Then & Now:         
Michael Zaslow as GL's Roger Thorpe
Soap Opera Update, October 18, 1994


For more than twenty years, Guiding Light's Roger Thorpe, played to perfection by Emmy award winner Michael Zaslow, has been wreaking his unique brand of havoc throughout the sleepy 'burb of Springfield.

Throughout his reign, Roger's path has been inexorably linked with that of Holly Norris (now Lindsey).  When Roger made sexual overtures to Janet Mason it caused a jealous Holly to blindly run into the street where she was struck by a car.  As a result, Holly fell in love with Dr. Ed Bauer, whose kindhearted support inspired her to walk again.  A drunken Ed married Holly on the rebound and the two began an unhappy union.  

When Roger began dating Peggy Fletcher, Holly's jealousy once again reared its ugly head and she unsuccessfully attempted to undermine the relationship.  Then things began to go wrong for Roger.  Peggy, who was still married to another man, would not commit to him, then he borrowed from loan sharks to save his failing business.  A vulnerable Roger entered into an affair with Holly.  Peggy came back into Roger's life and he proposed marriage, deciding that it was time he grow up.  Roger informed Holly that it was over between then.  

Still married to Ed, Holly learned that she was pregnant with Roger's child.   Although she kept it a secret, Roger was never far from her thoughts.  Holly gave birth to Christina (now known as Blake) and Roger anonymously saved his daughter's life by donating blood for an emergency transfusion.  Eventually, Holly confessed her affair to Ed who then walked out on her.  Roger told Peggy as well, but she forgave him and they were married.


Having been diagnosed as sterile, Roger harbored an intense dislike for Ed, his daughter's legal father.  Roger flirted with Rita, now Ed's fiancée, and eventually raped her.   Rita thought that no one would believe her because of her history with Roger and decided not to press charges.  Now married to Roger, Holly angered him by refusing to tell Christina that he was her real father.  An abusive Roger then raped Holly, too.   Rita came forward to help convict Roger. Then Holly shot and killed him while he was out on bail, or so everyone thought.  Roger, still very much alive, was whisked off to Alan Spaulding's private clinic in Puerto Rico.  Holly was convicted of murder and went to prison.


Bent on revenge, Roger returned to Springfield to kidnap Christina.  That backfired and instead he kidnapped Rita.  Hearing that the police were closing in on the cabin where he had taken her, Roger fled, accidentally setting the cabin on fire. With Roger on the loose, Ed decided to hide Holly and Christina in Santo Domingo, but Roger tracked them down.  An alert Holly distracted Roger while Christina escaped.  Outraged, Roger led Holly on a harrowing trek through the jungle. When Ed caught up to them, Roger shot him and then almost fell off a cliff.  While trying to rescue Roger, Ed lost his grip and Roger fell to his death.

Like a cat with nine lives, Roger again resurfaced years later as the mysterious maked "Adam".   Alexandra Spaulding discovered the dark stranger when the plane in which she and Fletcher Reade were traveling crashed onto a deserted island. Alex brought him back to Springfield where he revealed his true identity, as well as the fact that he had been working for the government.  An infatuated Alex married Roger and together they ran Spaulding Enterprises.  Roger later began an affair with Mindy Lewis, which led to the end of his marriage and his ouster from Spaulding.  Since then Roger has been unable to get the company out of his system.



A desperate Roger met Jenna Bradshaw and, discovering her father's identity, devised a plan to have the ownership of the company transferred to her.  Although Roger and Jenna entered into a relationship, they were both pulled by their attractions to other people: she to Buzz and he, yet again, to Holly.  Although she gave in to her desire and  slept with him, Holly later rejected Roger.   On the rebound, he married Jenna and the couple was settling into a life of luxury when the truth came out:   Jenna's father had signed over his rights to the company years ago. Discovering that Roger had kept this small detail from her, Jenna filed for divorce.

With Spaulding reverting back to its rightful owners, the golden goose once again slipped from Roger's grasp.  When it seemed as if things couldn't get any worse, someone made an attempt on Roger's life.  The assailant was revealed to be Billy Lewis. Bill was incensed when he discovered that his adopted son Peter was, in reality, the grandson of his arch rival Roger Thorpe.

Once more, it was Holly who came to Roger's aid, rescuing him from death's door.  No longer able to deny their profound love for one another, they have forged their most honest relationship yet and together have set out to gain control of Spaulding once and for all.

Copyright © 1999 by Michael Zaslow's ZazAngels. All rights reserved.
02/16/06 12:59:32 AM