Fox Crane

Last updated
Fox Crane
Passions character
Fox Crane.jpg
Mark Cameron Wystrach as Fox Crane
Portrayed by
Duration2002–07
First appearanceDecember 16, 2002
Last appearanceSeptember 17, 2007
Created by James E. Reilly
Passionsjustinfox.jpg
Justin Hartley as Fox Crane
In-universe information
Other namesNicholas Foxworth Crane
OccupationBusinessman
FamilyCrane
Parents
Sisters
Half-brothers
Half-sisters Endora Lenox
Wife Kay Bennett (2007)
Grandparents Alistair Crane
Katherine Barrett
Harrison Winthrop
Helen Revere-Mott-Beaton
Aunts and uncles Sheridan Crane
Beth Wallace
Chad Harris-Crane
Nieces and nephewsEthan Winthrop II
Jane Winthrop
Jonathan Winthrop
Unnamed nephew
First cousinsJames Boothe (adoptive)
Marty Lopez-Fitzgerald
Miles Harris-Crane
Unnamed Harris-Crane
Other relativesRachel Barrett (great-aunt)

Fox Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions and was portrayed by Justin Hartley from December 16, 2002, to February 10, 2006, and Midland lead singer Mark Cameron Wystrach from February 14, 2006, to September 7, 2007. Actor Nick Stabile took over the role temporarily following the 2004 Summer Olympic Games (which preempted Passions for two weeks), while Hartley's wife, fellow Passions star Lindsay Hartley was on maternity leave. Fox, as played by Hartley, was a fan favorite among Passions viewers.[ citation needed ]

Contents

In the show, Fox becomes infatuated with Whitney Russell; he plots to woo Whitney away from her boyfriend, Chad, but eventually decides to respect her wishes and ends his attempts. He then engages in a brief relationship with his half-brother's ex-fiancé, Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, played by Hartley's real-life wife, Lindsay Hartley. Though their pairing lasts fewer than six months, Soap Opera Digest readers continued to vote Fox and Theresa as their favorite Passions couple until Justin Hartley left the role in 2006.[ citation needed ]

After breaking up with Theresa, Fox resumes his pursuit of Whitney, who breaks up with Chad when it is falsely revealed that the two are half-siblings. Their romantic progress is hindered by the fact that Whitney is secretly pregnant with Chad's child and trying to pass the baby off as Fox's; when she uses Fox's power of attorney to give "their" son up for adoption, Fox and Whitney's relationship essentially comes to an end. Miles's true paternity is eventually revealed, and Fox moves on with Kay Bennett. Fox is deeply in love with Kay and cares deeply for her toddler daughter, Maria, and Fox and Kay become engaged. However, the return of Maria's father, Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald, eventually leads Kay to realize that her heart lies with Miguel and not Fox. In a desperate attempt to keep Kay, Fox enlists his father's help to fake a terminal illness in order to guilt Kay into marrying him and staying with him. Kay eventually discovers his duplicity, however, and leaves him.

After breaking up with Kay, Fox begins a relationship with his sister's best friend, Esme Vanderheusen. The two believe that they have found true love when Fox is shot and killed in his bedroom by an unseen sniper on September 17, 2007; the murderer is eventually revealed to be Esme's fifteen-year-old niece, Viki.

Character history

Early life

Nicholas Foxworth Crane was born sometime between late 1980 and 1982, [1] the third of six children [2] born to Julian Linus Crane, eldest child of ruthless billionaire Alistair Ephraim Crane and Katherine Barrett, and Ivy Winthrop, daughter of the late former governor Harrison Winthrop and the late Helen Revere-Mott-Beaton. Fox, as he was eventually nicknamed, was descended from numerous wealthy and prominent families that immigrated to North America before the American Revolutionary War — his paternal grandfather is a descendant of William Ephraim Crane, a magistrate who ordered Tabitha Lenox's execution in 1693, thus sparking the witch's vendetta against the Crane family, and his maternal grandmother was a descendant of Paul Revere. Fox is predominantly of English descent, though he does have some French ancestry, [3] and he was raised in the Roman Catholic Church.

