As portrayed by Dominic Zamprogna since June 22, 2009, General Hospital character Dante Falconeri, currently calling himself Dominic, is a charming young man whose smile, easy and flirtatious manner covers his resolve to bring down Sonny Corinthos. What he doesn't know is that the man he is trying to destroy is his own father.
Dante's Beginnings
Olivia Falconeri gave birth to Dante Falconeri, the son she has with Sonny Corinthos, when she was 16 years old. However, Sonny never knew that the child was his, nor did she ever tell her son the truth. Sonny at the time of Dante's birth was beginning his involvement with the mob, and Olivia wanted to protect her son from "the business." She told people that she didn't know who the father was, making people believe she was promiscuous. Even at a young age, Olivia knew that the most important thing was to shield her child from danger at all costs, even at the cost of her own reputation.
Dante, as Dominic, Shows Up in Port Charles
Olivia came to Port Charles from Bensonhurst at Sonny's request to be part of Sonny's wedding to her cousin, Kate Howard (aka Connie Falconeri). After Kate was shot at the wedding, Olivia stayed on to help care for her. Eventually, she got a job at the MetroCourt working for Jax. Dante arrived in Port Charles in June of 2009. He was using the name Dominic Pirelli, a name that he had used while working for Anthony Zacchara. Claudia had hired him to kill Jason Morgan, thus bringing him to Port Charles. What Anthony and Claudia didn't know was that Dominic was an undercover Fed, now working to bring down the Corinthos organization. Johnny Zacchara was Olivia's lover, and he accompanied Dominic on the night of the hit. Dominic missed killing or even wounding his mark (as is the pattern with any hit taken out by Claudia) and he himself was injured. Escaping into the woods, he met little Morgan Corinthos. He took Morgan hostage and, when Michael and Carly came along, pulled a gun on them. Then he let them all go free and sought out Claudia. Once he got to Sonny's and Claudia's, Claudia let him stay in her room as long as she could.
Olivia is Distressed to Learn Dante's True Agenda
Holding Sonny's family at gunpoint in the woods wasn't a good way to get into Sonny's good graces, but Dominic used his nerve, his likeable personality, and a budding friendship with Morgan to convince Sonny to give him a chance.
Once he was better, Dominic visited Olivia. She wanted him out of town immediately. She didn't want him to meet Sonny, and she didn't want him to know about her affair with Johnny. When she learned that he was there to infiltrate Sonny's organization in order to bring him down, Olivia panicked and attempted to get Johnny reassigned.
By now, however, Dominic was settled in Port Charles and had no intention of leaving. Besides his commmitment to his work, he met Lulu Spencer, who knew him as Dominic. Though her brothers weren't happy about it - in fact, they beat him up - Dominic went after Lulu anyway.
Dominic works side by side with Ronnie, his supervisor, gathering evidence against Sonny as he convinces Sonny of his loyalty. Keeping his identity secret has been difficult; at one point, he let himself be arrested instead of Johnny and had to let Mac Scorpio know he was working undercover. He also has to be careful not to reveal his connection to Olivia to Johnny.
How Long Before the Truth about Dante Emerges
It is only a matter of time before Dominic finds out that he is Sonny's son and vice versa. During recent weeks, Dominic was badly injured in the General Hospital carnival when he jumped in front of Edward's car, pushing Morgan out of the way. It was believed that he would need a kidney transplant. Olivia could not disguise her emotions during that time, so much so that Jax, who knows the truth, cautioned her to be careful. Patrick Drake did learn the identity of Dominic's family and encouraged Olivia to tell Sonny and Dominic the truth. Since Dominic does not need a kidney transplant, Olivia's secret is safe for now. However, Dominic is getting ready to close in on Sonny - will Olivia allow this to happen? Now that Dominic has become so close to Sonny's kids and genuinely likes Sonny, will he allow it to happen?
