J.R. Chandler

JR Chandler
Jacob Young as JR Chandler
All My Children character
Portrayed by	Charlotte and Margaret Baughman (1989–92) Kevin Alexander (1992–96) Jesse McCartney (1998–2001) Jonathan Bennett (2001–02) Andrew Ridings (2002–03) Jacob Young (2003–11) Ryan Bittle (2013)
Duration	1989–96 1998–2011 2013
First appearance	July 3, 1989
Last appearance	September 2, 2013
Created by	Margaret DePriest
Introduced by	Felicia Minei Behr (1989) Jean Dadario Burke (1998) Ginger Smith (2013)
Crossover appearances	One Life to Live
Classification	Final, regular
Profile
Occupation	50% Shareholder of Chandler Enterprises CEO of Chandler Enterprises Executive of Chandler Enterprises
Residence	The Chandler Mansion 300 River Road Pine Valley, Pennsylvania
Ryan Bittle as JR Chandler
Family Chandler Cortlandt/Cooney Parents Adam Chandler Dixie Cooney Stepfather Tad Martin Half-brothers Miguel Reyes Half-sisters Skye Chandler (legal) Hayley Vaughan Anna Chandler Colby Chandler Kathy Martin Spouse Babe Carey (2003, 2004–05, 2006–07) Marissa Tasker (2009–10) Children AJ Chandler Grandparents Seabone Hunkle Bess Cooney Uncles Stuart Chandler Will Cortlandt Del Henry (half) Palmer Cortlandt (great) Aunts Lottie Chandler Lanie Cortlandt Rampal Di Henry (half) Nephews Enzo Santos (half) Nieces Lila Rae Alcazar (legal) First cousins Ross Chandler (also once removed) Scott Chandler (adoptive) Nina Cortlandt Warner (once removed) Andrew Cortlandt (once removed; adoptive) Peter Cortlandt (once removed) Caleb Cortlandt (once removed) Other relatives Julie Rand Chandler (adoptive) Bobby Warner (adoptive) Mickey Warner Asher Pike Sam Grey (adoptive)

JR Chandler is a fictional character from the ABC and The Online Network daytime drama All My Children. He was portrayed by Jacob Young from 2003 to 2011, prior to Ryan Bittle taking over the role in 2013. Bittle was cast as the new JR on Prospect Park's continuation of All My Children.

The character was originally born onscreen on July 3, 1989 to Dixie Cooney and her estranged ex-husband, Adam Chandler. In March 2004, the character's birth year was revised to 1983. He is a member of both the powerful and wealthy Chandler and Cooney families, being the son of Adam Chandler and great-nephew of Palmer Cortlandt.

The writers characterized JR as caring, but ruthless if betrayed, explaining the latter by way of his difficult upbringing. The character's softer personality has been attributed to his mother, Dixie Cooney, as well as to his son, AJ, and true love Babe Carey (who was killed off by the series in 2008). Credited as significantly complex, he has been cited as a television anti-hero, and "bad boy," and his struggles with family, romantic partners, and alcohol addiction have been documented in literature.

Actor Jacob Young, who had been on The Bold and the Beautiful (Rick Forrester) and General Hospital (Lucky Spencer) prior to joining All My Children, stated that he had good instincts, but that he "was young and kind of doe-eyed to the world" then. It was not until the actor stepped into the All My Children role of JR Chandler that his acting range became more focused. He started to use tools he learned in classes and felt that his acting became more refined because of it. With his portrayal of JR, he explained how this factored in: "They twisted JR in a completely different direction," he stated. "They started off with JR not respecting his father and having a lot of elements of his mother in him. He was much more soft. Then they started toying with it and couldn't believe what was coming out of me. I'd always been the nice, honorable guy; I'd never been the character who was stirring the pot."