Barbara Sterling

Barbara Vento Latimer (maiden name Sterling) was a fictional character on the now cancelled American soap opera, Love of Life. Barbara was originated by actress Nina Reader who played her from 1959-1961; then she was played by actress Lee Lawson from 1961-1965; and Zina Bethune from 1965-1971 (During Bethune's absence in 1970, Lee Lawson, the previous Barbara reprised her role for that year).

Character's background

Barbara was the daughter of Bruce Sterling and his first wife, Gaye. She had a half brother named Alan. (He was the product of an affair between her mother and Bruce's headmaster at Winfield Academy in Rosehill, New York, the boy's private school he worked at)

As a young girl, she was raised and spoiled, after her mother's death, by her grandmother, Vivian Carlson. She, like Vivian, was aghast that her father would marry someone new after her mother's death. Barbara had a tendency to be headstrong and stubborn, always wanting her way, which bothered her father to no end.

She and a date had gone joyriding and almost ran over handsome Dr. Tony Vento (Ron Jackson; Jordan Charney), the son of a housekeeper.

Barbara fell in love with him, and had told her father's second wife, Van that she was going to elope with him. Van, worried about what could happen, told Bruce what she was going to do, and the elopement was stopped. An infuriated Barbara never forgave Van for her so-called "interference".

However, despite the reservations of the rest of the family, she did eventually marry Dr. Vento, but he found her incredibly immature, and, not surprisingly, he divorced her. This began her downfall.

She eventually met Rick Latimer, the son of a corporate swindler who had been stopped by her father and grandfather. Barbara was intent on marrying the rather maverick Rick. Van tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't hear any of it. She defiantly married him anyway, and had a child by him, named Hank Latimer (named for her grandfather, Henry Carlson).

Rick was fed up with his immature wife, and divorced her, taking Hank with him. After an unwise affair with Barbara's aunt, Meg Dale, he eventually found love with a woman named Cal Aleata, who was Meg's daughter, and they were married and left town for Montreal, taking Hank with them. By this time, Barbara had finally realized that she wouldn't ever find happiness in Rosehill and left there for good.