Eve Russell

Written by Courtaney

According to Hidden Passions, Eve Johnson was the only child of Harvard history professor Warren Johnson and his wife Tanya, an award-winning journalist. She was raised in a well-to-do neighborhood where she was pampered with everything from classical singing and ballet lessons to private girls’ schools. Eve didn’t get to spend much time with her ever-busy parents, however. Her fondest childhood memories were of her grandmother, for whom she was named. After her beloved grandmother died, when Eve was only eight, she was raised mostly by a series of elderly babysitters. When she was a sophomore at Radcliffe, majoring in premed, Eve knew she wanted more out of life than what she saw for herself. The last straw was when her parents tried to fix her up with an academic young man who had not even a hint of sexuality in his demeanor. Eve could not stand the thought of being in a passionless marriage like her parents’; within her was an incredible urge to break free. She set out to fulfill her childhood fantasy of becoming a singer.

As far as the show is now concerned, Eve’s early life was quite different than the one depicted in Hidden Passions. Her parents were not well off at all, and she had a younger half-sister, Liz. According to Liz, their father abused her sexually when she was a girl, but Eve has said she knew nothing about it. The older girl simply wanted out of her mundane life and set off to Boston to become a singer.

The two profiles of Eve merge once she arrives at the Blue Note in Boston in the winter of 1976. It is there that she was hired to perform part-time as a singer. She imagined herself to be like her idol, Billie Holiday. Eve loved owning the spotlight. And it was there, while dazzling the audience one night, that she met the man who would forever change her life – Julian Crane.

The billionaire law student was captivated by Eve’s presence from the start. At first she tried to fight off his advances, but finally agreed to go to Studio 54 with him in New York. It was at the upscale club that she experienced two things for the first time – drugs and sex. It was the beginning of a passionate affair with young Mr. Crane, an affair that included numerous trips to Bermuda in the Crane jet, hot photo sessions, and all the dangerous aspects of a fast lifestyle, including alcohol and drugs. The two could not get enough of each other.

Everything changed when Julian’s father coerced him into wooing Ivy Winthrop, the governor’s daughter. He stopped coming by to see Eve, who soon found out she was pregnant. With the exception of one last night of passion with Julian, after she had discovered his relationship with Ivy, their torrid affair had come to an end. Her parents wanted nothing to do with her because she insisted on keeping her child. She broke off all ties with them. Eve went on to deliver her baby at Christmastime…a baby boy she was soon told had died.

The break-up and her baby’s death nearly killed Eve. She was able to pull herself up from the ashes, however, with the help of Alistair, Julian’s father. The despicable man’s pay-off to silence her was used for medical school. Eve became a doctor and went on to meet a man who would help her learn to love again: T.C. Russell.

Eve and T.C., whose tennis career was cut short by an auto accident he believed was caused by his courtside rival, Julian Crane, were married and became the parents of two daughters, Whitney and Simone. Both girls, now in their early twenties, grew up believing their mother was perfect, as she appeared to be to the rest of the world. Even T.C. thinks she was never involved with any man before him.

The Russell family lives in a quiet middle-class neighborhood in Harmony, the same town as Julian Crane. Their lives did not cross, however, until the fall of 1999, when Julian began hanging around the town’s middle-class residents because his wife was interested in an old flame, Sam Bennett. There was still sexual tension between Julian and Eve after all of these years, but he tried to release it in sleazy come-ons that she wanted no part in. It wasn’t until 2001 that Eve learned Julian had really loved her all those years ago.

Eve had many problems during those first years after her family came into contact with the Cranes. First, some old photos of her relationship with Julian nearly came to light. They eventually fell into the hands of Julian’s wife, Ivy. Ivy Crane used them to blackmail Eve to assist her in trying to win back Sam Bennett, the husband of Eve’s best friend, Grace. Eve gave in to Ivy’s threats rather than be exposed. She also started a fire at an apartment building to prevent her secret past from coming out. Eve later reimbursed the owner, Orville Perkins, for all he had lost. Orville, who knew of Eve’s past, had hinted for the doctor to keep her girls away from young Chad Harris, but she did not understand why.

In 2002, Julian Crane, who had become even more despicable, was believed to have been murdered. Eve was one of the suspects. It was during this time that Julian went through a life-altering experience and realized that he still loved Eve. In the fall of that year, he apologized to Eve for all of his transgressions, and the two shared a wonderful vision of what life would have been like for them had they stayed together all those years. A month later, they shared their first kiss in the present, while Julian was in the hospital recovering from wounds inflicted by T.C.

More apologies followed, and in the coming months Eve found herself developing a deep friendship with Julian, based on mutual trust. She could turn to him anytime she needed to tell him her troubles.

The two forged a close, loving relationship that included five more hot kisses in 2003, as well as many instances of nobleness and heroics displayed by Julian, who desperately wanted to be there for Eve, but at the same time put her happiness first. Eve needed Julian as she fought off the shenanigans of her sister, Liz, who wormed her way into the Russell household, not telling anyone her real identity or goal – to destroy her sister at all cost. The doctor even went so far as to set fire to the Blue Note, recently purchased by Liz, so that her sister couldn’t use it to destroy Whitney. Luckily, Julian was there to help cover her tracks.

Over and over, the billionaire proved his love for Eve that year as he made incredible sacrifices for her, even risking his own life to save her. As 2003 came to a close, Eve finally admitted to Julian that she loved him. While she still loves her husband and wants to protect her marriage, Eve appears to be very much in love with Julian Crane.

Now in 2004, things are heating up as Eve fights to keep her distance from Julian, all the while being drawn to him like a magnet.

The story of Julian & Eve continued...

~ 2003 in Review ~

~ 2004 in Review ~

~ 2005 in Review ~

~ 2006 in Review ~

~ 2007 in Review ~

More on Eve...

NBC bio of Dr. Eve Russell

Soap Central bio of Eve Russell

Soaps.com bio of Dr. Eve Russell

June 2006 SOD feature – "The Stork Club"