Facts
Full Name: Anita Felice Thurlow [Née Porter]
Date of Birth: January 12th, 1940
First Appearance: 2.19 “We Were Made For You”
Current Occupation: Co-CEO, Thurlow-Jurado Overseas
Investor, Pristine Winery
Stockholder, Thurlow Lumber Mill Enterprises
Board Member, Thurlow Lumber Mill Enterprises
Previous: Creative Consultant, Thurlow-Jurado Overseas
Hometown: Cuttlebone City
Current Residence: Somewhere in Paris, France.
Previous: 505 Auburn Rd., Stone Creek. [Thurlow Cottage]
17897 Ginger St., Cuttlebone City. [Porter Home]
Relations
Parents: Untold
Siblings: Miranda Porter
Children: Emmet Thurlow [w/ Henry Thurlow; Deceased]
James Thurlow [w/ Henry Thurlow]
Shannon Jurado [w/ Henry Thurlow; Deceased]
Significant Other(s): None.
Previous: Henry Thurlow, Married in 1962; Widowed in 2001
Others: Caitlyn Thurlow [Daughter-In-Law]
Mathias Jurado [Son-In-Law]
Kirsten Sutton [Granddaughter]
Emmet Thurlow [Grandson]
Marina Thurlow [Granddaughter]
Aidan Jurado [Grandson]
History
Anita Felice Porter grew up in Cuttlebone City the prim and proper daughter of a banker and an eccentric socialite. For most of her childhood she was taken care of by nanny’s and tutor’s hired by her mother who relished in not having the burden of raising children. In 1944 Anita was joined by a sister named Miranda Porter and was made to split the little time she did have with her parents between the two. This would later develop into a resentment to her mother while her father remained oblivious. She studied dance as a teenager, while Miranda competed for their mother’s affections, and often won these affections. Unbeknownst to the family, their father had developed a trust for the girls, and once he died in late 1958 the girls received enough money to carry them for the next ten years.
In 1961 Anita met Henry Thurlow, a man whose father was interested in buying land that her father had invested in. They became infatuated with one another and often spent many days and nights with one another. Although her mother hated the thought of Henry -- who was much too low in social status -- she continued to see him. Until Henry asked her to join him in Stone Creek at his father’s home. Anita packed her things and left her younger sister to look after their mother. Anita began to adjust to the life of a housewife and although Henry’s mother wasn’t too thrilled, the two of them bonded over their mutual love for Henry. In 1962 Anita gave birth to their first child, a boy, they named Emmet Lewis Thurlow and they were able to secure themselves a small home in town.
Anita was now married to Henry and in 1964 they welcomed James Henry Thurlow into the world. By this time, Henry was being fitted to take over her father’s business when the time was right. Miranda came back into her sister’s life when she insisted that Anita visit their mother, but stubbornly, Anita refused to listen to anything that her sister would say. Anita spent the next year ignoring her sister until Miranda came to Stone Creek with the news that their mother had died and since Miranda spent her entire life taking care of their mother, she had no other family but her sister Anita. So Miranda settled into Stone Creek. Miranda began dating a man named Benjamin Lyons.
In 1968, Benjamin, began to terrorize the family and after assaulting Miranda, he kidnapped six year old Emmet Thurlow. Benjamin brutally attacked a very pregnant Anita, who ended up giving birth to a fragile baby girl, Shannon Emma Lynn Thurlow. With the help of Grady Wilkinson, the Thurlow’s were able to locate Emmet. However, they were too late as they found the young boy deprived of oxygen. He was pronounced dead that evening and for days they kept the truth from Anita so that she could recover from her injuries. Benjamin would later return and attack Miranda once again, but Henry interfered and killed the murderous man in self-defense.
Miranda would later leave Stone Creek for parts unknown and would eventually marry a very wealthy man in Ohio. Anita became very protective of Shannon as she grew up and would often enlist her older brother to keep an eye on her. The loss of their eldest son was a lot for their marriage and they nearly separated on two separate occasions, but they stuck by one another and Anita Thurlow stood by her husband’s side until he died in 2001.
When her daughter married Mathias Jurado, Anita was very welcoming of the man and duly noted how financially and intellectually secure Mathias was. In 2002 Anita left Stone Creek behind and moved to Paris, France to be closer to her only daughter, Shannon, and the small family she was starting.
Start of the Series...
In 2011, Anita and her family endured another tragedy when Shannon Thurlow Jurado was revealed to have died in a automobile accident. When her family came to attend Shannon’s funeral in Paris, France, Anita revealed to her grandson, Emmet Thurlow, that she had been investigating forged paperwork. Shannon had been tracking down some rare diamonds for Thurlow-Jurado Overseas before her death. They were devastated when Aidan Jurado admitted to forging documents and impersonating his mother so that he could get info to Edward Rayburn, a man who conned Aidan into doing his bidding and stealing the diamonds. However, before James Thurlow left Paris, they got news of Edward Rayburn’s suicide and were finally able to cope with Shannon’s death. After saying goodbye to her son and his family, she also had to part with Aidan who returned to Stone Creek with the family. Anita and Mathias were instilled with the task of rebuilding Thurlow-Jurado Overseas.
Anita Thurlow returned to Stone Creek in Winter of 2012 to celebrate the holiday’s with her son and his family. While here in Stone Creek she learned of Aidan’s sexuality and promised to love him anyhow. She later returned to Paris, France to continue working with Mathias.
Portrayed by: Judi Dench [2013]
Previously: Helen Mirren [2011; 2012]
