Occupation: Hotel magnate

Parents: Royce Jenning and Jackie Blackthorne

Siblings: Brooke Taylor

Relationships: Miranda Blackthorne, Brooke Taylor

Appearances: Seasons 3 – 6

Who’d Play Him: Christian Bale

A Life Built Around Escape: The son of legendary hotel magnate Royce Jennings and socialite Jacqueline Lamont, David Jennings was born into two powerful dynasties. Through his mother, he was the grandson of producer Jonas Lamont, whose influence helped shape the careers of Nathan Blackthorne, James Blackthorne, and Lola Lamont, and countless others. David followed his father into the hospitality business, becoming an international luxury hotelier known for opening lavish properties around the world.

David entered the Blackthornes’ lives when he set his sights on Hotel Terranova. He was immediately attracted to Miranda Blackthorne, despite her pregnancy with Brett Armstrong’s child and the emotional chaos surrounding her divorce. Though their early dates were awkward, David appeared to offer Miranda the maturity and stability missing from her previous relationships.

David soon became involved in the effort to stop Nathan from escaping prosecution. When Nathan attempted to flee to China hidden aboard Victor Distefano’s private plane, David switched the cargo onto his own jet and flew him directly to Paris, where Nathan was arrested by the authorities. The act placed David firmly among the Blackthornes’ allies despite his complicated family connection to the Lamonts.

His relationship with Miranda gradually gave way to an unexpected attraction to Brooke Taylor. David recognized Brooke from her days as a makeup artist and admitted that she reminded him of “Babydoll,” a girl he had known during childhood summers in Big Bear. Their relationship deepened, creating tension with Ethan Blackthorne and Brooke’s mother, Roz. The romance ended in horror when a photograph revealed that Royce Jennings was Brooke’s biological father, making David and Brooke half siblings.

David’s position between the Lamonts and Blackthornes became even more important when Jacqueline attempted to seize Sunset Studios and the Blackthorne mansion. Believing James and Nathan had stolen both properties from Jonas, she purchased James’s enormous debt and prepared to take everything from him. David intervened by paying the loan himself, saving James from financial ruin while becoming part owner of Sunset Studios.

David was later pulled into a violent conspiracy involving former associate Bryan Jennings and the Acapulco drug cartel. Bryan arranged Ricardo Pacheco’s release from prison as part of a scheme to inherit David’s fortune. When the cartel kidnapped members of the film production in Mexico, David joined James in locating Brooke and the other captives. He later overpowered Bryan after being held hostage in an Acapulco hotel room, helping bring the conspiracy to an end.

After learning that David was dying from a brain tumor, Miranda was overwhelmed by regret over their unfinished relationship. They resumed their affair, and Miranda became pregnant without knowing whether David or Eddie Distefano was the father. David refused to let her watch him deteriorate and said a tearful goodbye before leaving for a clinic in San Francisco. Although everyone believed he had gone away to die, he secretly underwent an experimental operation that might save his life.

While David was presumed dead, Miranda gave birth to a daughter, Tiger, and later discovered that David was the child’s biological father. She initially concealed the truth from Eddie, whose heartbreak over the affair and paternity lie ended their relationship. David’s absence allowed Miranda and Eddie eventually to find their way back to one another and build a family around Tiger.

David ultimately survived the surgery and returned during Miranda and Eddie’s wedding. His arrival threatened to reopen old wounds, but rather than attempt to reclaim Miranda, he accepted that she had chosen Eddie. His return gave him the opportunity to meet Tiger and establish a place in his daughter’s life without destroying the family she already knew.