Brooke English

Julia Barr as Brooke English

**Brooke Allison English** (formerly Cudahy, Chandler, and Martin) is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera, All My Children. Originated by Elissa Leeds in 1976, she was portrayed by Julia Barr from 1976 to 1981 and from 1982 to 2006. Harriet Hall temporarily played the role in 1981. Barr made a special appearance as Brooke on January 5, 2010, as part of the series' 40th anniversary, and returned on February 23, 2010, for a three-month stint until April 23, 2010. She later returned for the show's final week on ABC on September 16, 2011.

She returned as Brooke on the Prospect Park's continuation of All My Children in 2013.

## Storylines

Brooke English, a rebellious teen, arrived to live with her rich aunt Phoebe in Pine Valley. She tried to pit Dan Kennicott and Benny Sago, who wanted her affections, against each other. After these teenage romance episodes, she became a reporter. Her union with Tom Cudahy produced a beautiful little girl named Laura, who was tragically killed by a drunk driver. Jamie, her miracle child, was Brooke's pride and joy. It seemed as if Brooke always picked up Erica's discarded men, including Adam Chandler and Tom.

Brooke fell in love with Pierce Riley, a reclusive artist, in 1996. She was torn between the dark, hidden ways of Pierce and the powerful Adam Chandler. Brooke eventually chose Pierce, only to give him up for her family. Brooke felt that she needed to devote time to her son, Jamie, and her newly adopted daughter, Laura Kirk. Pierce went away to New Mexico, but he did return to Pine Valley a few months later. Things heated up for Pierce and Brooke and the couple became engaged.

Pierce was haunted by memories of his past and his "forced" execution of a woman he had fallen in love with in Central America, Christina. No one knew, but Christina was still alive. She had somehow survived her gunshot wounds and spent nearly two decades in jail. When Brooke began a search for the woman and the child she had conceived with Pierce, the Central American captors released Christina. She headed to Pine Valley under the name Diana Martinez to tell her story to Brooke, not knowing that Brooke was in love with Pierce. The truth was exposed, and Pierce was left to deal with his feelings for Christina.

After Pierce left, Brooke devoted most of her time to her work. She was nominated for an award in New York. On the way back to Pine Valley, she took Transglobal Flight 149. The plane crashed, killing everyone but four people -- Brooke, Jim Thomasen, Edmund, and Maddie. Jim helped Brooke save Edmund and Maddie, but they did not reach Maria in time, and she went over with the plane into the water below. Jim had trailed Brooke from New York, because he knew that she was a wealthy woman and had just adopted Laura Kirk. Laura and Jim had a past in New York.

Jim had taken pornographic pictures of Laura when she was younger. Brooke teamed with Jim to find out about why the plane crashed. Jim was with her every step of the way, and they learned that the plane's crash was attributed to faulty turbine blades and that Adam Chandler was behind it. A druggie named Ricky, who had hired by Jim, kidnapped Laura. Jim "saved" Laura and became a hero in Brooke's eyes. Little did she know, Jim was behind the scheme. As the relationship between Brooke and Jim got heated, Jim told Laura that she would be better off in Boston, where nobody would know her. Laura left after New Year's Day 1998.

Brooke was notified that the investigators from the plane crash had found new evidence. She headed down to see what it was. It was a luggage fragment that contained explosives. Jim told Brooke to leave it alone. Brooke would not let it rest. One evening, Brooke went to Jim's apartment and headed for the closet to find something and stumbled across the same style luggage that had been found at the crash site. She became very suspicious of Jim. She confronted him with this, but the only explanation she received from Jim was a pack of lies and half-truths. Brooke asked Mateo to do some undercover work and find out all he could about Jim Thomasen.

The truth about Jim turned Brooke's world upside-down. She arranged a late-night meeting with Jim at the Chandler Gallery. There, she showed Jim blown-up photos that he had taken of Laura. Jim taunted Brooke, saying that if she even thought about calling the police, he would seek out Jamie and take pornographic photos of him. Brooke retaliated by brandishing a gun and shooting Jim several times in the back. Brooke was arrested for murder, but a subsequent trial set her free. Still, the memory of taking someone's life haunted Brooke even after her acquittal.

