TYLER, Donna Beck
Portrayed by: Francesca Poston (1976); Candice Early (1976-1992; 1993; 1995)
Family: Mitch Beck (Brother); Palmer John Cortlandt (Son); Emily Ann Sago (Adopted Daughter)
Marriages: Chuck Tyler; Palmer Cortlandt; Benny Sago; Chuck Tyler

1976: 16-year-old Donna Beck was a teen prostitute who wound up at Pine Valley Hospital. Her pimp, Tyrone, had thrown her out of a car, shattering her leg. Dr. Chuck Tyler was assigned to Donna’s case. He was concerned with Donna’s well being. While at the hospital, Chuck helped Donna recover and study for her GED. He was sure that Donna’s life on Locust Street was over.
But Tyrone was not ready to let Donna go. Tyrone tracked Donna down. Chuck tried to protector her, but this put him in harms way. Donna was guilt stricken every time she saw Chuck with another injury. As much as she wanted to leave that part of her life behind, she was sure Locust Street was her fate.



1977: Donna was ready to marry Chuck. But Erica was determined in winning her college sweetheart back. At her 18th birthday at the Chateau, Erica came to Donna’s table with a special guest. Donna immediately recognized him as one of her former Johns.
Donna loved Chuck, and his son Phillip. Thanking Chuck for her second chance, she decided to see her parents in Chicago. When they learned of Donna’s life as a hooker, they kicked her to the curb. Donna ran back to Locust Street, where she felt she belonged. She was arrested for hitchhiking. She called her old friend, Estelle LaTour, who bailed her out. She stayed with Estelle, but her pimp, Billy Clyde Tuggle, made her uncomfortable. Billy Clyde slipped her some mind-altering drugs to make her turn tricks for him. Estelle found Chuck, and he and Benny Sago stormed in for the rescue. When Donna recovered, Chuck professed his love for her. They were engaged to wed.
Phoebe tried to pay Donna off, but she was not going to leave Chuck again. Phoebe believed that Donna was going to ruin Chuck’s chances at gaining custody of Phillip. They eloped, and soon Donna was pregnant. Or so she thought. Though she showed all the signs and symptoms, this was an impossible feet, as Tyrone had sterilized her.

1978: When Donna found out that her pregnancy was all in her mind, she decided to leave Chuck. Donna turned to Estelle again, who warned her about falling back into her old ways. Donna was surprised when Chuck found her again. He convinced her that her infertility was reversible. They decided to make another go at their marriage and having a child.
But, Chuck’s life was still very much tied up in his son, Charlie’s, drama. Donna was always worried that he still had feeling for his first wife, Tara. These were realized when Tara’s marriage to Phil Brent came apart. Chuck admitted his infidelity to Donna. She left him again.
Donna and Estelle were in her car when it stalled on a railroad track. A train was heading right at them. Both women survived the crash, but Donna was in a coma. When Donna awoke, she saw Chuck by her bedside. But this time, he was not her husband, he was Dr. Tyler, the man who saved her after Tyrone had thrown her out of a car. She asked Estelle if she thought she would still be good enough to work on Locust Street. Donna had short-term amnesia. She had blocked out the last two years of her life; and, Donna was now really pregnant with Chuck’s child.



1979: Donna’s amnesia had Chuck working overdrive to reconnect. They went into the backwoods of Pine Valley for a picnic, when Ray Gardner abducted both of them. Chuck tried to negotiate with the escaped convict, but was shot in the process. At that very instance, Donna’s memory returned. She realized that Chuck was her husband and that she was pregnant with his son.
Phil Brent saved Chuck, but he was delusional because of his injury. In his hazed state, he called out for Tara. Donna’s insecurities returned, but it was Tara this time that would calm her fears. Tara realized how much she loved Phil when she almost lost him again.
Chuck was present for Donna’s delivery. The couple eagerly anticipated the birth of their son. But, when the baby was born, no cries were heard. The child was stillborn.
Tara returned to Pine Valley when Phil went missing in an undercover operation. Chuck began to spend more time with Tara, fueling Donna’s old feelings of insecurities.

1980: Donna was sure Chuck was going to leave her for Tara. She looked to adopt a black-market baby so as to keep Chuck. In truth, Chuck did not need any of this; he only needed Donna. Feeling like a failure, Donna petitioned for divorce. The Tyler’s new neighbor, Palmer Cortlandt, saw the down and out former Mrs. Tyler and invited her to stay in Cortlandt Manor as his special guest.



1981: Donna found herself becoming the newest Mrs. Cortlandt. But all was not well in her new home. Palmer was perturbed by his daughter, Nina Cortlandt’s, marriage to Cliff Warner. Palmer’s scheming was enough to drive Donna away; however, before she could break up with him, Palmer went missing in Center City.
Donna was called to Pine Valley Hospital after Estelle went into labor. The doctors delivered a healthy baby girl, but something was wrong. Estelle was falling in and out of consciousness. In her dying breath, she pleaded with Donna and Benny to raise her daughter as their own, and to never tell her the truth about her parentage. Donna and Benny named the baby Emily Ann Sago.
Palmer was found an amnesiac working as a bus boy at Foxy’s. Donna took her husband back to help with his recovery.



