The Forresters: Fashion Dynasty

 

The Forresters have been one of the core families on The Bold and the Beautiful since the show’s first episode on March 23, 1987. Now well into its third generation, clan members are at the helm of the renowned Los Angeles-based fashion empire Forrester Creations – and in addition to never-ending corporate intrigue, one Forrester or another can always be counted on to be wreaking some kind of personal havoc.

 

Here’s the lowdown on some of the key Forrester family members:
Eric Forrester: Patriarch(John McCook) has stood at the head of the family since B&B’s debut episode. (Eric has also made crossover appearances on B&B’s sister soap, The Young and the Restless.) Married and divorced numerous times to a number of women, his true soulmate was Stephanie (Susan Flannery), with whom he co-founded Forrester Creations;

 

 Eric was the chief designer for many years. Eric and Stephanie, who were married four times, had five children, loved and hated each other in equal measure over the years, and Eric was devastated by Stephanie’s death in 2012.

He’s now CEO Emeritus (a fancy word for back burner retirement) of Forrester Creations but still controls over one-third of the stock, which gives him a big voice in the company.                     

Ridge Forrester: (Thorsten Kaye) who has also been on the B&B canvas since the show’s beginning, grew up believing he was Eric and Stephanie’s eldest child – until it was revealed that he was actually the biological son of shipping tycoon Massimo Marone. Nevertheless, Ridge has remained a loyal Forrester, acting as both company CEO and a key designer. 

 

A notorious playboy in his youth, Ridge had a brief, tragic first marriage to Caroline Spencer (his brother Thorne’s ex-wife), who died not long after they were married. After that, he spent decades as one-half of the on-again, off-again soap supercouple Ridge and Brooke Loogan (Katherine Kelly Lang). Married seven times to each other, they have one child, Ridge (“R.J.”) Forrester, Jr. Ridge also has two surviving children from his marriages to Taylor Hayes (Hunter Tylo), Thomas and Stephanie (“Steffy”).

                            

Thorne Forrester: (Winsor Harmon) has often felt he lived in his big brother Ridge’s shadow – in fact, years ago he tricked Caroline Spencer into marrying him, knowing she really loved Ridge. But by and large Thorne and Ridge have a good relationship and are there for each other when times are tough. Over the years, Thorne has had a checkered personal and professional life and presently works for the Forrester empire at its Paris, France headquarters, returning to Los Angeles from time to time. His only child, Alexandria (“Aly”) suffered from mental illness and died before Thorne was able to get her any effective help.

 

Eric "Rick" Forrester jr. (Jacob Young) is the product of one of Eric’s two brief marriages to Brooke Logan (yes, the same Brooke Logan who was married multiple times to Eric’s son Ridge). A manipulative schemer, he’s always disliked and been jealous of Ridge – and is always looking for an angle to strike out at Ridge, including sleeping with Ridge’s daughters (who technically aren’t related to Rick, since he and Ridge are not blood brothers). 

 

A ruthless businessman always determined to wield more power at Forrester Creations, the boardroom intrigue Rick’s been involved in over the years was nothing compared with the uproar when it was revealed that his girlfriend, beautiful Forrester model Maya Avant (Karla Mosley) was transgender. Not only did Rick stand by her and their relationship, he proposed marriage in public and took Maya on a lavish and loving honeymoon.
                       
Stephanie "Steffy" Forrester: (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) is Ridge’s daughter from his marriage to Taylor Hayes. Considered by many to be a spoiled diva, Steffy has actually suffered more than her fair share of losses: she felt neglected by her father for years, spent some of her childhood motherless when Taylor was presumed dead, was shipped off to boarding school for years, and her twin sister, Phoebe, died in a car accident. 

 

What’s more, Steffy has had to compete with both arch-rival Hope Logan (Kimberly Matula) and her cousin Ivy for the affections of Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton) – but Steffy is in the winner’s circle where Liam is concerned … for now at least. In addition to their personal connection, Steffy and Liam work together at Forrester Creations, which Steffy is president and a major stockholder.

                          
Ivy Forrester: (Ashleigh Brewwer) is Eric’s niece, the younger daughter of his rarely-seen brother John (Fred Willard). Ivy, who grew up in Australia, joined the family business when she was invited by Eric and Rick to come to Los Angeles and work for the company’s new jewelry design collection, Hope for the Future (HFTF). More successful in her work than her love life, Ivy got caught in the middle of a love triangle involving Steffy and Liam Spencer, and the situation came to a head when Ivy discovered she was actually in the States illegally. Liam married her to avoid deportation. Although Ivy had genuine feelings for Liam, the marriage didn’t last and he went back to Steffy. Ivy has found consolation in the arms of Wyatt Spencer (Darin Brooks), a relationship that began professionally but has turned romantic.