Brooke floated freely through the next year or so, focusing mainly on her son and her business. She had a brief mini-relationship with Dimitri Marick that never reaped more than a few pointed barbs from Dimitri's ex, Erica.

In the first half of 2000, Reverend Eliot Freeman found Brooke working herself ragged at the community center. Brooke's grief for her dead daughter, Laura, rushed back to the surface when a drunken Arlene Vaughan crashed her car into a telephone pole that ended up slamming through the center's outer wall. Eliot comforted Brooke and got her to open up about the pain she was still feeling for her daughter. The pair grew closer and closer, even being awarded temporary custody of foster child Ricky Collins, but Brooke was unaware that Eliot had a secret he was keeping from her --- he had another identity. Before "finding God," Eliot went by another name --- Josh Waleski, the man who had killed her daughter.

Eliot was eventually forced into telling Brooke that he was the man who had taken her daughter from him. Brooke erupted in a fury and lashed out at Eliot for having lied to her for months. More importantly, Brooke was left to question herself for allowing herself to fall in love with the man who had killed her daughter. Eliot decided to leave town to help Brooke heal. Before Eliot left for good, Brooke finally found a way to forgive Eliot.

In Spring 2001, an ecstasy overdose aggravated a pre-existing heart condition in Brooke's daughter, Laura. A cardiologist on staff at Pine Valley Hospital determined that Laura's condition was quite grave -- and potentially deadly. Erica and Brooke put aside their differences to become an unlikely pair, determined to free Dr. David Hayward from jail so that he could do risky surgery to attempt to save or prolong Laura's life. The two women put aside their differences, drawn together by a common bond: motherhood. Later that spring, a frantic Brooke begged Leo du Pres to pretend to be interested in her dying daughter, Laura, so that this romantic interest would spur Laura to fight for her life.

Leo initially refused, but over time, he and Laura grew closer. It was unclear if Leo truly loved Laura, but it was clear that he really did care for Laura and wanted to see her recover fully. As Laura's condition worsened, Brooke paid a couple to donate their dead nephew's heart to Laura. On June 18th, Leo popped the question to a hospitalized Laura -- and she accepted. Just two days later, the pair married in Laura's hospital room with Brooke, Bianca Montgomery, best man David Hayward, and nurse Zora in attendance. However, in spite of her happiness, Laura's health continued to deteriorate rapidly and the only possible way to save her life was with a heart transplant.

Laura's heart transplant was successful, but it caused Laura to spin out of control. As Brooke helped care for Laura, she once again became close to Edmund Grey. Brooke convinced Laura to seek out professional help in early 2002. On Valentine's Day, 2002, Edmund proposed, and Brooke accepted. Brooke and Edmund announced their engagement, and Vanessa took Greenlee hostage by holding a knife to Greenlee's throat, which disrupted the engagement party.

Brooke encountered problems with the engagement because Jamie was trying to reunite Tad and Brooke. Tad and Edmund were both jealous of one another. Edmund believed Tad was trying to take Brooke away from him, and Tad blamed Edmund for Brooke's family difficulties.

After she saw a drawing done by Maureen Gorman, a drawing that strongly resembled Wildwind, Brooke became convinced that Maureen Gorman was in fact Maria Grey. Brooke and Tad traveled to Nevada to find Maureen Gorman. When Brooke saw Maureen and realized it was Maria, she fainted. Tad later went to see Maria and eyed a different girl and did not believe Brooke had actually seen Maria. Tad tried to convince Brooke she just "thought" she'd seen Maria.

At Brooke and Edmund's wedding, Maddie saw Maria and followed her into the mausoleum. After Brooke and Edmund had completed their wedding vows and were officially married, Maddie burst into the chapel and announced that she had just been with her mother. Brooke admitted to Edmund that she'd known Maria was really alive, and Edmund went to find Maria. Edmund and Brooke's marriage was annulled, but Brooke continued to help Edmund reunite with Maria.