Fox was raised as the third of four children — in 2001, his older brother, Ethan Crane (now Winthrop), approximately five to eight years his senior, was revealed to be the product of their mother's adulterous affair with now-police chief Sam Bennett. Fox also has two sisters — Fancy Crane is one to two years his senior, while Pretty Crane is a few years his junior. While they were raised in the lap of luxury, the Crane siblings, excluding Ethan, had a dysfunctional childhood, with Ivy admitting that her youngest three children had a father who was "either absent or intoxicated" and a mother "who just didn't care". [4] Ivy favored Ethan over her other children because he was the son of her "true love", Sam Bennett, and not her husband, whom she loathed, and Fox, as well as his sisters, came to resent their mother for this. Unlike his sisters, however, Fox also came to resent Ethan for their mother's favoritism, and the two men shared an adversarial relationship until the stillbirth of Ethan's daughter, Sarah Winthrop, in 2003. Fox also bore a great deal of anger towards his father, also unlike his sisters, and the two did not improve their relationship until 2006.

Fox, like Fancy and Pretty, was sent away to boarding school at a young age. Fox was popular and excelled at swimming, [4] but he was also a troublemaker, and Julian and Ivy eventually sent him to Europe to attend school. After graduating from boarding school, Fox went on to attend university, but eventually became bored with his studies and dropped out, taking up gambling to keep himself occupied. Fox quickly gambled his trust fund away, however, and, upon seeing a news report regarding Ethan's marriage to Gwen Hotchkiss, he decides to finally return to Harmony.

Return home and infatuation with Whitney, 2002 - 2003

Few, if any, members of Fox's family are happy to have the young man return to Harmony, and they are all even less thrilled when they learn that he has gambled his money away. The only person not irritated by his presence is his new, young stepmother, Theresa, and Fox quickly becomes friends with her, mostly to annoy his family, who despise her. It is through Theresa that Fox meets her best friend, Whitney Russell; Fox, despite his status as a womanizer, falls for the young woman, unaware that his father and her mother were once lovers. In Los Angeles, Fox teams up with Theresa, whose marriage to Julian is revealed to be a practical joke, and agrees to help her separate Ethan and Gwen if she helps him to win his "mystery woman" from her boyfriend. Fox also pays record producer Chad's new singer, Syd Valentine, to seduce Chad and bring an end to Chad's relationship with Whitney.

Things grow complicated when Chad's vengeful wife, LaToya, shoots Whitney for sleeping with Chad. Whitney makes a full recovery, and Fox is thrilled when Whitney leaves Chad for failing to tell her about his previous marriage. Shortly after Fox and Whitney's return to Harmony, however, they are followed by Chad, and after a heart-to-heart with his father, Fox realizes that, if he truly loves Whitney, he must give her up.

Relationship with Theresa, 2003 - 2004

Whitney eventually comes to believe that Theresa is Fox's mystery woman, and, instead of correcting her, Fox goes along with her assumption, willing to settle for a relationship with his good friend if he cannot be with Whitney. The two eventually become lovers, and Fox supports Theresa when she loses custody of her son to Julian and Rebecca, who then allow Ethan and Gwen to adopt the boy. Fox also continues to aid Theresa in her schemes to see her son and regain custody of him, including drugging Ethan and Gwen's surrogate and having herself implanted with their embryo.

Fox and Theresa's relationship eventually ends when Theresa confesses that she has been unfaithful - Fox later learns that she drugged Ethan in an attempt to become pregnant after she believed that she had a miscarriage - and the two part on good terms.

Relationship with Whitney, 2004 - 2005

After breaking up with Theresa, Fox returns to pining for Whitney. Though Whitney shows signs of affection for Fox, she is still engaged to Chad. Their relationship quickly falls apart, however, when Alistair reveals that Chad's biological parents are Julian and Eve Russell, [5] making Chad the half-brother to both Whitney and Fox. Whitney is horrified to learn that she has slept with her own brother, and she turns to Fox in her despair.

