Mitch Laurence

Mitch Laurence
Roscoe Born as Mitch Laurence
One Life to Live
Portrayed by	Roscoe Born
Duration	1985-1986, 2000-2001, 2009
First appearance	1985
Last appearance	2009
Created by	Peggy O'Shea
Profile
Gender	Male
Born	1959 (age 64–65)
Died	1986
Cause of death	Murder
Occupation	Con artist
Residence	Statesville Prison Llanview, Pennsylvania
Relationships Sibling(s) Walker "Flynn" Laurence (deceased) Miles Laurence Spouse(s) Natalie Buchanan (10/2002-2003; annulled) Dorian Lord (2003; dissolved) Romances Roxy Balsom Tina Lord Allison Perkins Victoria Lord (raped) Children Schuyler Joplin

Mitchel "Mitch" Laurence is a fictional character, portrayed by Roscoe Born, on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live, from 1985 to 1986 and again from 2000 to 2001. Born will reprise the role November 9, 2009

Character History

Enter Mitch

Charismatic Mitch Laurence arrives in Llanview in 1985 and sets his sights on ex-girlfriend Tina Clayton, who has just discovered she was the daughter of deceased millionaire Victor Lord. Finding out that Victor's estate will revert to Tina if Victor's other daughter Viki Lord Buchanan had a relapse of her multiple personality disorder, Mitch convinces Tina to assist him in his plan to do just that. But when Tina realizes that Mitch actually intends to murder Viki's husband Clint Buchanan and frame Viki, she tries to stop him. Mitch kills Harry O'Neill instead, and Tina is arrested.

Tina is later exonerated and Mitch is sent to prison; he "finds God" and manages to be freed, soon becoming the leader of a religious cult and preying upon his young female disciples. He then orchestrates the kidnapping of Clint and Viki Buchanan's newborn daughter Jessica by his follower Allison Perkins (daughter of Statesville Prison's warden). Jessica is eventually returned, and Mitch is killed on July 18, 1985 by a blow to the back of the head from Dorian Lord as he attempts to rape her daughter, Cassie Callison.

On April 1, 1986, Mitch is seen again—this time as a voyager on the “Star Ascension,” during Viki’s out-of-body experience as she suffered from a brain aneurysm. During the high stakes dream, which dictates whether she would live or die, Viki is able to ultimately destroy his power over her.

Resurrections

First Resurrection

Natalie Balsom arrives in Llanview in 2000, revealing that she is actually the biological daughter of Viki and Clint Buchanan. At first it is believed that when Allison Perkins had kidnapped the Buchanan baby in 1987, another child was returned and grew up to be Jessica. But when a DNA test on Jessica proves that she is also Viki's daughter, the real story comes out.

Mitch Laurence had secretly raped a drugged Viki around the same time she conceived a child with Clint. Viki unknowingly became pregnant with fraternal twins, one fathered by Clint (Natalie) and the other fathered by Mitch (Jessica). Dr. Walter Balsom, who had been one of Mitch's disciples, took Mitch's daughter during delivery, and Viki never knew she'd had more than one child. Mitch, however, wanted his daughter to grow up loved by Viki in the lap of luxury, and sent Allison to kidnap Clint's child. They replaced her with Mitch's daughter (who would become Jessica), and gave Clint's daughter (who would become Natalie) to Dr. Balsom and his wife Roxy.

In 2000, Mitch returns from the dead; he had not actually died at Dorian's hands, but Dr. Balsom had helped him make it look that way. As "Michael Lazarus" Mitch wooes Natalie Buchanan into marriage. The union is soon annulled, but in 2001 Mitch marries a newly-returned-to-town Dorian, who wants in on Mitch's true plan: to take control of Victor Lord's estate. A very-much-alive Victor has been living in seclusion but is now in need of a heart transplant; Mitch promises him a perfect match in exchange for his fortune, and Victor agrees. Mitch's own daughter Jessica has the matching organ but he offers up Natalie instead; Viki's arrival stops the operation, and Victor soon dies in front of his shocked daughter. Later, Jessica accidentally pushes Mitch into the Llantano River.

Mitch regains his sight (after an accident blinded him), and is rescued by Viki's half-brother Todd Manning (who is impersonating Mitch's brother Walker). Mitch kidnapps Jessica again and drags her to Lion's Heart, the gothic mansion where Victor had been living all those years. Viki and Antonio rescue Jessica and Mitch is arrested. He is later released from jail by Todd, who leads him to the docks to make an escape. Mitch tries to kill Todd, and Jessica appeares and knocks Mitch over the head with a lead pipe, killing him instantly. Todd doesn't want Jessica to take the blame, so he plants false evidence to point the finger of suspicion at others. The body is discovered by Tina's daughter Sarah Roberts, and though Todd and Jessica each confess to killing Mitch, Police Commissioner Bo Buchanan is inclined to look the other way and abandon the case.

Second Resurrection

In 2009, Jessica is unnerved by someone making it appear as though her deceased husband Nash Brennan is alive and stalking her. Natalie's husband Jared Banks appears responsible until Mitch reappears to a stunned Jessica, Natalie, and Jared Banks in California on November 9, 2009. Meanwhile in Michigan, Roxy's son Rex Balsom's long search for the truth reveals that his biological father is Mitch. Mitch shoots Jared to death and is jailed; on December 3, 2009 he pops out of Jared's coffin during the funeral service, having been released after a mix-up with the evidence against him. On December 8, 2009 a distraught Natalie stabs Mitch, who survives. In January 2010, new mayor Dorian Lord gives in to Mitch's threats against her family and effects Mitch's release from jail. He soon kidnaps Jessica as part of his plan to kidnap Rex's soon-to-be-born baby with Stacy Morasco and have Jessica raise the child in captivity. His plan foiled, Mitch is furious when Dorian betrays him, and vows revenge.

External links

• Mitch Laurence profile - About.com
• Notoriously Remembered: Mitch Laurence