Victor Newman

Victor Newman (born Christian Miller) is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by German-American actor Eric Braeden since 1980. Initially a guest character who was to last for eight to twelve weeks, Victor has evolved into the show's leading male figure. Created by the late William J. Bell as a "despicable, contemptible, unfaithful wife abuser", the character was planned to be killed off and never heard of again. However, after Bell saw Braeden's performance, he decided to sign the actor onto a contract. Braeden was hesitant to work on a soap opera, but eventually signed a contract, and has remained on the series as a regular cast member for a total of thirty-two years. The character is widely described as "ruthless" and while loving to those he holds dear, is considered a villain. Over the years, he has also been the center of several controversial plots and relationships.

Victor arrived in Genoa City, Wisconsin for business. He eventually formed his own worldwide conglomerate, Newman Enterprises. His first marriage to Julia Newman (Meg Bennet) failed; following this, he formed a romance with stripper Nikki Reed (Melody Thomas Scott). This would be the start of their three decade-long relationship, which includes a pattern of marriages, divorces, reunions and so on. He shares two children with Nikki, Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and Nicholas Newman (Joshua Morrow). During his first marriage to her, he cheated with Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson). He has also had a long-standing romantic history with Ashley, and they share a child together, Abby Newman (Marcy Rylan). He was briefly married to a woman named Hope Wilson (Signy Coleman) and they had a son together, Victor "Adam" Newman, Jr., who grew up without knowledge of Victor being his father. He is known for his long-standing rivalry with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman). Victor has had several other romantic relationships, including one with his former daughter-in-law Sharon Collins (Sharon Case), which was poorly received and criticized by the actors and public.

Victor is considered a daytime television icon, and one of the genre's leading men. Braeden's performance has been universally praised, labeled as "enthralling" and legendary. Additionally, he is considered the show's leading character. Victor is known for his power and is famously characterized by his low toned voice. The character's popularity with the public led to it becoming a spokesman for the discount store, Zellers, Inc. Braeden's portrayal of Victor in the past three decades has garnered him several accolades. This includes having his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame which was presented to him in July 2007. He has been nominated at the Daytime Emmy Awards eight times for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, having taken home the award in 1998. He has been pre-nominated three times in this category. Additionally, he was the recipient of the "Favorite Male Performer In A Daytime Serial" award at the 18th Annual People's Choice Awards in 1992. On October 8, 2009, it was announced that Braeden was to exit The Young and the Restless. Head writer and executive producer at the time Maria Arena Bell wrote both Braeden and Scott out of the show's scripts. Budgetary cuts were credited with their departures that November. After his exit, Braeden publicly made it clear he was unhappy and felt betrayed by the show. He said that he had signed a three-year contract and was obligated to fulfill that; however, the show had told him they changed their minds. In response, Braeden stated: "Where in the world of business does this kind of contract exist?" Braeden also insisted that it wasn't about money, but about the shock of being fired. Despite his anger, he managed to reach a contract negotiation with the series and returned in January the following year. His next contract expired in 2012, after which he re-signed with the show following a brief leave of absence. During this period of time, the character's company was taken over and he was thought to be dead.

Read more about Victor Newman:  Casting and Creation, Legacy and Reception

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