Fox and Whitney eventually become a couple, and Fox is thrilled when Whitney tells him that she is expecting his child. Close to Whitney's due date, a mentally unstable Gwen kidnaps Ethan and Theresa's newborn daughter, Jane, and flees the country with her; when Fox sets off to find his sister-in-law and niece, Whitney convinces him to give her his power of attorney in the event that she needs to conduct any business on his behalf. Fox tracks Gwen and Jane, along with his grandmother, Katherine, to Alistair's Crane compound in the North Atlantic, where he, Ethan, and Theresa rescue the three females. When Fox returns home, he learns that Whitney gave birth to his son and is thrilled - until he learns that she used his power of attorney to give the boy up for adoption. Fox tries to reverse the adoption, but the time limit has expired, and Chad adopts the boy, whom he names Miles Davis Harris. Chad refuses to allow Fox to see his son and largely uses Miles as a way to be close to Whitney.

Whitney's decision to give Miles up for adoption destroys her relationship with Fox. Eventually, both Chad and Fox learn the truth - Chad actually fathered Miles, and Whitney tried to pass him off as Fox's son in order to protect him from the stigma of being the product of incest.

Relationship with Kay, 2005 - 2007

While trying to get over Whitney, Fox meets Kay Bennett on the wharf one night. The two bicker, but when a tsunami later hits, the two seek solace together and have sex. Eventually, the two enter into a relationship, and Fox begins to dream of a life with Kay and her young daughter, Maria. After numerous near-misses, Fox finally successfully proposes to Kay, and she happily accepts.

Shortly after they become engaged, Kay's ex and Maria's father, Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald , returns to Harmony. In order to be close to Maria, Miguel moves into Tabitha's home with Fox and Kay, and when he begins dating Siren, she also moves in. When Kay begins to raise objections to Miguel's relationship with Siren, Fox begins to fear that Kay's opposition stems from jealousy. Eventually, Fox overhears Kay and Miguel making plans to call off her engagement and reunite, and Fox, in a desperate attempt to keep Kay, fakes a terminal illness in order to guilt her into staying with him. Fox's plot works, and he and Kay are married, despite Miguel's accusations that Fox is not really dying, on January 10, 2007.

Despite their nuptials, Kay continues to stand by Miguel's side when he is falsely charged and convicted of deliberately running Fox down with his car. Julian arranges for Miguel to be released from prison on the condition that Kay ends her relationship with Miguel, but Kay is unable to honor her end of the bargain. During a confrontation, Ivy inadvertently reveals that Fox is not really dying, and a furious Kay leaves him for Miguel.

Relationship with Esme and death, 2007

While drowning his sorrows in a bar, Fox comes across his older sister Fancy's best friend, Esme Vanderheusen. Esme has fallen upon hard times — her father cut her off financially, and she has left the legal guardian of her fifteen-year-old niece, Viki - and Fox generously allows Esme and Viki to live at the Crane mansion as long as necessary. Fox and Esme eventually have sex, and the two declare that they have found their soulmate. Their happiness is cut tragically short, however, when Fox is shot in the chest on September 7, 2007, and eventually dies on September 17. Esme is devastated by his death, as are his parents and sisters, and they swear to find the culprit. The audience eventually learns in January 2008 that the sniper, and the murderer of all of Esme's other boyfriends, is none other than Viki, who feared that Fox would send her away to boarding school if he married Esme.

See also

References and footnotes

  1. Though Fox was originally indicated to have been born in 1980, his elder sister, Fancy, was more recently said to be born in 1980 herself. If she were born in January, Fox could have been born in late 1980; his year of birth could be no later than 1982 if he completed at least a year of college before dropping out (a year is the likely minimum, for, had he attended for only a semester, there would not have been time sufficient enough for him to gamble away his entire fortune between the end of classes in early December and his first air-date on December 17).
  2. "Dear Tabby", March 21, 2008 Archived April 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Paul Revere's father was French.
  4. 1 2 Passions. Season 9. Episode 6. 2007-09-25. DirecTV.
  5. Chad's parents are later revealed in 2006 to actually be Alistair Crane and Liz Sanbourne, Eve's adoptive half-sister, removing the stigma of incest from Chad and Whitney's relationship.