After having several drinks, Brooke and Adam made passionate love. Brooke and Adam repeated the encounter, and then others became aware of the affair. Brooke told Adam she would only continue the affair as long as it remained a secret. Since others had learned about them, she was going to end it. At the Venetian Party Fund-raiser for the Brooke English Homeless Shelter, an inebriated Jamie blurted out that Brooke and Adam were having an affair.

Brooke and Edmund worked on rebuilding their friendship after her deceptions, but soon her worries turned to Jamie, who had slept with his former stepbrother J.R.'s new wife, Babe. Brooke was relieved to learn that Babe's daughter was J.R.'s. She couldn't understand why Jamie left town with Babe until Tad admitted to her that baby Bess Chandler was really Miranda Montgomery, and Babe and J.R.'s son was alive and well in Llanview. Brooke was relieved when the charges were eventually dropped against Babe, but not pleased at Jamie's continuing relationship with Babe.

After Edmund was killed in the barn at Wildwind, Brooke was devastated, and faced the unpleasant task of telling Maria that not only had Brooke been named executor of Edmund's estate; she also had more say over Wildwind and Maria's children than Maria did. The two women were at odds for some time but finally found a way to coexist for the sake of the children. Brooke was inconsolable when her beloved aunt Phoebe passed away and was shocked to learn that Phoebe had left everything to Jamie, provided he dump Babe. Eventually he did, and Brooke was pleased to see her son pursuing his dream of medicine -- as well as being Babe-free -- but not too pleased when Jamie's next paramour was the recently returned-to-town Amanda Dillon.

It was about this time that Brooke, Joe Martin, Adam, and Opal were all knocked out and kidnapped by a mystery person and almost dumped into quicksand before they were rescued. After it was revealed that Janet Dillon had set off the bomb at the masquerade ball and perpetrated the kidnappings, Brooke welcomed a devastated Amanda into her home and served as a kind of surrogate parent once Janet was finally caught and arrested.

Brooke was largely on the sidelines after that, and, late in 2006, Brooke sold Tempo back to Adam Chandler and relocated to China to be with her adoptive daughter, Laura.

Brooke English briefly returned when she appeared in a 2010 documentary after Pine Valley was named "Best Town In America." She shared some of her memories about having lived in Pine Valley, including her love-hate relationship with Erica Kane.

In February 2010, Brooke surprised Annie, the new Mrs. Adam Chandler, by showing up at the Chandler mansion, looking for Adam. Brooke had returned to town to interview for the open editor position at Tempo. Brooke was less than impressed with Annie and insisted on talking to Adam herself when Annie said she had gotten the job. Adam and the rest of the Chandlers wee thrilled to see Brooke, much to Annie's dismay. Upon learning that J.R. was struggling with cancer, Brooke tried to do everything she could to help, getting herself tested as a donor and setting up a website to find a suitable donor, who turned out to be Annie. When Adam's poor health started to become an issue, Brooke tried to plead with him to take it easy and enjoy life while he still could. Adam was his usual stubborn self and shrugged Brooke off to start.

After Brooke was in town a little longer, she and Adam fell in love again, but neither quite wanted to admit it. It soon became clear that Adam and Brooke couldn't control their feelings for each other anymore -- especially after Palmer's funeral -- but Brooke did not want to break up Adam's marriage to Annie. Brooke told Adam it would be best if she left Pine Valley and he stayed with his family. Erica, in a rare sign of friendship, offered Brooke her private jet to leave town. Adam was devastated when Brooke left, and, even on the plane, Brooke had her misgivings. Adam got Erica to have her plane turned around. Once she was back on the ground, Adam told Brooke it was over with Annie and told Brooke how much he loved her. Brooke felt the same way, and the two shared a kiss. Adam and Brooke decided to start a new life together and left Pine Valley to travel.

