Daniel, nicknamed "Dr. Dan" or "Dan" was born onscreen November 17, 1971. He is the first grandchild of series patriarch
Victor Lord (
Ernest Graves) to appear on the
serial, and Victor's third-born grandchild in the show's final
canon after
Megan Gordon and
Brian Kendall. His twin sister is born stillborn, which prompts mother Meredith (
Lynn Benesch) to suffer
post-partum depression and seek help from Dr.
Joyce Brothers (playing herself). Larry raises young Danny a single father Danny is
aged to an adult in 1983 and becomes a
newspaper reporter for his grandfather's newspaper,
The Banner. Dorian Lord Callison (
Robin Strasser) seduces Dan into a brief love affair in 1984. The character returns to Llanview on an ongoing basis in August 1986 as Dr. Dan Wolek (Joshua Cox), a
resident physician at Llanview Hospital. He dates shy
Allison Perkins (
Barbara Garrick) briefly before she falls under the spell of
Mitch Laurence (
Roscoe Born). Dan (
Michael Palance) returns again in 1989 and soon becomes a rival to his own father Doctor Larry Wolek for the affection of nurse
Brenda McGillis (Brenda Brock) in a
love triangle. The nefarious Michael Grande (
Dennis Parlato) then seeks to woo Brenda, and rigs a
medical malpractice case to get Dan fired from Llanview Hospital. Michael is killed in a
whodunit, and Dan is accused of murdering Michael before the former husband of his aunt
Victoria Lord Buchanan (
Erika Slezak),
Roger Gordon (
Larry Pine), is
revealed to be Michael's actual killer. Dr. Wolek is fired from Llanview Hospital, and starts a private clinic for low-income Llanview residents. He falls in love with Laura Jean Ellis (
Neith Hunter), the estranged wife of one of the mob lieutenants of
Carlo Hesser (
Thom Christopher). Dan leaves Llanview with Laura ==Casting and impact==