Erica Kane

:"Erica Kane" is also the title of songs by Aaliyah, B5 and Urge Overkill, all written about this character."Infobox soap character
series = All My Children
name = Erica Kane
portrayer = Susan Lucci



caption1 = Susan Lucci as Erica Kane



caption2 = Susan Lucci as Erica Kane (1970)
first = January 5 1970
creator = Agnes Nixon
alias = Princess (by Nick Davis)
Sheila (as a waitress)
Desiree Dubois (as a Las Vegas showgirl)
gender = Female
born = 1962 [http://www.soapcentral.com/amc/whoswho/erica.php Erica Kane profile - SoapCentral.com] When "All My Children" debuted in 1970, Erica was 16 years old, putting her birthdate at 1954. In 1993, this was retconned to 1956, as Erica was said to be 14 years old when she had daughter Kendall Hart, who was herself 23 at the time. In 2002, Kendall's birthdate was established as 1976, putting Erica's birth year at 1962.]
death =
age = age|1962|1|1
occupation = Member of the Board of Directors of Cambias Industries
title =
residence = Pine Valley Yacht Club
parents = Eric Kane (father, deceased)
Mona Kane Tyler (mother; deceased)
siblings = Mark Dalton (paternal half-brother)
Silver Kane (paternal half sister; deceased)
spouse = Jeff Martin (divorced; 1971-1974)
Philip Brent (divorced; 1975-1976)
Tom Cudahy (annulled; 1978-1981)
Adam Chandler (twice divorced; 1984-1993, invalid; 1993)
Mike Roy (invalid; 1987)
Travis Montgomery (twice invalid; 1988, invalid; 1991)
Dimitri Marick (twice divorced; 1994-1995, divorced; 1996-1999)
Jackson Montgomery (divorced; 2005-2007)
children = Kendall Hart Slater (daughter, with Richard)
Joshua "Josh" Madden (son, with Jeff)
Bianca Montgomery (daughter, with Travis)
grandchildren = Miranda Montgomery (granddaughter, via Bianca)
Spike Lavery (grandson, via Kendall)
Ian Slater (grandson, via Kendall)
romances = Charles "Chuck" Tyler III (dated)
Jason Maxwell (ex-lover)
Nick Davis (formerly engaged)
Brandon Kingsley (ex-lover)
Jeff Martin (ex-lover)
Phillip Brent (affair)
Tom Cudahy (ex-lover)
Kent Bogart (ex-lover/deceased)
Adam Chandler (ex-lover)
Mike Roy (ex-lover)
Travis Montgomery (ex-lover)
Dimitri Marick (ex-lover)
Charlie Brent (dated/formerly engaged)
Jackson Montgomery (ex-lover)
Jonathan Kinder (affair)
David Hayward (formerly engaged)
Chris Stamp (formerly engaged)
Samuel Woods
grandparents =
aunts/uncles =
cousins =
relatives = Julie Rand Chandler (half-niece)
color = #C80815

Erica Kane is a long-running fictional character from the American daytime drama "All My Children". The character has been portrayed by actress Susan Lucci since the show's premiere in 1970. Erica is considered to be the most popular character in soap opera history.cite book | author = H.W. Wilson Company| title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=6pMYAAAAIAAJ&q=erica+kane&dq=erica+kane&pgis=1 Current Biography] | publisher =H.W. Wilson Company| year = 1986 |pages = 128 (specific page)] "TV Guide" calls her "unequivocally the most famous soap opera character in the history of daytime TV".cite news| first=NANCY| last=HARRISON | title=Susan Lucci, 11 Times a Nominee, 8 Times a Bride, Up for Emmy Again |publisher="The New York Times"|date=1991-06-23|accessdate=2007-10-27|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE0DE123BF930A15755C0A967958260] Actress Susan Lucci has said that she considers Erica the greatest role ever written for a woman.

Background

Writing

"All My Children" introduced character Erica Kane spouting a self-centered rant. She spelled out to her mother everything she was looking for in a husband, establishing her ambition and her love for rich men. But deep inside, Erica was nursing the scars of the abandonment by her father, successful film director Eric Kane. At the same time, her father's life in Hollywood was the driving force for her longing to leave Pine Valley.

In 1973, viewers watched as Erica made the decision to have an abortion — the first legal abortion on television after "Roe v. Wade" was decided. [cite web| first=Jennifer|last=Lenhart |title= The Last Taboo | publisher="Soap Opera Digest"
accessdate=2007-07-04| url=http://www.soapoperadigest.com/features/special/lasttaboo/] What made the abortion particularly controversial was Erica's reason for doing it, which were not for reasons of health, but so that she could keep her modeling job. [cite web | title= Interview with Gerry Waggett | publisher=About.com | accessdate=2007-07-04 | url=http://allmychildren.about.com/library/weekly/aa040898.htm]

The writers had Erica develop a potentially fatal infection after having the abortion. The switch-boards at ABC lit up with calls from doctors and nurses, offering their medical opinions on how best to treat the character's case. The controversy did not hurt ratings in the end, which rose from 8.2 to 9.1.