Related Research Articles

<i>Passions</i> American television soap opera

Passions is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and produced by NBC Studios, Passions follows the lives, loves and various romantic and paranormal adventures of the residents of Harmony, a small town in New England with many secrets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fancy Crane</span> Soap opera character

Fancy Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions and is portrayed by actress Emily Harper from the May 13, 2005, episode through the series finale. Following her debut, Fancy quickly becomes one of the soap's lead heroines — Harper appears in 209 out of the 254 episodes that aired in 2006, a feat surpassed only by Lindsay Hartley (Theresa).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethan Winthrop</span> Fictional character

Ethan Winthrop is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV daytime drama Passions. Ethan is played by both Travis Schuldt and Eric Martsolf. Rib Hillis temporarily portrayed the role in 2006 when Martsolf was on paternity leave.

Sam Bennett (<i>Passions</i>) Soap opera character

Sam Bennett is a fictional character from the NBC/DirecTV soap opera, Passions, portrayed by James Hyde.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Crane</span> Soap opera character

Julian Crane is a fictional character from the American soap opera Passions portrayed by original cast member Ben Masters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald</span> Soap opera character

Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions, portrayed from 1999 to 2008 by original cast member Galen Gering. Debuting in the series' premiere episode, Luis is introduced as an honest, hard-working Irish-Mexican police officer who bitterly blames the wealthy Crane family for his father and elder brother's disappearances. Luis is forced to re-examine his prejudice against the Cranes, however, when he falls in love with the beautiful but willful Sheridan Crane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alistair Crane</span> Soap opera character

Alistair Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. Alistair is portrayed by John Reilly on a recurring basis from August 20, 2007, to May 20, 2008; before Reilly's contract run from January 21, 2005, to July 17, 2006, Alistair was also portrayed by David Bailey from September 27, 2004, to January 13, 2005, and by the duo of voice actor Alan Oppenheimer and body double Bill Dempsey. Alistair was also played by Jordan Baker when he was disguised as a woman named Charlie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheridan Crane</span> Soap opera character

Sheridan Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. She was portrayed by McKenzie Westmore since the series began in 1999. She was briefly portrayed by Shannon Sturges when Westmore was out sick in 2005. Additionally, she was briefly portrayed by Kam Heskin in 2006, when Westmore was out on maternity leave, and again in 2008, while Westmore was out sick. In early flashback sequences, Sheridan at age 12 was portrayed by Sara Paxton. When Sheridan's history was retconned and her flashback sequence age was downgraded from 12 to 6, she was played by Rylee Fansler. She is often seen as a "poor little rich girl" but her love for Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald made her true emotions rise. Sheridan was inherently a good person for much of the series, until the final year when she became a villain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eve Russell</span> Character on the soap opera Passions

Eve Russell is a fictional character on the American soap opera Passions, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV from 2007 to 2008. Created by the soap's head writer, James E. Reilly, Eve was played by Tracey Ross for the series' entire run. In 2003, actresses Amanda Maiden and Kimberly Kevon Williams played the character in flashbacks to her childhood and her time as a nightclub singer. Ross was initially hesitant to audition for the role following her negative experience on Ryan's Hope, but was attracted to the show after learning about its supernatural and fantasy elements. Her casting was part of NBC's attempt to include a racially diverse ensemble on daytime television. She based her performance on Joanne Woodward's role in the 1957 film The Three Faces of Eve and Catherine Halsey from Ayn Rand's 1943 novel, The Fountainhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simone Russell</span> Fictional character on Passions

