Fox Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions and was portrayed by Justin Hartley from December 16, 2002 to February 10, 2006, and Midland lead singer Mark Cameron Wystrach from February 14, 2006, to September 7, 2007. Actor Nick Stabile took over the role temporarily following the 2004 Summer Olympic Games (which preempted Passions for two weeks), while Hartley's wife, fellow Passions star Lindsay Hartley was on maternity leave. Fox, as played by Hartley, was a fan favorite among Passions viewers. In the show, Fox becomes infatuated with Whitney Russell; he plots to woo Whitney away from her boyfriend, Chad, but eventually decides to respect her wishes and ends his attempts. He then engages in a brief relationship with his half-brother's ex-fiancé, Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, played by Hartley's real-life wife, Lindsay Hartley. Though their pairing lasts fewer than six months, Soap Opera Digest readers continued to vote Fox and Theresa as their favorite Passions couple until Justin Hartley left the role in 2006. After breaking up with Theresa, Fox resumes his pursuit of Whitney, who breaks up with Chad when it is falsely revealed that the two are half-siblings. Their romantic progress is hindered by the fact that Whitney is secretly pregnant with Chad's child and trying to pass the baby off as Fox's; when she uses Fox's power of attorney to give "their" son up for adoption, Fox and Whitney's relationship essentially comes to an end. Miles's true paternity is eventually revealed, and Fox moves on with Kay Bennett. Fox is deeply in love with Kay and cares deeply for her toddler daughter, Maria, and Fox and Kay become engaged. However, the return of Maria's father, Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald, eventually leads Kay to realize that her heart lies with Miguel and not Fox. In a desperate attempt to keep Kay, Fox enlists his father's help to fake a terminal illness in order to guilt Kay into marrying him and staying with him. Kay eventually discovers his duplicity, however, and leaves him. After breaking up with Kay, Fox begins a relationship with his sister's best friend, Esme Vanderheusen. The two believe that they have found true love when Fox is shot and killed in his bedroom by an unseen sniper on September 17, 2007; the murderer is eventually revealed to be Esme's fifteen-year-old niece, Viki. Character history Early life Nicholas Foxworth Crane was born sometime between late 1980