Person of the Week: Carolyn Hennesy

Carolyn Hennesy

Multi-award-winning actor, writer, and budding trapeze artist, Carolyn Hennesy has been delighting audiences since 1992. Best known for her starring role on as Diane Miller on ABC Daytime’s (sadly—soon-to-be only remaining daytime drama) General Hospital and for her recurring role alongside Courtney Cox on Cougar Town, Hennesy shows that she is equally comfortable with comedy as she is with drama.


With a host of acting credits to her name, ranging from Dawson’s Creek to Reba, you wouldn’t think that the talented Miss Hennesy would have much time for anything else. However, she’s managed to foster her natural writing abilities into a series of popular children’s books based on the character of “Pandora.” Similarly, Miss Hennesy has made a mark on the adult fiction marketplace with The Secret Life of Damien Spinelli which features popular characters from General Hospital.

A former member of The Groundlings and The ACME Comedy Theater, Miss Hennesy’s prolific career has spanned stage, television and the silver screen. The theater is in her blood. Her father is art director Dale Hennesy and she’s the niece of acclaimed Hollywood legend, Barbara Rush. Representing a new generation of exceptional talent, Miss Hennesy’s career shows that true talent cannot be silenced.

For her many contributions to the world of the arts, Carolyn Hennesy is our “Person of the Week.” To learn more about Miss Hennesy, visit her official Web site.

Person of the Week: Mr. Punch

He has been known as many things: a loveable rascal, a rogue, a murderer, an adulterer, an innocent, a father, a husband, an abuser, a friend and foe of animals, a sausage-maker, an ornery neighbor, a scamp, an imp, a national icon and an international celebrity. He’s Mr. Punch. And, today is his 349th birthday.


No, he’s not technically a person, but he’s an enduring personality who has been repeatedly brought to life by thousands of artists all over the world for centuries. Throughout the past few months, we’ve explored Mr. Punch’s history—from his Italian roots, to his “birth” in England’s Covent Garden to his many cousins worldwide. This plucky puppet has inspired countless literary works (including Punch’s Cousin), a magazine named in his honor, grand works of art and humble folk arts. Interestingly enough, he’s risen above his origins to become something of a symbol of Britain and the people who inhabit it. He gets away with the things that we all wish we could do. He beats the devil! He triumphs over his problems! And, he does it all with a great amount of confidence and humor.

We shouldn’t really consider Mr. Punch to be a role model. Some of his behavior is quite questionable. But, we do have to admire his attitude and we can all adapt some of his unrelenting spirit into our own lives. He’s the best and the worst part of each of us—represented in figures of wood and felt. He encourages us to be the puppeteers of our own lives and to always be prepared to say, “Huzzah, I beat the Devil.”

For his 349 years of entertainment and enlightenment and for becoming more than the wooden-headed hunchback that first appeared in Covent Garden, Mr. Punch is our “Person of the Week.” Or, at the very least, “The Puppet of the Week.”

Happy Birthday, Mr. Punch.