COUPLE: Steve Andropoulos & Betsy StewartSHOW: AS THE WORLD TURNS
RANK: 27
PLAYED BY:
Steve: Frank Runyeon
Betsy: Meg Ryan, Lindsay Frost
YEARS: 1982-1986
STORY:
Betsy lived with her step-mother, Kim (Kathryn Hays), and Kim's new husband, Nick Andropoulos (Michael Forest). Nick's younger brother, Steve, had a troubled past including an affairs with Nick's first wife, and had served time in jail for his part in James Stenbeck's drug smuggling ring. After his release from prison, Betsy and Steve began to fall in love. She offered to give him money from her trust to help him start a business but he refused. Nick suspected Steve was only after Betsy's money and angrily confronted him. Nick had a heart attack and on his deathbed made Betsy agree to never see Steve again.
But Steve and Betsy were star-crossed lovers and nothing could keep them apart, including the machinations of Craig Montgomery (Scott Bryce) who ended up marrying Betsy, faking paralysis, and trying everything he could to keep Betsy as his wife. Betsy became pregnant after making love with Steve but thought the baby was Craig's. Eventually the truth came out and Steve and Betsy were married. Their happiness was short-lived when Betsy had a car wreck in Vermont, had plastic surgery and lost her memory! Betsy eventually returned and the couple was happy for a time, but Steve's pride led him to become involved in a drug trafficking ring in Greece and was sentenced to life in a Greek prison.
IMPACT:
The original love story of Steve and Betsy was brilliantly written by Bridget and Jerome Dobson. It captured the imagination of viewers and help turn around the show's ratings which had been in decline for as few years. They were the type of couple that fans longed to be together with one tragic thing happening after the next to tear them apart.
The wedding of Steve and Betsy (available for purchase at SoapClassics.com) was viewed by 20 million viewers, reported to be most-watched episode on AS THE WORLD TURNS history.
AS THE WORLD TURNS launched the careers of Runyeon and Ryan (and Frost). Meg Ryan has since been nominated for three Golden Globe awards for her film work.
CLASSIC CLIPS:
- Steve and Betsy talk about Diana
- Steve and Betsy's wedding (1984)
- Betsy's Car Crash (1984)
- Meg Ryan and Frank Runyeon on THE PRICE IS RIGHT and TATTLETALES
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