In the mid-2000s, head writer Megan McTavish set off controversy when the abortion was retconned in order to establish that Erica's aborted fetus was transferred into another woman's uterus. This was five years, however, before the first successful test-tube baby. Her son, Josh Madden, would return to Pine Valley and eventually learn of his true parentage.cite web | first=Lesly|last=Lopez-Skinner|title= The Science of a Soap Opera Plot Twist. Let's take a closer look at the children of "All My Children." We might even learn something | publisher=inklingmagazine.com | accessdate=2007-07-04|url=http://www.inklingmagazine.com/articles/a-trip-down-erica-kanes-gene/]

Family

A model-turned-makeup executive, the show detailed the challenging aspects of Erica's life even more, such as her relationship with her mother, Mona Kane (Frances Heflin). Erica's love for Mona was an important theme, but also her resentment of the restrictions to her free spirit in which Mona tried to implement. When Mona died of cancer in 1994, the character was shown to have severe difficulty coping with the aftermath.

The writers scripted Erica's relationship with the rest of her family to be as complicated as her relationship with Mona, and sometimes more tempestuous; the character has three children. Her first child, Kendall Hart (now portrayed by Alicia Minshew), was the product of a traumatizing rape by film actor Richard Fields on the night of Erica's 14th birthday. Kendall is currently married to Zach Slater, and has two sons. Erica's second child is Joshua "Josh" Madden (most recently portrayed by Colin Egglesfield). In 2005, Erica was shocked to discover that the doctor who performed her abortion in 1973 (see above) actually performed an experimental fetal transplant, placing the fetus into another woman (his wife) and raising the child as his son. Bianca Montgomery (portrayed by Eden Riegel) is Erica's third child. Bianca is Erica's only child born in a traditional manner and whom Erica raised from childhood. In 2000, Bianca came out as a lesbian, and Erica eventually came to terms with the revelation.

Erica was given three grandchildren: Miranda Montgomery (born March 24, 2004), Miranda is Bianca's daughter with Michael Cambias through rape. Miranda was switched at birth and raised for almost a year as Elizabeth "Bess" Chandler by Adam "J.R." Chandler and his on/off wife, Arabella "Babe" Carey. The child was thought to have died in a helicopter accident. Miranda currently lives in Paris with her mother, and is the eldest of Erica's grandchildren. Spike Lavery (born May 31 2006) is Kendall's son with Ryan Lavery through artificial insemination. Spike was supposed to have been Ryan's child with his then-wife Greenlee Smythe. Ryan was presumed dead and as there was a power outage at the time she was to be inseminated, Kendall was forced to use her own egg. Greenlee kidnapped Spike while Kendall was in labor with her second child. Greenlee was then involved in a car accident which was believed to have left Spike deaf, although it was later discovered that his deafness was inevitable. Ian Slater (born July 26 2007) is the first child of Kendall with her husband, Zach. Ian was born three and a half months early and has a hole in his heart. He is the second grandson of Erica.

Erica's other relatives include a half-brother, Mark Dalton (portrayed by Mark LaMura). In 1977, the series had Mark and Erica begin a romance of sorts, which led Mona to divulge the secret that they both shared the same father: Eric Kane. Erica's father had an affair with his secretary, Maureen Dalton, while working in Hollywood. In 1982, while working in New York City as a model, Erica discovered she had a half-sister named Silver. Like Mark, Silver was the product of an affair Eric Kane had (this time with a woman named Goldie). Tad Martin later exposed Silver as an imposter named Connie, but the real Silver showed up soon after, only to be killed later on.

Activities

The Erica character has done things considered to be over-the-top, though sometimes typical of a soap opera character. She staged a helicopter prison break, drove a race car (and won the race) and confronted a grizzly bear while in the forest. For a brief time, Erica was a Las Vegas showgirl.

In 1983, writers had her flee Pine Valley for the Hollywood Hills, posing as a nun. She did this because her former lover, Kent Bogard, was killed in a struggle with a gun. Erica committed no crime, but her jealous "half-sister" (actually Connie) accused her of murder. She went undercover in 1989 in a traveling circus to locate her missing father, who had faked his own death years before. She discovered him working as a clown named 'Barney'.

The character has written three bestselling books: "Raising Kane" (her autobiography), "Erica Kane: Beyond the Pain", and "Erica Kane: Having It All". She was portrayed in a film version of "Raising Kane" by the actress Danielle Farrar. She has hosted her own talk show, was addicted to painkillers after a debilitating fall from the catwalk in 1995 (later receiving treatment at the Betty Ford Center), kidnapped Edmund and Maria Grey's baby in 1997 after having a miscarriage, and received an intervention for alcohol abuse in 2004.

