Damon Carter

Damon Carter is a fictional character from the Showtime television series Soul Food. He is the only major Soul Food character that was created specifically for the television series, and not the 1997 motion picture. He is portrayed by Boris Kodjoe.

Character Background

Damon is the biracial son of Gerta Carter (who is of German descent) and Walter Carter (James Avery), a retired African American judge of national stature. Fluent in German, French, and Portuguese, the college-educated Damon grew estranged from his father after choosing not to follow in Walter's footsteps by attending Harvard Law School. Eventually, the 25-year-old Damon became a courier in downtown Chicago.

While making a delivery, he met 30-year-old attorney Teri Joseph (Vanessa L. Williams, Nicole Ari Parker), shortly after her divorce from her second husband Miles Jenkins (Michael Beach, Isaiah Washington). Immediately taken with the slightly older woman, he convinced her to go out with him. Despite Teri's misgivings about dating a younger man with a blue-collar job, the couple spent the night together on their first date. The two fell in love in a relatively short time period, and Damon became close to the entire Joseph family. He was wrought with guilt after he inadvertently caused a traffic accident which almost killed Teri's sister "Bird" Van Adams (Nia Long, Malinda Williams) and brother-in-law Kenny Chadway (Jeffrey D. Sams, Rockmond Dunbar).

Following the accident, Damon and Teri began to drift apart, even as his new white-collar career as a sports agent was just beginning. Soon he slept with a former girlfriend, tennis pro Christine Hughes (Anais Granofsky). Although Teri broke up with him, he never stopped loving her. When he informed a pregnant Christine that he had no plans to remain with her (and suggested she abort their unborn child), she committed suicide. Spiraling into a tailspin of depression and alcoholism, he turned to Teri who eventually reconciled with him.

Damon later proposed to Teri, and after the two were engaged they took in a foster child named Mandel (Tyson Fennell). However Damon accidentally injured the formerly abused boy, and he was returned to Child Protective Services. The resulting argument with Teri brought an end to their engagement, and prompted Damon to leave Chicago.

About a year later, Teri discovered that Damon had moved to San Francisco, joined Alcoholics Anonymous and remained sober, and had used his father's influence to acquire custody of Mandel. He proposed again, and although she initially turned him down, she soon changed her mind and the two were finally married. Damon and Teri subsequently moved to Los Angeles with Mandel, whom they adopted.

References