Claudia Blaisdel Carrington is a fictional character from the ABC prime time soap opera Dynasty, created by Richard and Esther Shapiro.

Originated by Pamela Bellwood in the series' 1981 pilot episode, "Oil", Claudia is initially the estranged, emotionally troubled wife of Denver–Carrington geologist Matthew Blaisdel (Bo Hopkins).

Pamela Bellwood began playing Claudia Blaisdel in the Dynasty premiere episode, "Oil", on January 12, 1981.

As Dynasty begins in 1981, Matthew Blaisdel returns to Denver from a long-term assignment in the Middle East to discover that his wife Claudia has been released from the sanitarium where she had been living since her breakdown in 1979.

"[6] When Claudia wakes in the hospital in the season two premiere "Enter Alexis," she learns that Matthew has taken Lindsay and left the country.

As 1982 begins, Claudia is well enough to leave the Carrington mansion, moving into her own apartment and taking a job working for Blake's company, Denver-Carrington.

When he asks for information that she is unable to access, Cecil suggests that she sleep with his nephew Jeff Colby and make a copy of his key.

In "The Gun," Claudia intercepts a Telex relating that Matthew's crashed jeep had been found in South America with "no signs of life."

Later, however, she hears the infant son of Jeff Colby and Blake's daughter Fallon crying; picking up the child, she calls him "Lindsay."

She rents an apartment, cradling a baby she calls "Lindsay," but the landlady soon recognizes her from television reports and the police arrive.

Cornered on the roof, a confused and unstable Claudia refuses the pleas of the Carringtons to give back the baby she thinks is her daughter.

In the October 20, 1982, episode "The Wedding," Jeff and Fallon's son is recovered from the real kidnapper, and Claudia returns to the sanitarium.

She and Steven visit the crash site in South America and view the wreckage of Matthew and Lindsay's car to convince Claudia that they are truly dead.

Blake later figures out that the buyer was Morgan Hess, a private investigator with ties to his ex-wife (and Steven's mother) Alexis Colby.

Amanda Carrington invites Claudia to her wedding to Prince Michael of Moldavia, which she attends despite the conflicts with Blake and Steven.

In "The Proposal," Claudia is informed of the death of Matthew's former business partner, Walter Lankershim, and inherits his oil well Lankershim-Blaisdel 1 (from the first season).

Dreaming of financial independence, a furious Claudia blackmails Adam into using his ill-gotten power of attorney over Blake’s affairs to turn the well over to her.

So, when I was watching the original Dynasty pilot, there's this oil rigging accident Blake sets up in order to tank the price so he can swoop in and buy it out from under his competitor.

In our version, it made dramatic (and soapy) sense to have Matthew injured in the accident, sending his wife, Claudia, to the Carringtons' doorstep to give Cristal the news that her new husband may have killed her ex-lover.

[18] Delia Harrington of Den of Geek called the story "the cleanest way to wrap up Matthew's murder, but also like a bit of a misuse of someone who could have caused more thorny problems for the Carringtons.

In the premiere episode "I Hardly Recognized You", Claudia is married to Matthew Blaisdel and recovering from a car accident, in which she suffered a head injury that has left her with memory loss.

Blake and Cristal visit Claudia, writing her a large check to ease her worries and offering to pay for the funeral.

Sam sees a pregnant Claudia in his wedding photos to Steven Carrington in "A Real Instinct for the Jugular", and Alexis makes the connection that she is Little Blake's mother.

In "Crazy Lady", Claudia hides out in a hotel with baby Matthew, but a televised plea by Blake and Alexis leads the authorities to her.

Claudia admits to killing Blake's late wife Cristal, and then trips and accidentally tosses the baby off the building.

On parole and working with inmates as a corrections counselor, she denies any involvement, but when Sam leaves she calls someone to report that all the Carringtons will be in the same place for Alexis's wedding to Dex Dexter.

Blake, Cristal and Sam are rattled when Claudia appears at the event, but she only has good wishes and an innocuous gift for Alexis.