Olivia Falconeri grew up in Bensonhurst and was involved with Sonny Corinthos as a teenager. She became pregnant with Sonny's child but did not tell him. Clueless that Olivia was pregnant with his child, Sonny moved on and pursued her cousin Connie Falconeri. Olivia gave birth to a son, Dante Falconeri, and told her relatives and friends that his father could be any one of three or four men that she had been sleeping with at the time. Connie knew the truth about Dante's paternity but kept the secret even as she left Bensonhurst, Sonny, and her family, and the started a new life as Kate Howard, Editor-In-Chief of a successful fashion magazine.

Olivia and Connie became estranged because of Connie's decision to leave her family and create a new life, but Olivia kept up with Connie's accomplishments as Kate Howard.

In 2008, everything came full circle when Olivia ran into Sonny at a bar, and he informed Olivia that he was marrying Kate. Sonny invited Olivia to go to Port Charles and be Kate's maid-of-honor. Kate made it down the aisle to Sonny, only to be shot at the altar. Olivia was heartsick as she tended to her wounded cousin and waited for an ambulance to take Kate to General Hospital. Olivia made all the medical decisions regarding Kate's care, and she remained in Port Charles to care for Kate.

After Kate recovered, Olivia decided to remain in Port Charles, and she took a job working for Jasper Jacks as operations manager at the Metro Court Hotel. All the while, Kate urged Olivia to finally come clean with Sonny and tell him that she had given birth to his son all those years before, but Olivia refused.

Olivia had no idea that her past and present would collide until her son, Dante, arrived in 2009 on an undercover assignment, using the alias Dominic Pirelli, and infiltrating the Corinthos crime family. Olivia begged him to get transferred, but he refused. For months, she watched Dante interact with his father and the family that her son didn't know he had. Meanwhile, Kate's life had begun to spiral as well because she had developed a crass alter personality who called herself Connie Falconeri and enjoyed finding trouble. Everyone assumed that Kate had simply dropped her pretense of being a socialite.

During this period, Olivia became involved with Johnny Zacchara, much to the dismay of both Sonny and his new wife, Claudia Zacchara, who was Johnny's sister. When Claudia learned Dominic's real identity, she attempted to use the information to break Olivia and Johnny up for good. Claudia's best efforts failed, and Olivia and Johnny remained together.

Despite all of Olivia's attempts to keep Dante's identity and paternity hidden, her secret was revealed on the day of Josslyn Jacks' christening, January 29, 2010. Dante had been ready to serve an arrest warrant for murder, but he held off so Sonny could spend a bit more time with his family. Before the christening, Sonny learned that "Dominic" was an undercover cop, so he was prepared when he asked "Dominic" to meet him. Dante arrived at Sonny's home, and Sonny shot Dante point-blank in the chest.

When Dante was a no-show at the christening, Olivia panicked. She immediately went to Sonny's house and heard a gunshot as she entered. When she entered the living room, she saw Dante lying on the floor. Horrified, she screamed at Sonny that he had shot his own son. Olivia was beside herself with rage and grief as Sonny stared in disbelief at his dying son.

Dante recovered, but his relationship with his mother soured as he came to terms with his mother's lies about his paternity. In time, Dante understood why Olivia had protected him from Sonny, and he let go of some of his anger. Sonny, on the other hand, thought things might have turned out differently if Olivia had told him the truth, and he blamed her for his inability to form a relationship with his son. Olivia vehemently defended her decision to lie to spare Dante from growing up in the mob.

When Olivia took the stand at Sonny's trial, Sonny was fully prepared for her to implicate him in Claudia's murder, but Olivia said nothing to incriminate him. After Dante revealed that it was Michael Corinthos III who had killed Claudia to stop Claudia from kidnapping his newborn sister, Josslyn, Michael was sent to prison. Olivia was frantic with worry that Sonny or Sonny's enforcer Jason Morgan would kill her son for his betrayal, and she begged them not to harm her son.

Johnny made plans to buy a penthouse, so he asked Olivia to move in with him. Although she loved him, Olivia didn't think it was a good idea. Olivia was livid when Johnny started dating Sonny's teenage daughter Kristina Davis-Corinthos, but it had just been for show. Kristina had been angry at her father, and Johnny knew the relationship would incite Sonny. It was obvious to Olivia that Johnny loved his vendetta against Sonny more than he loved her. Johnny tried to win Olivia back, to no avail.

In August 2010, Johnny was shot during a confrontation with Sonny, Olivia begged Johnny to live so she could tell him how much she loved him. Olivia knew Johnny wanted to frame Sonny for the shooting, and she implored him to tell the truth that Sonny shot him in self-defense. Johnny did, and when he recovered, Johnny and Olivia decided to give their relationship another chance.

One night, Olivia opened the door to Johnny's penthouse, and she found him with Dr. Lisa Niles. Lisa was illegally treating Johnny for a gunshot wound. Lisa and Johnny tried to cover it up by implying they were lovers, and Olivia pretended to go along. After Lisa left, Olivia berated Johnny for thinking she wasn't smart enough to figure out he'd been shot and for not trusting her. She wondered why he tried so hard to hurt her. Johnny claimed that he wanted to give Olivia a reason to walk away from him and the violence. Olivia warned Johnny that he wouldn't live long enough to see how good they could have been. She returned her keys and left.

