Steven Carrington
| Steven Carrington | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Al Corley as Steven Carrington
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| DYNASTY character | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by |
Al Corley (1981–82, 1991) Jack Coleman (1983–88) |
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| Duration | 1981–82, 1983–88, 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 1 "Oil" |
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| Last appearance | Episode 198 "Colorado Roulette" |
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| Created by | Richard and Esther Shapiro | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances |
Dynasty: The Reunion (1991) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Laborer at Blaisdel-Lankershim #1 (1981) Laborer at Denver-Carrington refinery (1981-1982) Laborer at several oil rigs in Indonesia (1982) Vice-President of ColbyCo. Oil Company (1983-1986) Executive and Member of the Board of Directors of Denver-Carrington (1986-1987) CEO of Denver-Carrington (1986-1987) Owner and Manager of The Denver Monarchs football team (1987-?) Environmental lobbyist (1990s) |
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Jack Coleman as Steven Carrington
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| Parents | |
|---|---|
| Stepmother | Krystle Carrington |
| Siblings |
Adam Carrington Fallon Carrington Colby Amanda Carrington |
| Half-sisters | Krystina Carrington |
| Spouse |
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| Children | Danny Carrington |
| Grandparents |
Tom Carrington Ellen Carrington Steven Morrell |
| Aunts and uncles |
Ben Carrington Dominique Deveraux Caress Morell |
| Nieces and nephews |
L.B. Colby Lauren Colby |
| First cousins |
Leslie Carrington Jackie Deveraux |
Steven Daniel Carrington is a fictional character on the American prime time soap opera Dynasty. Steven is noteworthy as one of the earliest gay main characters on American television. Despite identifying as homosexual, Steven has relationships with both women and men throughout the series.
The role was originated by Al Corley in the show's first episode in 1981; Corley left at the end of the second season in 1982 after complaining about Steven's "ever-shifting sexual preferences" and wanting "to do other things." The character was recast in 1983 with Jack Coleman, the change in appearance attributed to plastic surgery after an oil rig explosion. Coleman remained on the show until 1988, but Corley returned to the role of Steven for the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion when Coleman was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts.
It is claimed that Steven was one of the first gay main characters to ever appear on a prime-time drama, and remains one of the most well-known.Suzanna Danuta Walters writes that because of the character, "in the annals of gay TV history, the '80s will be remembered as the Dynasty years." Initially the only son of series' patriarch Blake Carrington (John Forsythe), "handsome, blond hunk" Steven was a regular character featured in front-burner storylines for his entire run on the series. In contrast to his ruthless, warring parents and promiscuous sister, the character was poised as "the moral conscience of the family." Still, he was defined primarily by his sexuality, his struggle against it and the conflict it created within his family.
Corley noted, "what attracted me was playing a gay character ... The only gay television character I knew about at the time was Billy Crystal's gay character Jodie Campbell on ABC's Soap, which was a dark comedy."Dynasty co-creator Esther Shapiro noted in a 1981 Esquire magazine article that the character of Steven "was, is, and always will be gay," but explained that she initially intended for him to be confused about his sexuality for two seasons before ultimately becoming a "well-rounded gay character." With Dynasty becoming one of the 20 highest-rated American prime time series by the end of its second season and eventually rising to #1 in 1985, Steven "had great potential for breaking through the usual stereotypes" and his life "could have been explored in storylines in which [his] sexuality did not necessarily have to be problematized." However it has been noted that with "interference" from network Broadcast Standards and Practices and "pressure from the religious right", this potential was never fully realized. Walters writes that Steven—"stalwartly manly and deeply troubled by his homosexuality"—led viewers on a "Hollywood tour of homosexuality" over eight seasons, "from tortured closet case, to 'cured' heterosexual husband, and finally to a vague approximation of gay and proud." She adds that the character's "persistent attempts to 'go straight' and the adamant avoidance of any gay milieu or culture" paint Dynasty as "flawed and compromised," but acknowledges that the series remains a staple of gay iconography despite its primary gay character being "hardly a role model of self-acceptance and pride."
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