User:Conquistador2k6/Roman Harris

Roman Harris is a fictional character on the australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Conrad Coleby. He made his first appearance on 22 November 2007 and departed on 11 June 2009.

Roman's storylines see him buy a share of the local diner, reconnect with his teenage daughter daughter Nicole Franklin (Tessa James), forge a friendship with Miles Copeland (Josh Quong Tart) and have romantic entanglements with Charlie Buckton (Esther Anderson), Martha MacKenzie (Jodi Gordon) and Leah Patterson-Baker).

Roman's military past returns to haunt him twice, in the form of Elliot Gillen (Paul Pantano) and later, David "Gardy" Gardiner (Jeremy Sims). He also loses his eyesight temporarily in an accident caused by Brendan Austin (Kain O'Keeffe). The Serial's official website described "a charismatic guy, with a good streak of Aussie sense of adventure to boot…and a recent past he’d rather keep to himself."

Casting
Prior to securing the role of Roman, Coleby had worked with the Queensland Theatre Company, starring in The Glass Menagerie and appeared in the film The Final Winter. . Coleby was apprehensive of taking the role of Roman after the failure of new soap opera headLand, he had starred in the previous year but admitted he had no regrets in joining Home and Away. .

In 2009, Coleby’s departure from the series was announced after Producers decided not to renew his contract. He told TV Week "Well, it wasn't my decision, But I'm happy about it now. I can see why they decided to end the Roman character. He had a finite story arc. There was always something about Roman that was a bit dark, so they explored that and unfortunately went too far for him to carry on." Coleby added: "It's been great from day one. It's sad that I won't get to see everybody every day. I'll miss everyone. There's such a nice family vibe on Home and Away." Coleby later joined the cast of Sea Patrol.

Characterisation
A writer from the RTE website described Roman as "a charismatic guy, with a good streak of Aussie sense of adventure to boot…and a recent past he’d rather keep to himself.".

Kidnap
Roman is confronted by Elliot Gillen (Paul Pantano) over the truth about his brother Mark's death in Afghanistan. The storyline sees Roman's daughter, Nicole Franklin (Tessa James) and Geoff Campbell (Lincoln Lewis) in danger on a deserted Island. In order to save Nicole, Elliot instructs Roman to drink from a flask and is rendered unconscious. When Roman awakes, he is hanging from a cliff over the Ocean. Instead of a double, Coleby performed the stunt himself. He told news.com.au: "There were no mats underneath me, just broken glass and death below. I definitely felt like I had earned my beer (after these scenes), I knew there was going to be some big jungle and Rambo stuff happening and physically it was (demanding) but I have always wanted to do an action film or something with a lot of action and it was so demanding on my body because you have to get out there, guns blazing. "At the end of it, you are knackered and sore all over. But I am glad they stuck with having me look all bloody, messy and sweaty, the way it would look in reality."

Blindness
During his final story arc, Roman loses his eyesight. Coleby admitted he found it difficult playing Roman blind. "It's quite difficult because you've got to play it to a camera, so you can't play it as you would in real life, because it doesn't read on the camera - although I did practice being blind" He told the ‘’Home and Away’’ website an interview. "To actually be blind would be horrible. I can't imagine a more terrifying disability. I mean you can't tell the time, you can't read people's faces or expressions, you don't know what sort of day it is," he said. "I really wanted to portray the anxiety that is associated with that."

Storylines
Roman arrives at the pier diner and offers to buy Leah Patterson-Baker’s (Ada Nicodemou) half of the business,as she plans to join her husband Dan Baker (Tim Campbell) in America. Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger) is skeptical of Roman but later warms to him. Roman spots a homeless Miles Copeland (Josh Quong Tart) on the beach and gives him some free food, much to Irene’s disapproval. He then tells Miles to move on but later Miles recognises Roman from an SAS rescue operation in Phuket where he lost his wife Louise and daughter, Amber (Mitzi Ruhlman) in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. He dates Rachel Armstrong (Amy Mathews) and shares a kiss with her but the relationship never really materializes after Colleen Smart (Lyn Collingwood) likens Roman to Rachel’s ex-husband, Kim Hyde (Chris Hemsworth).

Roman’s military training comes in handy when Reverend John Hall (Paul Tassone) flees hospital with a brain tumour and tries to drive off a cliff. Roman is able to save him. When Johnny Cooper (Callan Mulvey) escapes from prison and targets Miles’ sister, Sally Fletcher (Kate Ritchie), Roman stays at Summer Bay House with Miles in order to protect Sally. There is a hostage situation when Johnny tricks his way into the house holding Colleen at knifepoint and in the ensuing struggle, He stabs Sally and leaves her for dead. Roman later strikes up friendships with Morag Bellingham (Cornelia Frances) and Aden Jefferies (Todd Lasance) and invites them to move in with him. He is successful in getting Aden to change his attitude towards Miles after he tells him what he went through in Phuket.

