Hope Bauer

Hope Bauer is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light. The character is the former wife of wealthy businessman, Alan Spaulding, and the mother of Alan-Michael Spaulding. Many actresses have played this character over the years: Jennifer Kirschner from 1963-65; Elissa Leeds in 1966 on "Another World", then on "Guiding Light" from 1968 to 1973; Robin Mattson played the character during 1976-77; Katherine Justice in 1977; Elvera Roussel played Hope from 1979 until 1983, when the character left the show and was heard from through conversations on the phone with relatives while living in various places.

Hope Bauer raised her son in New York until he came to Springfield to live with his father when he was 17 years old.Hope's marriage to Alan Spaulding was mismatched from the beginning and their relationship was fraught with difficulties. Alan's affair with Vanessa Chamberlain Reardon finally ended the marriage which led Hope to drink. Her battle with alcoholism continued throughout Alan-Michael's early years.In 1986 it would be mentioned that both Hope and Alan-Michael had attended Bert Bauer's memorial service in Washington Dc. When Alan-Michael married Harley Cooper Aitoro in 1989, his mother refused to attend since Alan would be present at the wedding. In 1993, Dr. Ed Bauer (his great uncle)mentioned that Hope was now living in washington Dv near her father Mike Bauer.In 1994 Alan-Michael told Eleni that he didn't have much contact with his mother because she spent most of her time traveling Europe.Later that Year Dr.Ed Bauer revealed that Hope was in a clinic in Switzerland after a drinking binge from which she recovered.In 1997 her father Mike Bauer while visiting Springfield would mention Hope was now living in London, England.