Adam and Brooke settled down in Paris, France until Adam's daughter Colby called and informed Brooke of the terrible state J.R. was in. Brooke and Adam learned J.R. had lost his position at Chandler Enterprises and the Chandler home was in foreclosure. J.R. had turned to alcohol again and he lost custody of his son as well. Brooke and Adam returned to Pine Valley and Brooke ran in to Jack Montgomery and Erica Kane at Confusion. Brooke and Jack exchanged a warm reunion while Erica and Brooke quickly fell into their usual banter of taking digs at one another. Erica taunted Brooke by stating Adam must have become bored with her and left her. The women briefly dropped their barbed comments and Brooke admitted Adam had not been the same since he left Pine Valley.

Brooke was by Adam's side as he prepared to take a final look at the Chandler home. Adam noticed one of his guns was missing from his gun case and J.R. entered and stated that he had the gun. J.R. accused Adam of believing he was a failure and a disappointment and Adam's act of removing J.R. from his will proved it. Brooke tried to intervene and explained to J.R. that Adam simply wanted to cut J.R. free from a life tied to power and money. She also told J.R. that Stuart's death had taken an immense toll on Adam. J.R. refused to listen and he left. Brooke also tried to console Adam as he lamented his failure as a parent.

Brooke was by Adam's side when he received a call that a family member was in critical condition at the hospital. They immediately assumed J.R. had done something reckless, and they were shocked to learn that Adam's twin brother Stuart, who had been presumed dead, was still alive. David Hayward had used his experimental Project Orpheus treatments on Stuart and he would be making a full recovery.

Adam was thrilled to have his brother back and Brooke added to Adam's joyous mood by announcing that she had used her Aunt Phoebe's inheritance to purchase the Chandler mansion. Adam decided to throw a party at the mansion to celebrate Stuart's homecoming. During the party, Adam added to the reasons to celebrate when he proposed to Brooke and she accepted. The party was in full swing when a shot rang out.

## Prospect Park's online version

Although five years had passed since J.R. fired a shot into the party at the Chandler mansion, Brooke remained haunted by the memories. Adam hoped to create happier memories for Brooke and he proposed to her again. His proposal included a request that she take over at the helm of Chandler Enterprises while he handled business abroad. Brooke accepted the proposal and the position.

Shortly after Brooke took over in Adam's absence, Adam's son J.R. awoke from the coma he had been in for the past five years. He claimed that he respected Brooke's position at the family company. Meanwhile, Brooke brought Dimitri Marick back to Pine Valley and named him the head of Chandler's media division which included the production of the internet program "Talk Tempo." She also hired Celia Fitzgerald and Adam's daughter Colby as production assistants on the show. The young women suggested that Chandler Media host a charity gala to benefit the Miranda Center and garner attention for the show. Brooke supported their idea and allowed J.R. to create a presentation for the gala.

Brooke and Dimitri worked closely together while Adam remained out of town. On the night of the gala, J.R.'s presentation file was corrupted and he publically lashed out at Brooke and accused her of sabotage. Adam unexpectedly appeared at the event and silenced J.R.'s attack on Brooke. Adam privately assured her that J.R. would not cause problems for her again. Then Adam left again to resume his business outside of the country. In Adam's absence, Dimitri expressed his romantic interest in Brooke and they shared a kiss. Afterwards, Brooke explained that she could not reciprocate his feelings because she loved Adam.

## Crimes Committed

* Blackmailed Phoebe into letting her stay in town after she realized Phoebe wasn't paralyzed [1978]
* Jailed for refusing to reveal a source in an article
* Kidnapped Jamie after learning that she had an ectopic pregnancy
* Shot and killed Jim Thomasen; stood trial for murder but was acquitted
* Coerced/bribed a couple into donating their dead nephew's heart [Jun 2001]
* Held Adam at gunpoint [2004]

## Health and Vitals

* Sexually assaulted by Eddie Dorrance
* Ectopic pregnancy
* Drugged, kidnapped, and locked in the back of a truck by Janet Dillon [Jan 2006]
* Sustained serious injuries in a car accident [Apr 5, 2010]