Victor Newman, played by Eric Braeden, was supposed to be a short-term villain on The Young and the Restless when he stepped onto the Genoa City scene in 1980. Victor’s then-wife, Julia (Meg Bennett), was cheating on him with shutterbug Michael Scott (Nick Benedict).
The original plan was for Julia to shoot Victor dead! However, Y&R creator, head writer, and executive producer William J. Bell picked up on Braeden’s commanding presence and his potential as a leading man and opted to rewrite Victor’s story.