Simone Russell is a fictional character on the American soap opera Passions, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV in 2007–08. A member of Passions' Russell family, Simone is introduced as the youngest daughter of Eve Russell and T. C. Russell, and the younger sister of Whitney Russell. Her early appearances center on her love triangle with Chad Harris-Crane and her sister Whitney; the character later gains more prominence on the show through her experience coming out as a lesbian to her family, and her relationship with Rae Thomas. The network defended the show's treatment of Simone's sexuality as a serious commentary on the topic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Sanbourne</span> Fictional character in Passions

Liz Sanbourne is a fictional character from the American soap opera Passions, which aired on National Broadcasting Company (NBC) from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV from 2007 to 2008. Created by the soap's head writer, James E. Reilly, Liz was portrayed by Amelia Marshall from October 3, 2001, to February 17, 2006. Arreale Davis and Taquel Graves also played the character in flashbacks in 2003. Reilly approached Marshall about the role after they worked together on Guiding Light; Marshall was attracted to the series due to the opportunity to play a darker and more complex character than her previous experiences. Her casting was part of NBC's attempt to include a racially diverse ensemble on daytime television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brady Black</span> Soap opera character

Brady Black is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. Formerly portrayed by Kyle Lowder, the role of Brady has been portrayed by Eric Martsolf since 2008. Martsolf won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2014 for his role as Brady.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Harris-Crane</span> Soap opera character

Chad Harris-Crane is a fictional character on the American soap opera Passions, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2007 and on DirecTV in 2007–08. Developed by the soap's creator and head writer James E. Reilly, Chad was portrayed by two actors over the course of the show: Donn Swaby and Charles Divins. Swaby left the show to pursue roles outside daytime television and was replaced by Divins. The role was the first time that either actor had worked on a television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Fox</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Warren "Foxy" Fox is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, portrayed by Jamie Lomas. The character and casting were announced on 12 May 2006, and Warren made his first appearance on 26 June. He was introduced as an old acquaintance of Sean Kennedy. Lomas left the series in 2009, with his departure coinciding with the return of Clare Devine. On 17 October 2010, it was announced that Lomas would return to the series, appearing from 29 October, but he left the series for the second time in December 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Clarkson</span> Fictional character in Passions

Vincent Clarkson, also known by the alter ego Valerie Davis, is a fictional character from the American soap opera Passions. Created by the soap's founder and head writer James E. Reilly, Vincent was portrayed by Phillip Jeanmarie from 2006 to 2008. Valerie was played by Daphnée Duplaix from 2004 to 2008, and temporarily by Siena Goines in 2007. Jeanmarie originally auditioned for the role of a peeping tom before the role was expanded as the show progressed.

Russell family (<i>Passions</i>) Fictional family from an American soap opera

The Russell family is a fictional family depicted on the American soap opera Passions, which aired on NBC (1999–2007) and later on DirecTV (2007–2008). The family was created by the soap's founder and head writer James E. Reilly; it originally consisted of four characters—the married couple Eve and T. C. Russell, and their children Whitney and Simone. The Russells are one of the four core families in the fictional town of Harmony, and are characterized by their friendship with the Bennetts and Lopez-Fitzgeralds and their feud with the Cranes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arianna Hernandez</span> Fictional character from Days of Our Lives

Arianna Hernandez is a fictional character from the American NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, played by Lindsay Hartley. Arianna made her first appearance on April 15, 2009. In July 2009, it was announced that original actress Felisha Terrell had been axed from the soap and would be replaced by Lindsay Hartley. Hartley made her first appearance on August 28, 2009. In July 2010, it was announced that Hartley would be departing Days of our Lives and Arianna made her final appearance on November 8, 2010.

Jessica Bennett (<i>Passions</i>) Soap opera character

Jessica Bennett is a fictional character from the American soap opera Passions created by head writer James E. Reilly. Jessica's character was played by three different actresses during the show's run: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jade Harlow, and Danica Stewart. She was also played by model Michelle Holgate for two episodes in 2002 when Harlow was unavailable.