1982: Donna and Palmer finally went on their long delayed honeymoon to Switzerland. Little did they know, Chuck had planned a similar vacation with his new girlfriend Melanie Sawyer. Palmer insisted Chuck and Melanie tag along on a cross-country trip. Melanie sprained her ankle and stayed at home. All along the trip, Palmer tried to prove his superiority over Chuck. Donna was frustrated and wanted her husband to stop his jealous tirade. A sudden avalanche threw Palmer off a Cliff. Chuck and Donna watched helplessly as a helicopter rescued him but left them stranded. Chuck’s kind words calmed Donna’s fears. They succumbed to their old attraction and slept together. The next morning, they too were rescued.
Donna learned she was pregnant again and was sure it was Palmer’s. Palmer bestowed every gift he could on their unborn child. For the first time, Donna gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Palmer John Cortlandt. She asked Chuck and his new wife Carrie to be the godparents. Palmer and Chuck surprisingly were getting along better now.

1983: Donna went about her life at Cortlandt Manor ignorant to the truth. That all changed when Phoebe stormed the manor desperately wanting to speak with Donna. Donna had always dreaded the presence of her former mother-in-law. Phoebe pleaded with Donna to listen to her: Johnny was Chuck’s son and not Palmer’s. Not only that, Chuck had known the truth the whole time and agreed with Palmer to keep the secret.
Donna confronted her husbands. Nothing Palmer could say made Donna stay. But her hate for Palmer did not amount to anything compared to her hate for Chuck. The man she had loved for so long had lied to her for the last year. Donna vowed that he and his crazy family would have nothing to do with her son.
Time began to heal their conflict. Donna needed someone to help her balance her new job at the Glamoramma and motherhood. Not only that, she was falling in love with Chuck all over again.
One night, Donna was singing at the Chateau when Chuck arrived with Johnny. He had an emergency call from the hospital and needed Donna to watch him. That night, the Chateau caught fire. Donna ran out with Johnny, but something was still wrong. Johnny died of smoke inhalation. The loss of another child threw Donna back into a temporary state of psychosis. She believed a rag doll was her son. She refused to let anyone near her, including Chuck.



1984: Benny stood by Donna through her grief over loosing her son. He reminded her of their child, Emily Ann, and how she still needed her mother. Donna moved in with Benny to spend more time with Emily Ann.

1985: Donna turned to Benny when she began having lapses of memory loss. She began piecing together a night she had spent back on Locust Street. Benny found photos of Palmer’s new wife Cynthia Preston and his son Ross Chandler in bed together, hidden in Donna’s closet. Locust Street conman Zach Grayson was using these photos for blackmail. Zach had recently turned up dead, and Daisy Murdoch was the primary suspect.
Donna agreed to take truth serum to help piece together the pieces of her memory. She realized she had confronted Zach the night of his murder. She also remembered a pocketbook with the letter “W” on it. Donna was sure she had seen the pocketbook before at the English Estate. Whoever owned the pocketbook was the murderer. The owner turned out to be Marian Colby, another victim of Zach’s charms.
It had been more than a year since Chuck left town. Benny and Donna finally made plans to marry for Emily Ann’s sake. At their wedding ceremony, Nina stormed in declaring Donna was going to pay for the pain she had cause Daisy during the trial. Donna narrowly escaped with her life. Still shaken, Benny and Donna married that evening.

1986: Third time was a charm for Donna when it came to husbands. Benny was her best friend. That seemed to be the extent of their relationship. Though happy, the couple had problems with intimacy. Surprisingly, Benny turned his attention to Nina while Donna focused on raising their daughter.



1990: Donna reconnected with Chuck after he made the decision to move back to Pine Valley. Phoebe made one last attempt to drive Donna away. She was willing to cut Donna a check with the sum of her choice as long as it meant that she would stay away from Chuck. But, there was not enough money in the world to keep Donna and Chuck apart. Benny stepped aside so that Donna and Chuck could remarry.
Another man from Donna’s past threatened to ruin everything. It was Billy Clyde, out of prison and hell bent on revenge. He had masqueraded as John Rockefeller, befriending Emily Ann. He revealed to Emily Ann the truth about her parentage, he was her father. All that Benny and Donna had done to protect her was undone. Emily Ann pushed her parents away. She eloped with her boyfriend, Joey Martin.
Billy Clyde’s body was found dead in a river. Finally, her family was safe from his terror.


1992: Donna and Chuck left Pine Valley to help Emily Ann recover from her mental breakdown.

1995: Donna and Chuck attended the Martin family housewarming.