Stella Chernak
Encyclopedia
Stella Chernak is a fictional character
on the television drama Peyton Place
. She was portrayed in over 60 episodes by Lee Grant
, between 1965 and 1966.
without any moral. She grew up in the poor part of Peyton Place and was the favorite child of her alcoholic father Gus Chernak. Although her little brother Joe Chernak was a real bad guy who spent most of his time in juvenile prison, she loved him very much and they were very close. In 1958, she left town and built up a promosing career as a biochemist
. She initially only comes to Peyton Place for a visit, but agrees to work as the assistant of Dr. Michael Rossi. They become very close to each other and even go out for a while.
When her brother Joe threatens Norman Harrington, his big brother Rodney Harrington
visits Stella, looking for Joe. That same night, Joe is found dead at the wharf following a fight with Rodney. Stella is convinced Rodney murdered him and Gus, holding a grudge against the Harrington family, forces her to tell the police Rodney told her he was going to kill Joe. Rodney is soon charged with murder and Stella testifies against him. Rodney is a very popular person in town and almost everyone is convinced she is lying. Because of that, everybody starts to really dislike her. The only person who is still talking to her, is Michael.
After a while, Stella starts to feel guilty about possibly sending someone to jail over a lie and considers telling the truth. Meanwhile, Gus has been fired and tries to kill his boss and Rodney's grandfather Martin Peyton as revenge. However, he dies of a heart attack, before he can. In his final words he pushes Stella to get Rodney behind jail. She promises to make her father wishes to come true and keeps on lying. Rodney's lawyer Steven Cord digs into her past and contacts Richard Jensen, her former boyfriend who she stole fabrical documents with. They were caught, however, but only he is sent to jail. Richard, out of jail after two years, swears revenge en forces Stella to break into the storage room of the hospital and steal morphine so he can sell it on the black market.
Stella is reluctant to, but she is too afraid of him. Right after breaking in, she feels guilty and admits the entire truth to Michael. He convinces her to tell the police her testimony was false. She is arrested, but Michael bails her out and she decides to leave town, swearing to never return.
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 television drama Peyton Place
Peyton Place (TV series)
Peyton Place is an American prime-time soap opera which aired on ABC in half-hour episodes from September 15, 1964 to June 2, 1969.Based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious, the series was preceded by a 1957 film adaptation. A total of 514 episodes were broadcast, in...
. She was portrayed in over 60 episodes by Lee Grant
Lee Grant
Lee Grant is an American stage, film and television actress, and film director. She was blacklisted for 12 years from film work beginning in the mid-1950s, but worked in the theatre, and would eventually win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Felicia Carp in the...
, between 1965 and 1966.
Character history
Stella Chernak was born into a poor familyFamily
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
without any moral. She grew up in the poor part of Peyton Place and was the favorite child of her alcoholic father Gus Chernak. Although her little brother Joe Chernak was a real bad guy who spent most of his time in juvenile prison, she loved him very much and they were very close. In 1958, she left town and built up a promosing career as a biochemist
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
. She initially only comes to Peyton Place for a visit, but agrees to work as the assistant of Dr. Michael Rossi. They become very close to each other and even go out for a while.
When her brother Joe threatens Norman Harrington, his big brother Rodney Harrington
Rodney Harrington
Rod Harrington is a fictional character on the television drama Peyton Place. He was portrayed by Ryan O'Neal. He was also a character on the 1957 film adaptation of the original novel. In this version, he was portrayed by Barry Coe.-Film version:...
visits Stella, looking for Joe. That same night, Joe is found dead at the wharf following a fight with Rodney. Stella is convinced Rodney murdered him and Gus, holding a grudge against the Harrington family, forces her to tell the police Rodney told her he was going to kill Joe. Rodney is soon charged with murder and Stella testifies against him. Rodney is a very popular person in town and almost everyone is convinced she is lying. Because of that, everybody starts to really dislike her. The only person who is still talking to her, is Michael.
After a while, Stella starts to feel guilty about possibly sending someone to jail over a lie and considers telling the truth. Meanwhile, Gus has been fired and tries to kill his boss and Rodney's grandfather Martin Peyton as revenge. However, he dies of a heart attack, before he can. In his final words he pushes Stella to get Rodney behind jail. She promises to make her father wishes to come true and keeps on lying. Rodney's lawyer Steven Cord digs into her past and contacts Richard Jensen, her former boyfriend who she stole fabrical documents with. They were caught, however, but only he is sent to jail. Richard, out of jail after two years, swears revenge en forces Stella to break into the storage room of the hospital and steal morphine so he can sell it on the black market.
Stella is reluctant to, but she is too afraid of him. Right after breaking in, she feels guilty and admits the entire truth to Michael. He convinces her to tell the police her testimony was false. She is arrested, but Michael bails her out and she decides to leave town, swearing to never return.