Dora Wade

Dora Marie Wade is a fictional character appearing in the NBT soap opera Port Richard. She was originally introduced by executive producer Pamela Bright in 1999 as a newspaper photographer for the Weekly Port newspaper who engages in several chaotic romanced until her death in 2006, when she is murdered by Donald Webster.

A 2008 episode retconned Wade's story so she survived the attack, and she falls in love with Douglas Turner, who she dumps after three weeks. After being dropped in 2013, the character was brought back for two episodes in May 2015 as a supporting character who attempts to help Brianna Turner escape Francesco Marchitelli's violent wrath. She was brought back for the series' 50th anniversary in 2018.

Wade was originally portrayed by Donnie Carter, who left the show in late 2006 to become an author. As a result, when the character was brought back in 2008, she was portrayed by Lexi Sampson, who left the show in 2015. However, Sampson reprised her role during the show's 50th anniversary week in 2018.

Creation and casting
Dora Wade was created by Mark Landee and Pamela Bright, who sought to create a "bolder, less cliché" antagonist. The two decided to have the new character have ties with Trevor Quinn, who the writers felt was not used enough. They also wanted to have a more unique character, so Landee decided on having Dora be a journalist-turned-criminal.

Donnie Carter portrayed Dora when the character first appeared on March 9, 1999. Carter's last appearance as Wade was the episode in which the character was killed off on July 5, 2006. When the character returned on September 24, 2008, she was played by Lexi Sampson, who stayed until October 1, 2013. Sampson also played Dora Wade when she reappeared on March 31 and April 1, 2015.

When Gordon Hampton reintroduced Dora Wade during the show's 50th anniversary week on March 5, 2018, she was again played by Sampson, until the character left the city of Port Richard on March 8, 2018.

1999–2006
On 9 March 1999, Dora Wade witnesses Trevor Quinn's (Vincent Maddox) kidnapping of Preston Perry (Donald Hooper), and takes photographs of the kidnapping. She sends these photos to Anthony Perry (Lawrence Richardson), who is shocked by the incident. The next day, when Anthony puts on a full-face mask starts spray painting "TREVOR DID IT" around Port Richard, which Dora requested. She later sees Trevor take a gun to Edward Bryce's (Nicholas Ford) house, where he shoots Edward Bryce in the head and drags him to his own backyard. She takes a photo of this as well.

The day after the vandalism, Dora introduces herself to Trevor Quinn (Darren Grace), who recently started working as an editor for The Weekly Port, which Dora Wade works for as a photographer. The two soon become friends, and begin spending time with each other frequently. She begins stalking Trevor and continues to take photos of him. The duo's togetherness becomes more frequent, and Trevor's then-girlfriend, Susan Webster (Kennedy Harrison), becomes suspicious and begins to believe that he is cheating on her. As a result, she interrogates him, and he almost immediately breaks up with her to stay with Dora.

Weeks later, Dora's ex-boyfriend, Marco Velez (Eduardo Sanchez-Ortega), meets Dora in person. She informs him on Trevor's recent behaviors, and she shows the photos she took while stalking. Marco drives to Trevor's house and questions him in regards to his actions in the photos. Trevor denies any wrongdoing, which leads to a feud between Marco and Trevor.

In October 2000, Marco Velez leaves the city of Port Richard. Due to this, Anthony decides to be Dora's companion instead. They date for five months, and he proposes to her in May 2001, all culminating in their 7 June 2001 wedding. Their marriage starts off strong, but one month later Marco returns to town. Dora still has feelings for him despite being married to Anthony, and Marco returns those feelings. As a result, the two end up having an extramarital affair for several months. Even that relationship becomes complicated, as Dora's work life prevents her from spending enough time with either partner, and Dora's sudden disappearance on weekends garner questions from Anthony. Dora comes up with convincing excuses for a while, but they begin to wear off a few months into the affair, and Anthony contemplates divorcing her.

One night in October, Anthony leaves home to attend a meeting with Noel Jonson (Raymond MacArthur). Dora takes advantage and heads to Marco's apartment. After spending several hours together, Dora decides to go home before Anthony finds out she left. But the moment she steps outside, Anthony is standing in front of the apartment door. He immediately suspects that the two were on a date, which Dora denies. The couple spends the next two weeks arguing with one another about that night until Dora admits that she has being an affair with Marco Velez. Anthony finally decides that their marriage was a mistake, and he finally files for divorce as a result.

Following that divorce, Dora and Marco break up because he has developed feelings for Lena Kyle (Michelle Morrison), which they both quickly notice. Now single, Dora returns to life as a workaholic, saving herself from being fired for constantly showing up late. However, she is starting to have feelings for her co-worker, reporter Vince Connors (then Richard Chrisley), who is dating Lauren Murphy (Christie Robinson). Driven mad by her failed past relationships, Dora invites Lauren to her apartment, only to shoot and kill her on the spot. Having gone through extreme lengths to bury her body, Dora now feels a sense of confidence in seducing Vince.

In the days following Lauren's death, Vince reports her as a missing person. Dora is later questioned by the police. She denies all wrongdoings but is haunted by the fact that she buried the body in the field just outside of her apartment. Upon returning home, she digs up the body and tosses it in Kent's Pond nearby. Not long later, she begins flirting with Vince, who does not love her and is still concerned about Lauren Murphy's whereabouts.

On 5 November 2002, Marco tells Dora that Lena Kyle broke up with hin and he is finally ready to repair their on-again, off-again relationship. The two have sex later that day, and Marco proposes to her in his bedroom. Having had two failed relationships with Marco in the past, she has a mixed reaction to the proposal, but she says "yes" anyway. They get married on 11 December 2002, as the murder of Lauren Murphy devolves into a cold case. They move in together shortly after.

In March 2004, Dora and Marco find out Lena's mother, Harriet Moore-Kyle (Josephine Jefferson) was killed behind their house. While Dora is shocked by the news, Marco expresses no surprise. The police question both partners, and evidence quickly turns up revealing that Marco was the culprit. Upon being arrested, he denies killing Harriet. The trial begins a month later, and despite pleading not guilty, the jury finds him guilty of first-degree murder and the illegal possession of a firearm. He is sentenced ten years in prison, leaving Dora home alone. In August, Marco is found dead in his jail cell after suffering a heart attack. Upon being notified of the news, Dora quickly begins suffering from depression. Vince (now Gerard Rogers) picks up on Dora's depression symptoms and attempts to start discussions with her, but she shuts him out every time.