List of The Bold and the Beautiful characters (1980s)
William "Bill" Spencer is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera, ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. The character appeared regularly from 1987 through 1994, with several brief appearances afterwards, and was portrayed by Jim Storm.Bill is overprotective of Caroline and strongly objects when she falls in love with Ridge Forrester, the playboy son of the famous fashion designer, Eric Forrester, and his wife, Stephanie. He forbids Ridge from continuing to date his daughter. The headstrong Ridge responds by proposing to her. Just before the wedding ceremony, Bill tells Caroline that he had Ridge followed and knows for a fact that he slept with another woman just a week before. She is furious with her father and goes on with the wedding, walking down the aisle alone. But before she gets to Ridge, she faints.
Bill's efforts are successful, Caroline doesn't marry Ridge. Later, tragedy strikes. Caroline is raped by a man named Ron Deacon. Bill notices how Ridge's younger brother, Thorne, supports her through her recovery. Bill wants Caroline to marry him, and she does. But she's still in love with Ridge, and despite all Bill's efforts to prevent it, she divorces Thorne to reunite with Ridge.
Caroline eventually marries Ridge, but afterwards becomes ill with leukemia. Bill is devastated when she dies. Bill tells his lover Margo Lynley about his other daughter Karen. Margo enlists the help of Blake Hayes, who eventually tracks Karen down in Texas, where she goes by the name of Faith Roberts. Bill and Karen are soon reunited. Despite Margo being pregnant by scheming fashion designer, Clarke Garrison. Bill and Margo marry, and Bill adopts the baby. But their marriage does not last, and Margo leaves town with the child.
Bill moves to New York City where he builds Spencer Publications into an international media conglomerate and gains a reputation for being enormously wealthy and extremely ruthless in business. In 2009, Bill is diagnosed with a terminal illness. It's revealed that Bill fathered a previously unknown illegitimate son. In his will, Bill gives Donna Logan a small jeweled container that was empty inside, a symbol of his opinion of Donna. Clarke received a gold medal made of chocolate with a note that read "as fake as your designs". He wills Spencer Publications to his two living children, Karen and Bill Jr., who each receive 50% and are named co-CEOs. Karen gave Stephanie a final letter from Bill that he wanted Karen to deliver personally. Bill offered his respect for Stephanie over the years, congratulated her on her new partnership at Jackie M Designs and asked her to mentor Karen in business and personally just as she did with Caroline.
Bill also makes a DVD for his son in which he gives him half of Spencer Publications on the condition that Bill Jr. use the company to avenge Stephanie, whom Bill reveals to be his true love, by taking over Forrester Creations and crushing Eric. Bill reveals Stephanie refused to leave her husband thus nothing happened between them but that he was heartbroken when Eric humiliated Stephanie with his public affairs with Brooke Logan and Donna Logan then fired her from the company she co-founded.
In May 2012, Karen reveals to Bill Jr. she has been in a long-term relationship with Danielle after years of being forced by their father to hide her orientation. Karen also reveals Bill threatened to disown and disinherit her, refused to meet Danielle or acknowledge that Karen had a partner, and attempted to marry her to a junior executive at Spencer Publications for show. Bill and Karen agreed to keep her secret from everyone, including his son Bill Jr. Bill's granddaughter Caroline Spencer reveals to her boyfriend Thomas Forrester that Bill had only met her twice, once on New Year's and once on the Fourth of July. Thomas tells Caroline that he always heard that Bill was a "powerhouse". Provided by Wikipedia
