Caleb Nichol

Caleb Nichol is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Alan Dale during the show's first and second seasons.

Background
Caleb Nichol is loosely based on Donald Bren, owner and Chairman of the Irvine Company, based in Newport Beach, California. Like Bren, Nichol is one of Orange County, California's most powerful businessmen, fathered a child out of wedlock, and marries a much younger woman.

Season 1
In the first season, Caleb Nichol is introduced as one of the wealthiest people in Newport (once even referred to as the "Donald Trump of the West Coast"). Through his real estate firm, The Newport Group, Caleb also owns a large amount of properties throughout Newport Beach and was portrayed as a very suave businessman who was known for his dishonest business dealings and practices. Caleb was also known to be very controlling, manipulative, and deviant, with this being shown through his treatment of his eldest daughter, Kirsten Cohen, who also worked for him. Kirsten found it increasingly hard to please him and earn his approval, or by the way he judged, and attempted to dominate the lives of everyone around him to fit his needs in a very contemptuous way. He did appear however to genuinely care for his children and was something of a prominent social figure. According to Kirsten, he has a very strong disliking for cilantro. In "The Girlfriend", the episode where Caleb first appears, Seth tells Ryan that like him(Ryan], his grandfather comes from a very humble upbringing. His relationship with his son-in-law, Sandy Cohen, was mixed, being particularly bad and resentful during season one to being somewhat of a mutual understanding in season two when Sandy helped Caleb with his legal troubles. At the end of the season, Caleb married Julie Cooper in an uneventful ceremony. Many suspected the union was for social and financial gain for both parties concerned, and proved to be a troubled marriage.

Season 2
In season two, Caleb's character was promoted to series regular. With the Newport Group in deep financial debt, which began towards the end of Season 1, a long kept secret of an illegitimate child, Lindsay Gardner, came back to haunt him. He attempted to build a relationship with her at the start and at one point was intent on adopting her, but this relationship collapsed when he caved into Julie's demands for a blood test. The blood test confirmed Lindsay was Caleb's daughter, but Lindsay left with her mother shortly after. Caleb also developed a heart condition throughout season two as well, after having a confrontation with Ryan Atwood about Ryan's interference with his relationship with Lindsay. Later he had a heart attack and slipped into the pool and died. His funeral was the biggest in the 4 years of the O.C., with every resident attending & giving speeches.

Season 3
Despite Caleb's status in both the corporate and social world of Newport, it was later revealed that he was bankrupt, with massive company debts in the Newport Group and high interest loans and mortgages. Caleb left both Julie and Kirsten with no money, though he had intended in his will to divide his fortune and assets equally between them. In season 3, it is revealed that Caleb took Julie's suggestion of writing Kirsten an apology letter which is given to her at the reading of his will. In The Chrismukkah Bar-Mitzvahkkah when Seth is watching a video tape of his Bar Mitzvah when he was 13, Caleb's voice is briefly heard on the tape.