For much of the 1990s and early 2000s, Erica ran Enchantment, a cosmetics company. After losing it to Cambias Industries in 2003, she focused most of her attention on her relationship with Jackson. In the fall of 2005, however, she returned to work, this time as the host and executive producer of her own talk show, "New Beginnings".

Marriages and relationships

Erica is notable for her numerous marriages. Some have been valid, with others invalid. Her valid marriages were with Jeff Martin, Philip Brent, Tom Cudahy, Adam Chandler, Dimitri Marick (twice), and, as of May 2005, Jackson Montgomery. Her invalid marriages were with Mike Roy (twice; their second was an informal recitement of vows on Mike's "death bed" in 1985), Travis Montgomery (twice) and Adam Chandler (their second ceremony was actually a renewal of their vows, since they had never been legally divorced years earlier).

Erica has also had many relationships with numerous other men on the series, and has the distinction of bedding three generations of men from the same family: Nick Davis (her mother's best friend), Philip Brent (Nick's son), and Charlie (Philip's son).

Foes

Erica was given a long list of people who she has scorned and fought with over the years while on the show: Maria Santos, Barbara Montgomery, Tara Martin, Richard Fields, Michael Cambias, Greenlee Smythe, Ethan Cambias, Mary Smythe, Dr. Greg Madden, J.R. Chandler, Frankie Stone, Maggie Stone, Natalie Marlowe, Janet Dillon, Vanessa Bennett, Donna Beck, Babe Carey, Krystal Carey, David Hayward, Alexandra Devane Marick, Annie Lavery and Julia Santos. Also, for a time, her enemies included her own children: Kendall Hart Slater and Josh Madden. In addition, she has on-and-off again confrontations with Kendall's husband Zach Slater. One of her most intimidating foes came in 1983 when she was accused of murder. Erica was put into jail and shared a cell with a then unknown Kathy Bates, who portrayed "Belle". Belle belittled and verbally and physically abused Erica. The last scene with Bates is notable. As the guards are dragging Belle out of the cell due to the enraged state she is in regarding Erica and starts to attack her, Erica calls Belle, "an animal", "she's Rhino!". The scenes can be viewed on YouTube in a series of clips.

Although the writers added many rivals for her over the years, Erica's most famous and longest rivalry has been with the character Brooke English. She is also a rival to Carmen Morales because Carmen is her friend and is also dating Erica's ex-husband Jackson. Erica thinks that Carmen betrayed their friendship by going after him.

Cultural impact

Because of her many marriages, Erica has the longest name for a television character:::"Erica Kane Martin Brent Cudahy Chandler Roy Roy Montgomery Montgomery Chandler Marick Marick Montgomery". :It is worth noting, however, that the character of Erica Kane has always, despite her marriages, remained Erica Kane, and due to five of her marriages being invalid (both of her marriages to Mike Roy, both of her marriages to Travis Montgomery, and her second marriage to Adam Chandler, which was in actuality a vow renewal), has never legally held some of those names.

In a sketch on "Saturday Night Live", Erica Kane was a contestant on the fictional game show "Game Breakers". She seduced fictional game show host Jack Morgan (portrayed by Phil Hartman), thus enabling her to soundly beat her opponent. Morgan came close to marrying Kane (in a ceremony presided over by Don Pardo), but the wedding was interrupted by real-life game show host (and "current husband") Gene Rayburn. The sketch ended with Kane being mauled by a panther owned by Siegfried and Roy (portrayed by Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey). [cite web | author= | title= Game Breakers transcript featuring Erica Kane | work=snltranscripts.jt.org | url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/90/90bgame.phtml
accessdate=2007-07-10]

Erica also popularized the catchphrase "I am Erica Kane!", said whenever Erica was afraid, challenged, or threatened.

Because of the drama that she causes, the late musical artist Aaliyah recorded a song about it called "Erica Kane."cite web| title=Erica Kane lyrics|publisher=tsrocks.com|accessdate=2008-02-07|url=http://www.tsrocks.com/a/aaliyah_texts/erica_kane.html]

Band B5 also made a song called "Erica Kane". The song talks about how they're in a relationship with a beautiful girl, but she is crazy.

Alternative rock band Urge Overkill titled a song after the character on their album Saturation.cite web| title=Erica Kane Lyrics by Urge Overkill|publisher=actionext.com|accessdate=2008-02-07|url=http://www.actionext.com/names_u/urge_overkill_lyrics/erica_kane.html]

Rapper Lil' Kim at times refers to herself as "the black Erica Kane." cite web| title=Lil' Kim's Wrath For 50, Foxy Has No Bounds On Naked Truth|publisher=actionext.com|accessdate=2008-06-30|url=http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1506680/20050729/lil_kim.jhtml]

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.soapcentral.com/amc/whoswho/erica.php Erica Kane profile - SoapCentral.com]
* [http://abc.go.com/daytime/allmychildren/bios/erica_kane.html Erica Kane character bio - ABC.com]