://abc.go.com/daytime/onelifetolive/episodes/1969-70/1969.html. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
3. ^ "One Life to Live recap (1970)". ABC. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080423033211/http://abc.go.com/daytime/onelifetolive/episodes/1970-71/1970.html. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
4. ^ "One Life to Live recap (1971)". ABC. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080423033142/http://abc.go.com/daytime/onelifetolive/episodes/1971-72/1971.html. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
5. ^ "One Life to Live recap (1972)". ABC. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080423033127/http://abc.go.com/daytime/onelifetolive/episodes/1972-73/1972.html. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
6. ^ "One Life to Live recap (1973)". ABC. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080423033118/http://abc.go.com/daytime/onelifetolive/episodes/1973-74/1973.html. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 

External links

• Meredith Lord Wolek profile – SoapCentral.com