Dina Mergeron - Joanna Manning

Joanna Manning (formerly Fenmore) first appeared in 1983 as the mother of Lauren Fenmore and ex-wife of the late Neil Fenmore. She was portrayed by actress Susan Seaforth Hayes in 1983, 1986 and 1988. She returned in 2005 after a 17-year absence for several guest appearances, and then returned again in 2006, 2007 and 2010.

Character history
Joanna Manning went to high school with Neil Fenmore, John Abbott, Sr., Dina Mergeron, Stuart Brooks, Suzanne Lynch, Katherine Chancellor and Gary Reynolds. Many of the friendships they formed lasted through the years. Lauren was the only child of wealthy Genoa City retailer Neil and socialite Joanna who divorced when Lauren was a small child. Joanna didn't come back into Lauren's life until she was out of high school. At one point, Lauren heard Joanna say she wished she had an abortion, which was devastating to Lauren.

In 2005, Joanna returned to town to attend Lauren's wedding to Michael Baldwin after being unseen for 17 years. When Lauren and Michael's son Fen Baldwin was born, he had to stay in the hospital for a little while. He was finally able to go home, but the Baldwin household was frantic due to the bickering between Joanna and Michael's mother Gloria Fisher, a colicky baby, and Michael being too busy defending the Winters family in the Carmen Mesta murder case, plus he was working with Victor Newman to expose Jack Abbott for secretly buying Jabot Cosmetics under the guise of the House of Kim, a fake corporation.

Joanna returned to town the following year and worked at Jabot for John as a designer/stylist. She was attracted to John which was not reciprocated and she left town; she reconciled with Marc Mergeron. Later, Joanna came back to town on several occasions and had an affair with John.

In 2010, Jill Abbott's lawyer, Morgan Belford, filed a lawsuit to get half the inheritance that Lauren had received after their father Neil's death. Lauren tried an amicable settlement, but Jill thought she was faking the peace offering and pulled another publicity stunt; an interview at Neil's gravesite. Lauren showed up, they fought on the air, and Lauren shoved Jill into an open grave. They went to court and Jill's lawyer put Joanna on the stand. She told how Neil brooded about his illegitimate daughter throughout their marriage, and his guilt was responsible for turning Lauren into a spoiled brat.

After Neil recovered from learning Jill's mother had died, he tried to track down the child and failed. Joanna claimed Neil cared more for a dead woman and her child than his own wife, which was why they divorced when Lauren was only a little girl and Lauren stayed with her father. The judge ruled that Neil knew of another child when he wrote his will saying, "Any and all of my living heirs." The judge awarded 50% of Neil's assets to Jill. Lauren caught her mother as they left court asking how she could be so cruel to her own daughter, asking if she even knew that Lauren had been kidnapped a few months earlier by Sarah Smythe. Lauren told Joanna to go back to her villa and her younger men, and stay out of her life.