Emma Donovan
Deceased
Actor History
Jane Windsor (6 May 1985 to 31 December 1986)
Lifeline
Died on 31 December 1986.
Other Names
Emma Marshall (subsequent marriage)
Cause of Death
Poisoned by Gillian Forrester in 1986.
Former Occupation
Volunteer at Salem's abuse clinic
Former Residence
In Salem with Alex Marshall
Marital Status at Death
Single
Past Marriages
Shane Donovan (divorced in 1985)
Alex Marshall (married in 1985; divorced in 1986)
Relatives
Felicity York (cousin)
Children
None (assumed)
Flings & Affairs
Larry Welch
Crimes Committed
Attempted to kill Bo and Hope at their wedding.
Faked Claus Van Zandt's death.
Blackmailed Tony into divorcing Anna and leaving Salem.
Switched the paternity results on Andrew Donovan.
Sold Andrew Donovan on the black market.
Brief Character History
Emma was introduced as the presumed-dead wife of I.S.A. agent Shane Donovan. Years earlier, Emma had been caught in an explosion meant for Shane...at least, that's what Shane had always thought. He was shocked when Nickerson informed him that Emma really died because she was a distant relation to the British royal family, and that The Dragon was killing off all those who could possibly be in line for the throne.
When Shane and Kimberly headed to London, they discovered that Emma was really alive and well. Unfortunately, she had also been brainwashed by The Dragon. In his first assignment, he nearly had her murder Lady Johanna, even though Emma tried desperately to warn the woman. His next assignment for her hit closer to home...she was to kill Bo and Hope at their wedding! Luckily Shane was able to stop her in time.
With Emma back in the picture, Kim returned to Salem, leaving Shane and Emma together to remember their marriage. The two returned to Salem, where Emma moved in with Shane, but had horrible nightmares. Shane convinced her to go to Marlena, but that won't help her...The Dragon is also in Salem. While visiting Bo and Hope one day, Emma happens to hear the tune 'God Save the Queen', which was the Dragon's trigger for her to shoot Bo and Hope. Luckily they realize the music box is the trigger, and are able to stop Emma just in time. Marlena says Emma will be fine, especially once they learn that The Dragon is dead.
When Marlena realizes there were drugs in Emma's system, she does her best to convince Richard Cates not to arrest her, as it wasn't her fault. Shane and Emma house hunt, but they're not trying to rekindle their marriage as Emma hopes. Shane begs Kim for another chance, but she doesn't want anything to do with him (at the time, Kim was blind and hiding it). Emma eventually learns that Kim was blind and hiding it, but she's determined not to give up her husband. She continues her best to seduce him, despite his obvious love for Kim.
Desperate to keep her husband, Emma tries to convince him to return to England and take a job he was offered with Scotland Yard, but he's not willing to give up on Kim just yet. A furious Emma confronts Kim, then steals the cameo Shane gave her, throwing it out the window. While a blind Kim searches desperately, Emma pockets the cameo and leaves. She even gives a special firehouse picture that Kim had purchased Shane to the auction, and is furious when, after the auction, she hears Shane vowing his undying love to Kimberly. She swears there is no way her husband will leave her.
Once Emma realizes that Victor Kiriakis is interested in Kim, she tries to push the two together. With her cousin Felicity York, she sets Anna Fredericks, Alex Marshall, and Robert Brennan up for the murder of Claus Van Zandt, as well as his wife, Tracey (luckily for them, Claus later turned up alive). Plus, she knows she needs to marry an American to stay in the States. The day of the big race, Emma sets a bomb up in the Curtis stables, and it's a blind Kimberly who is caught in the barn on fire. Although she proposed to Larry, it was Alex Marshall that Emma ended up marrying.
Even though she had married Alex, Emma wasn't ready to give up on Shane. When Kim learned she was pregnant, Emma changed the results of the amnio to make it seem like Victor was the father. Her plan was for Kim to get abortion. When that didn't work, Emma stayed close by, making sure Victor knew about Kim's pregnancy. When they did another blood test later, Emma again switched the results to make sure that Victor was the father.
With all her efforts, Shane and Kim seemed happy together, so Emma did the unthinkable...after presenting Kim with some documents she said were for the abuse clinic, she tricked her into signing an adoption agreement for her baby, and dressed as a nurse, took Andrew from the hospital, relinquishing him to one Dr. Dennison. Although she was arrested and charged with the crime, there was no real evidence against her. Even when Shane attempted to use truth serum on her, she talked only about the child at the Donovan manor, which resulted in her being sent to a sanitarium.
Emma was eventually released, but remained under suspicion as Shane continued to close in on her. On New Year's Eve she headed over to Neil Curtis' New Year's Eve party, and threatened to reveal all of Victor Kiriakis' deep dark secrets. It wasn't long before her dead body was found. It was later learned that Gillian Forrester, Shane's I.S.A. partner, was the culprit.
