Chris Warner
Affectionately referred to by fans and the media as "Dr. Love", Chris made his first appearance in the show's first episode by having an affair with his aerobics instructor. This was an infamous and controversial scene. Portrayed as spoiled and from a wealthy family that inherited the hospital that was founded by his father, the character of Chris was characterised by his patronising and illicit manner; contrasted in a 1994 storyline where he became addicted to morphine. Known primarily for romance storyliness, Chris has been married five times and participated in over 20 romances as well as fathering six children. Chris was the first member of the Warner family to join the show and he was joined by half brother Guy Warner (Craig Parker). In later years, Chris became the patriarch of a family unit made up of his sons Harry (Reid Walker) and Phoenix (Geordie Holibar). Chris has been involved in several high profile and highly rated storylines; including a 1994 car crash, nearly getting murdered by his brother in law Dominic Thompson (Shane Cortese), losing his wife to his drug-addicted brother Guy, and ending up in jail after being framed for murder.
Chris Warner
Galvin described Chris as; "Highly successful in his professional life and not so successful in his personal life. He is generous and kind, but is also a snob. He always tries to learn from his mistakes but never does." However he also called Chris "positive" and noted Chris' high expectations. Galvin believed Chris' egotism and elitism lead him to look down on the world and have constant frustration. Galvin enjoyed Chris' faults, ("he's vain, he's a snob, to name two of many") as "they're the most fun to play". Throughout 1993 and 1994, Chris' characterisation was seen to be a lot more arrogant and bitter in a purposeful attempt to flip the character around in a drug addiction storyline, that would see Chris weak and vulnerable. Galvin found that throughout the period of portraying Chris, he started to morph the character into his own characteristics, "whenever you play any role there should be as much of yourself in it as possible: you should use the role as a form of self-discovery. Rather than trying to escape yourself and going, “How do people like this behave?”, try to think instead: well, what would I do if I was that person?" Throughout the characters duration, Chris slowly began to mature and Galvin noted, "less flakey". At the start of 2002, Chris' arrogant personality struck a chord with many of his co workers, Galvin explained, "Chris Warner's a charming guy. He's had a privileged upbringing, enjoys a great career and definitely likes to think of himself as a bit of a lady-killer! Good things just seem to come his way, which can make him seem a bit cocky really. So it's great he's having a tough time. It makes him more real! Especially on the professional front. He cares a great deal for his work. It's one of his greatest passions, so when this comes under threat, you see this real vulnerability. Take Chris' work away, and what's he left with? Also, Chris is about to go through the painful discovery of who his friends really are. He's definitely in dangerous territory!" Following the 2012 storyline where he was imprisoned, Chris underwent a major personality change, Galvin commented: "Chris' social awareness was raised by his time in prison and, more specifically, by his friendship with Gus (Joe Folau) ... Having lived most his life believing he was somehow different to people like Gus, he has realised he's no better."