40 Years as The Great Victor Newman

I started watching the Young and the Restless on a regular basis somewhere in the mid 90's. I had watched off and on when staying with my Aunt and Uncle before that, so I was somewhat familiar with the Victor Newman character. Once I began watching regularly, I became intrigued with Victor, and the power that came with him.

I think as humans, we have an attraction to power in characters; whether they be from a movie or a book. While it's true that wealth is usually behind the power of a human being, there is also that command of respect that shines through; which I feel is Victor. From being left on the doorstep of an Orphanage by his mother, after his father abandoned them both, to creating a multi-billion dollar corporation from the ground up, is a total picture of success by a man who was on his own and carrying a huge baggage of pain and anger; which was at the heart of his driving force to that success, and his personal life! Victor was, and IS, the kind of man who people like to cheer for, and I have done so; in all of Victor's journey's, even despite of some of his choices I didn't agree with. As I learned more history of the Victor character, I became a fan of his and enjoyed Eric Braeden's portrayal of him immensely; and to know that he was only due to be on the show for something like 3 months; there is no way that show would have lasted as long without him! I will not give up details about how close we came to NOT having Victor; please read his book I'll be Damned, to discover the story behind it all.

While I enjoyed the powerful Victor Newman, the scenes that cemented me as a life long Victor fan, were the ones in which Victor faced the pain he endured from his childhood, when he confronted his cruel father in a nursing home just before the man died; played by Eric's real life friend, George Kennedy. Those scenes were nothing short of amazing, and it showed a very vulnerable and human side to the man who people called, "Ruthless." We had witnessed the full depth of Victor Newman with that story line, and it was the amazing gift of acting by Eric, that the story stuck with me forever. It takes a lot to get Victor to that emotional level, but when he reaches that level, I know I better have tissues close by; only Eric can bring those tears out of me with his portrayal of Victor.

If I would have thought for one moment that years later I would have the honor of this fine man following me on Twitter; I would have thought that I was on my way to the booby hatch! Truthfully, this amazing honor happens to other people, not me! But he IS following me and he has been one of my biggest supporters in getting my writing career off the ground! He's always encouraging me to keep working hard with my writing, to never give up, and most of all, to be patient. Eric cares deeply for his fans, and he expresses his gratitude often, by spending a lot of time communicating with us on Twitter. What a gift!

In the last several years, I've had the privilege of getting to know the man behind Victor Newman. EB, as I call him, has been an inspiration to me and all of his fans when learning about the life he has lived, being born and raised in Germany, losing his father at a very young age, and coming to America and facing the overwhelming adversity that came along with it. His book, I'll Be Damned, is an AWESOME read, and I highly suggest it! Obviously you can find it online and any bookstore around the world, and I have a "buy now" link to his book on my website. It's a very honest and open read about his whole life. Before I read his book, I was a Victor fan; I always will be, but now, I'm even more of an Eric Braeden fan; who has become a hero to me, with rising above the pain and adversity to bring us, who is probably the biggest character of all time.

Happy 40th Anniversary EB! Thank you for bringing us the Great Victor Newman, and thank you for being a part of our lives as YOU, Eric Braeden/Hans Gudegast. May God Bless you always!