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Claudia De Lena was the daughter of Pippi De Lena and Nalene Jessup and the sister of Cross De Lena.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Young Cross and Claudia De Lena.
Claudia was the second child of Pippi De Lena and Nalene Jessup. She resembled her father in looks, though she was more like her mother in personality. As a child, she and her older brother Cross fought frequently. Whenever Cross would hit her, their father would discipline him by giving Claudia spending money, as Nalene prevented him from using physical discipline. When their parents separated, Claudia went with their mother and Cross went with their father. Claudia never forgave her father for taking her brother away and cut off all contact with the Clericuzio side of the family.
Once they were adults, Nalene became ill with cancer and Claudia took care of her. Once it became clear that Nalene's cancer was terminal, Cross came and they were able to spend Nalene's last days together as a family, bringing Claudia and Cross much closer.
Life in Hollywood[]
Claudia became a Hollywood writer after her published novels found little success. She befriended Ernest Vail, a successful but depressed writer. She wrote the screenplay for Messalina and appealed to her brother for help when the lead actress, her friend Athena Aquitane, dropped out of the picture after threats from her estranged husband, Boz Skannet.
After Bobby Bantz went back on a deal made with Cross, the Clericuzios organized a statutory rape charge against him, forcing him out of Loddstone Studios. Claudia was appointed as new head of the studios, with the Clericuzios now owning a controlling majority. Having made peace with the Mafia side of her family, Claudia later married actor Dirk Von Schelburg.
Head of Loddstone[]
Claudia with her husband Dirk at her uncle's birthday party.
Initially happy with her new position as head of Loddstone, Claudia soon found herself having to fend off a takeover bid by Bantz, who was secretly in cahoots with Billy De Angelo, a frustrated caporegime who planned to kill Claudia in a supposed gas explosion. However, Cross had both Bantz and De Angelo killed.
At the same time, it became increasingly obvious noticeable that Von Schelburg was being unfaithful to Claudia, and, despite being warned off by Lia Vazzi, he still took two women to bed at a motel. When he was framed for the murders, Von Schelburg was forced to confess to his behaviour. Though he was released, he and Claudia never reconciled.
Behind the scenes[]
- In the miniseries, Claudia's character was combined with Molly Flanders and she took the role of Hollywood entertainment lawyer rather than writer as she was in the original novel.
- Claudia was portrayed by Cecilley Carroll as a child and Michelle Burke as an adult.