Vivienne Jayne VanCortlandt (nee Schraederman, previously Owens) is a character on ONtv's Smythewood and Harpers Falls: New Beginnings. On both shows, she is played by actress Julia Barr, who was best known for her role of Brooke English Cudahy Chandler on All My Children.
Wendy's business oriented sister[]
Of the three Schraederman sisters, Vivienne is the more business oriented of them. She took time from her family's energy business to marry. (At first, her family's fortune came from textiles, but was later revealed that her uncle Lucas was also an oil baron)
Her first marriage to David Owens ended when he died in an explosion at a rival oil company's plant in Southern Philadelphia. The marriage had become strained anyway due to David's working for a rival company, while she herself owned an oil and energy company.
For a number of years, she raised her son by David, Shane, as a single mother. She is very proud of him.
While her sister, Wendy was in hiding, she also raised her nephew, Eric Harper much like he was her own son. Vivienne had another sister, Margaux, who was married to a man named Alexander Dannon, and had a daughter, Julia, who gained the family's business expertise, and is one of the country's most successful businesswomen.
After a number of years, she fell in love with James VanCortlandt, and the two subsequently married. They were very happy until he perished in a plane crash in the Pyrenees mountains in Europe, while on business.
Again, Vivienne was widowed, but having been widowed before, knew what it was she had to do. She couldn't wallow around, like she had with David. Finally, she decided that the time had come to leave Smythewood.
She packed everything she had, moved her oil company's headquarters to Needham (where she still maintains an active role in her family company) and moved to Boston, where Wendy had moved to.
She and Wendy reunited (Margaux and her husband had died, and Julia had lived in Connecticut), and for a time, her son, Shane, was back in Boston too. He would be returning, on occasion, but he preferred his life in Los Angeles, where he works as a successful screenwriter.
Vivienne has become a vital part of her sister's new family, especially being and becoming Aunt Viv to the huge Harper family. Vivienne fit right into the family and has been a major help to everyone.
She especially loves to dote on the youngest members of the family, Nicky Haller, the son of Nicholas Haller and Maggie Bennett-Harper, the daughter of her niece, Hannah Harper Atchley. She also has a soft spot for her nephew, Dylan, as does most everyone in the family.
Recently, Vivienne had, along with her friend, Patricia Wheeler helped Cara Niewoehner get used to the family she now shares with her blood sister, Joanna Niewoehner Harper.
Julia, her niece, had also moved to Boston, which has been good for her, since within the span of a couple of months, Wendy's husband, Michael, passed away due to a heart attack, and her step-daughter, Hannah, had been murdered by their evil in-law, Erica Harper. Vivienne has been working hard at helping the family keep their heads.
When Erica herself was murdered, it was no shock to Vivienne, as she had never gotten on with her; and when the spate of Harper deaths climaxed with Jennifer Harper's death at the hands of Rhonda Whittenberg, she was sure that she could not deal with more of it.
Happily, that stopped, and Vivienne is helping Wendy with life and taking care of her daughter, Alexandra.