Eleni Andros Cooper
| Eleni Andros Cooper | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guiding Light character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by |
Melina Kanakaredes (1991–95) Wendy Kaplan (1994–95, temp.) Jennifer Roszell (1995–99, 2001–02, 2006, 2008) |
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| First appearance | April 19, 1991 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | December 12, 2008 | ||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||
| Other names | Eleni Spaulding (first marriage name) Eleni Andros (maiden name) |
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| Siblings | Ari Andros (brother) Jori Andros (brother) |
|---|---|
| Spouse |
Alan-Michael Spaulding (divorced; 1991-1993) Frank Cooper Jr. (divorced; 1993-2001) |
| Children |
Marina Cooper (daughter, with Frank) |
| Grandchildren | Henry Cooper Lewis (adopted grandson) |
| Grandparents | Marina Andros (paternal grandmother, deceased) |
Eleni Andros Cooper is a fictional character on the soap opera Guiding Light. She was originally portrayed by actress Melina Kanakaredes from April 19, 1991 to March 1, 1995. She was temporarily replaced by actress Wendy Kaplan from December 1994 to January 1995 on a recurring basis. She was then portrayed by Jennifer Roszell from March 6, 1995 to September 22, 1999. Roszell returned to the role from Dec 2001 to Spring 2002, in October 2006, and finally in December 2008, which marked the character's last appearance on the show.
Eleni is the ex-wife of Alan-Michael Spaulding and Frank Cooper and mother to Marina Cooper.
Eleni Andros came to Springfield in 1991 for one reason: to get married. Originally from a small village in Greece, on the island Creta, Eleni was sought out by Stavros Kouperakis to be a wife to his American nephew, Frank. Though she loved Greece, Eleni knew America would offer her a better life and she arrived in Springfield with Stavros. Unfortunately, Stavros had neglected to inform Frank of the arrangement and he ended up laughing in Eleni's face. Though put off by Frank’s arrogance and stubbornness, she decided to make the most of her life and started working at the diner. She then began dating Dylan Lewis but immediately broke it off when she learned about his illegitimate daughter, Susan Lemay, since she felt it was scandalous. Meanwhile, though they bickered constantly, Eleni started to develop feelings for Frank, while, at the same time, being courted by the wealthy Alan-Michael Spaulding. One night, when Eleni planned an intimate dinner with Frank, he ended up having it with Blake Thorpe. Alan-Michael took advantage of the situation and offered to whisk Eleni away to Greece on the Spaulding Yacht. It was then that Frank realized his mistake and wanted to make it up to Eleni so, without her knowledge, he hired an immigration lawyer. He also confessed his love for Eleni to his friend Mallet. Eleni, however, was still under the mistaken impression that Frank was dating Blake so she continued to date Alan-Michael, who was continuing to sleep with Blake despite the fact that his feelings for Eleni were growing.
In the meantime, Eleni was given a three-month extension on her visa thanks to the lawyer that Frank hired but Eleni was under the wrong impression that Alan-Michael had hired the lawyer. Later, Eleni learned that Frank was in Paris on business with Alan-Michael's aunt Alexandra. Wanting to surprise Frank, she asked Alan-Michael to take her to Paris. Going to Frank's motel room, she found a woman named Musette in his bed who claimed that they'd slept together. Heartbroken, Eleni returned to the United States but was refused admittance because she was an illegal alien. Alan-Michael offered to marry her right there in the customs office and make her his legal wife. Although Eleni didn't feel right about continuing this sham of a marriage, she was certain that Frank didn't love her, so she later officially married Alan-Michael in a beautiful church wedding in Greece, in February 1992, with her family by her side.
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Wikipedia