When the Beachside diner collapses, Roman, Irene and Leah combine their money and each purchase a third of a new diner on the pier which contains a drop-in centre named The Den. Roman begins dating Morag’s great niece, Martha MacKenzie (Jodi Gordon). Martha becomes suspicious when she finds a photo of a young blonde girl hugging Roman, but he explains the girl is his teenage daughter, Nicole. He tells Martha that he was in a relationship with Nicole’s mother, Natalie (Adrienne Pickering) when they were in High school and when Natalie’s parents found out about her pregnancy, they moved away and Roman did not see them until he left the Army.

Roman finds himself breaking up a fight between Aden and his father. When Aden sees photos of Roman in his army fatigues, He freaks out. It later emerges that Aden’s grandfather, Stan sexually abused him as a child. During this time, Roman and Martha’s relationship crumbles in the wake of her reliance on her ex-husband, Jack Holden (Paul O'Brien during a murder enquiry into his wife, Sam’s (Jessica Chapnik) death. Roman learns Martha is pregnant with his child but loses the baby while undergoing treatment for cancer. Nicole arrives and she and Roman struggle to bond when she begins misbehaving at school. Elliot Gillen turns up wanting to know the truth about his brother, Mark’s death in Afghanistan. Roman is unimpressed when Nicole begins dating Elliot and tries to break them up. Elliot later kidnaps Nicole and sends a ransom DVD telling Roman to drink an unknown substance which knocks him out. When Roman wakes up, he is hanging by his feet from a cliff. He escapes but has to battle Elliot. Roman overpowers him and Elliot is arrested. When in custody, Elliot gives him Nicole’s location in exchange for the truth about Mark’s death. It emerges Roman had shot Mark when he disobeyed a direct order in Afghanistan and had opened fire on him. Nicole is eventually found and reunited with Roman.

Roman then begins a relationship with Charlie Buckton (Esther Anderson) but Natalie arrives and causes trouble between them. Roman and Charlie split after she realises he is still in love with Martha. On Leah’s 30th birthday, she drunkenly kisses Roman but does not remember the following day. They kiss and become a couple, but Leah’s son VJ is not happy about it. One night while driving, Brendan Austin (Kain O'Keeffe) fires a rock from a slingshot at Leah’s car and Roman is left blinded. Roman struggles to cope and begins pushing Nicole, Miles and Aden away and becomes irritable. He then contacts David “Gardy” Gardiner (Jeremy Sims), a military buddy, who arrives in Summer Bay. Gardy makes his presence felt in the Bay and encourages Roman to get drunk and get into a bar brawl with John Palmer (Shane Withington) and several of his friends at the Surf club. It soon becomes apparent Gardy has a hold over Roman and it is revealed that he knows about Roman shooting Mark and both of them had covered it up. In order to get Roman to see again, Gardy takes Roman to a bridge and pushes him off but it fails.

Roman’s eyesight comes back after a nightmare and he is prepared to return to normal but Gardy coerces him into some robberies and when Roman refuses, Gardy threatens to tell the police the truth about Mark. Gardy then shoots Roman in the shoulder and they fight. After Hugo (Bernard Curry) and Xavier Austin (David Jones-Roberts) intervene, Gardy escapes. Roman then hands himself at the police station and confesses to everything that happened in Afghanistan and makes a statement about the robbery. He says goodbye to Nicole and his friends before the Military Police arrive to arrest him.

Reception
The Daily Record gave a mixed review of Roman’s character. “Okay, so he's gorgeous, can cook and is a former SAS soldier - what's not to like? However, since his arrival in 2007, he's had to cope with a pouting brat of a daughter, being attacked and left for dead by nutter Elliott (who just happened to be the brother of a dead former pal of Roman's), a failed romance with Charlie, and having his heart broken by widow Martha, who he also got pregnant, before she lost the baby. Phew”. They added: “Alarm bells should have rung for Roman when her snotty son VJ announced he hated his mum for dating the man he considered 'his' friend” The episode involving Roman's confession of shooting Mark was chosen by Channel 5 as one of their best ever. Roman placed 22nd in a poll conducted by Channel 5 to find Summer Bay's Sexiest residents and The episode featuring the climax of Elliot's revenge campaign against Roman was broadcast on 8 August 2013.