Duration 1994–2009 Introduced by Susan Bedsow Horgan Portrayed by Timothy Stickney Creator Michael Malone | Created by Michael Malone Classification Former, regular Brother Hank Gannon Niece Rachel Gannon | |
 | ||
First appearance August 1994 (August 1994) Last appearance April 28, 2009 (April 28, 2009) Significant others Nora Hanen Buchanan, Téa Delgado, Evangeline Williamson Similar Hank Gannon, Antonio Vega, Ben Davidson, Josh Hall, Sam Rappaport | ||
R. J. Gannon is a fictional character from the American ABC soap opera One Life to Live. He was played regularly by Timothy D. Stickney from 1994 through 2008, and briefly in April 2009.
Storyline
R.J. is first introduced as the wayward younger brother of Llanview, Pennsylvania District Attorney Hank Gannon (Nathan Purdee). He is a career criminal who later becomes a respectable businessman, more or less. Though the brothers are often at odds with each other, they eventually settle their differences. R. J. also maintains a close relationship with Hank's ex-wife Nora Hanen (Hillary B. Smith); when Nora is erroneously believed to have died in 2000, no one is more demonstratively grief-stricken than R. J. He is also a loyal friend to Nora's rival Lindsay Rappaport (Catherine Hickland), helping her out of many bad situations, and this friendship eventually blossoms into romance.
In 2001, it is revealed that Keri Reynolds (Sherri Saum) is R. J.'s daughter by former love Liz Coleman Reynolds (Barbara Niven); R. J. and Liz rekindle their romance, but she is later killed in 2003. A despondent Keri also dies in 2003, and at first she is thought to have been murdered by boyfriend Antonio Vega (Kamar de los Reyes). It is later determined that she had actually committed suicide, but R. J. still believes that Antonio had driven her to do it. This situation sparks a fierce custody battle between R. J. and Antonio for custody of Antonio and Keri's daughter, Jamie. Antonio is eventually awarded full custody, but R. J. remains a large presence in Jamie's life.
In early 2007, R. J. breaks up with girlfriend Lindsay. That September, he visits Lindsay in jail after her arrest for murdering Spencer Truman (Paul Satterfield) and asks District Attorney Nora, who is prosecuting the case, to go easy on Lindsay. When it is determined that Lindsay had been insane when she committed the crime, both R. J. and Lindsay's ex-husband, Police Commissioner Bo Buchanan (Robert S. Woods) offer to be her guardian. Due to R. J.'s past criminal record, the judge decrees Bo her guardian.
R. J. made a brief reappearance on April 22, 23, and 28, 2009, in scenes with former lover Téa Delgado (Florencia Lozano) to make Todd Manning (Trevor St. John) jealous. It was confirmed that he had left town after the character fell on the canvas in 2010.