Laura Simmons Asher
Encyclopedia
Laura Simmons Asher is a fictional character
on the American
soap opera
Santa Barbara
. She was portrayed by actress Christopher Norris
from March 8, 1989 to July 5, 1990.
in the position of the town's district attorney. She was surprised to find her ex-lover Michael Donnelly in town, Michael had been responsible for the accidental death of Laura's son when Michael was still working as a policeman, and Laura preferred to stay away from him.
When a man from Michael's past named Leo Mitchell was found murdered, Ethan accused Michael, but Laura cleared Michael of all charges by admitting that she had shot Leo in self-defense. Realizing that Laura had a connection with Michael, Ethan became involved with Gina DeMott
, while Laura desperate tried to make her marriage work.
Phyllis Blake, Gina's mother, started to blackmail Laura, threatening to reveal her part in Loe Mitchell's murder. After Gina forced Phyllis to stop the blackmail, Laura started sending blackmail notes to herself in hopes of hanging onto Ethan. She lied to Ethan that she was pregnant. Mack Blake, Gina's brother, learned the truth and persuaded Laura to come clean with Ethan. Her confession was the final straw for Ethan, who left his wife to be with Ethan. After a failed suicide attempt
, Laura became psychotic and agreed to be locked up in an asylum. Unbeknownst to Ethan, she was planning to use her stay there as an alibi...
Laura was out for revenge and sneaked out of the asylum several times. She burned down the Lockridge mansion (now Gina's house), accidentally killed Sasha Schmidt and tried to poison Ethan. She then made a deal with her asylum roommate Annie to kill each other's husbands, hoping Annie would kill Ethan for her. Eventually, the jig was up for Laura, whose crimes were exposed. She ended up in jail.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara (TV series)
Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolved around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California...
. She was portrayed by actress Christopher Norris
Christopher Norris
Christopher Charles Norris is a British philosopher and literary critic.-Career:As of 2011 Prof. Norris is Distinguished Research Professor in Philosophy at Cardiff University...
from March 8, 1989 to July 5, 1990.
Character history
Laura arrived in Santa Barbara along with her husband Ethan, who succeeded Julia WainwrightJulia Wainwright Capwell
Julia Wainwright Capwell was a fictional character on the American soap opera Santa Barbara. She was portrayed by actress Nancy Lee Grahn from May 6, 1985 to then show's demise on January 15, 1993. Julia was a part of one of the show's main supercouples, Mason and Julia. The character is still...
in the position of the town's district attorney. She was surprised to find her ex-lover Michael Donnelly in town, Michael had been responsible for the accidental death of Laura's son when Michael was still working as a policeman, and Laura preferred to stay away from him.
When a man from Michael's past named Leo Mitchell was found murdered, Ethan accused Michael, but Laura cleared Michael of all charges by admitting that she had shot Leo in self-defense. Realizing that Laura had a connection with Michael, Ethan became involved with Gina DeMott
Gina Blake Lockridge
Gina Lockridge was a fictional character on the American soap opera Santa Barbara. The character was first played by actress Linda Gibboney from September 20, 1984 to December 9, 1985...
, while Laura desperate tried to make her marriage work.
Phyllis Blake, Gina's mother, started to blackmail Laura, threatening to reveal her part in Loe Mitchell's murder. After Gina forced Phyllis to stop the blackmail, Laura started sending blackmail notes to herself in hopes of hanging onto Ethan. She lied to Ethan that she was pregnant. Mack Blake, Gina's brother, learned the truth and persuaded Laura to come clean with Ethan. Her confession was the final straw for Ethan, who left his wife to be with Ethan. After a failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempts comprise a large portion of suicide attempts. Some are regarded as not true attempts at all, but rather parasuicide. The usual attempt may be a wish to affect another person by the behaviour. Consequently, it occurs in a social context and may represent a request for help....
, Laura became psychotic and agreed to be locked up in an asylum. Unbeknownst to Ethan, she was planning to use her stay there as an alibi...
Laura was out for revenge and sneaked out of the asylum several times. She burned down the Lockridge mansion (now Gina's house), accidentally killed Sasha Schmidt and tried to poison Ethan. She then made a deal with her asylum roommate Annie to kill each other's husbands, hoping Annie would kill Ethan for her. Eventually, the jig was up for Laura, whose crimes were exposed. She ended up in jail.