Hank Gannon

Hank Gannon
One Life to Live character
Portrayed byNathan Purdee
Duration
  • 1992–2003
  • 2009
First appearanceJanuary 31, 1992 (January 31, 1992)
Last appearanceApril 8, 2009 (April 8, 2009)
ClassificationFormer; regular
Created byMichael Malone
Introduced by
Crossover
appearances
All My Children
In-universe information
Other namesHenry Gannon (birth name)
Occupation
  • Lawyer
  • College professor
  • Football coach
MotherJanine Gannon
BrothersR. J. Gannon
Wife
DaughtersRachel Gannon
AuntsClara
NiecesKeri Reynolds
Other relativesJamie Vega

Hank Gannon is a fictional character from the American ABC soap opera One Life to Live.

Casting

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The role of Hank was originated by actor Nathan Purdee on January 31, 1992.[1][2] Purdee continued regularly appearing in the role until July 18, 2003,[3] and he returned for three episodes in April 2009.[4][5][6]

Storylines

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Divorced attorney Hank Gannon arrives in fictional Llanview hired to defend Sarah Gordon Buchanan (Jensen Buchanan) in the murder of Carlo Hesser (Thom Christopher). In 1993, he finds himself as the prosecuting district attorney head-to-head against ex-wife Nora Hanen (Hillary B. Smith) in the infamous Todd Manning and Marty Saybrooke rape trial. Nora throws the case upon uncovering evidence implicating Todd in the rape, although Todd never serves jail time.

After years of prosecuting Llanview criminals, Hank leaves his post as district attorney in 2003 after mishandling of the Mitch Laurence (Roscoe Born) murder case. He returns to Llanview with his daughter Rachel in April 2009 upon the news that Nora's son Matthew (Eddie Alderson) was paralyzed in a car accident.

Reception

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In 2020, Candace Young and Charlie Mason put Hank on their list of Daytime's Most Important African-American Characters, commenting "By the time we met Nathan Purdee's "The Cannon," he'd already traded the football field for the courtroom" and that he was a "mvp" who could "still score".[7]

References

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  1. ^ One Life to Live. Season 24. January 31, 1992. American Broadcasting Company.
  2. ^ Seli Groves (2 February 1992). "Soap Updates". Portsmouth Daily Times. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  3. ^ One Life to Live. Season 35. 2003. American Broadcasting Company.
  4. ^ One Life to Live. Season 41. April 2009. American Broadcasting Company.
  5. ^ "Dorian Gets A Dose Of Hemorrhoid Treatment!". Soaps.com. SheKnows Entertainment. 7 April 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Rachel Returns!". Soaps.com. SheKnows Entertainment. 8 April 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  7. ^ Candace Young; Charlie Mason. "Black History Month Tribute to (But Some of) Daytime's Most Important African-American Characters [PHOTOS]". Soaps She Knows. She Media. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
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