By January 2011, Olivia had started dating Steve Webber. Their relationship deepened after Olivia was critically injured in a bus crash. Olivia was one of the last victims to be found, and she suffered from severe internal injuries. Steve stayed with her until help arrived, and they grew closer while he monitored her recovery at General Hospital.

Olivia and Steve became lovers and she accompanied him to a private party on a chartered boat with a few of Steve's friends from the hospital. At some point during the night, Lisa Niles boarded the boat and had several run-ins with the guests and crew. By the time the police arrived, Lisa had disappeared, but her body turned up, and an investigation was launched into her murder. Both Steve and Olivia were questioned about their time on the boat, but the case was closed when the killer -- a fellow doctor -- confessed to the crime.

Olivia's relationship with Steve was in a good place, and she turned her focus to helping Dante navigate his relationship with Lulu Spencer. Olivia encouraged her son to follow his heart with Lulu, and she helped him plan his proposal. Before Lulu had a chance to respond to the proposal, Dante was shot at Sonny's warehouse and Lulu and Olivia feared for his life. Dante pulled through and Olivia credited Lulu with giving her son a reason to live by accepting his proposal.

After Dante's shooting, the war between Johnny and Sonny escalated and Olivia tried to mediate between the two warring parties. She sensed that Sonny was heading down a path of destruction and she asked her cousin Kate to reach out to Sonny before he went too far. Kate. Shortly afterwards, Kate and Sonny reconciled.

The news of Dante and Lulu's engagement became public knowledge, although Lulu was hesitant to make any plans for the wedding. Instead, Dante and Lulu decided to throw together an impromptu wedding in Bensonhurst over Christmas 2011. Olivia was thrilled about the nuptials, and she arranged a private ceremony for the couple with Dante's cousin officiating the wedding. Although she had promised to keep the ceremony private, she opened the church doors as Dante and Lulu were pronounced man and wife, and the Falconeri family flooded in.

Once Dante's relationship with Lulu was solidified, Olivia focused on her relationship with Steve and the issue of Maggie Wurth, his ex-girlfriend from Memphis. Maggie and Steve had been involved when they worked at the hospital together in Memphis, and Maggie had taken a position at General Hospital a few months prior to Steve. Maggie openly flirted with Steve in front of Olivia, and she often found reasons to be with Steve at work. Olivia warned Maggie to stay away from Steve although he maintained that Maggie was his past and that Olivia was the only one that he wanted to be with.

Olivia was concerned about Maggie's intentions, and Johnny played into Olivia's doubts by suggesting that Steve was not as perfect as Olivia believed him to be. Olivia confronted Steve about Johnny's comments and his relationship with Maggie. When Steve realized that he could lose Olivia, he confessed that he and Maggie had intentionally killed one patient to save another in Memphis. The patient had been a prison inmate, and his heart had been a match for a young patient of Maggie's in need of a transplant. Somehow Johnny learned what Steve had done, and he'd been holding the information over Steve. Although Olivia was horrified by what Steve had done, she vowed to help Steve get out from under Johnny's power.

In early 2012, Steve reconnected with his mother Heather Webber. The two women were introduced, and Steve asked Olivia to give his mother a chance. Heather disapproved of Olivia and warned her to stay away from Steve. Olivia doubted Heather's mental stability, and she encouraged Steve to keep a close watch over his mother since Heather had been released into his care.

After Steve was arrested for the death of the patient in Memphis, the task of keeping an eye on Heather quickly fell to Olivia. Both women were relieved when the charges against Steve were dropped after Maggie confessed to the crime via a suicide note, but they continued to battle one another for Steve's attention. As time passed, Olivia grew more frustrated with Heather's comments and antics, and she caught Heather in a lie regarding her whereabouts during a severe storm. Olivia realized that Heather had been hiding something, so Olivia hired private investigator Damien Spinelli to uncover Heather's secrets.

Meanwhile, Olivia learned why she and her cousin Kate had often bickered. Kate admitted that she suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and that some of the heated encounters that Olivia had shared with her cousin had actually occurred with Kate's alternate personality "Connie." Olivia stood by her cousin, and she was saddened when she learned that Kate's DID had been triggered when Kate had been a victim of rape as a teenager, and she had secretly given birth to a son that she had abandoned.

As Kate and Olivia repaired their relationship, Olivia's relationship with Steve continued to be strained by Heather's presence. The distance between them widened when Heather realized that Olivia had hired someone to investigate Heather. Olivia admitted that it was true, and she was angered when Steve sided with his mother and admonished Olivia for her actions. Olivia tried to support Steve's belief in his mother, but Olivia was unable to shake her doubts about Heather. In time, Steve ended things with Olivia.

Olivia suspicions about Heather were confirmed when Olivia saw a known forger leaving Steve's apartment. On July 23, Olivia caught Heather posing as maid inside police commissioner Anna Devane's hotel suite at Metro Court. Olivia confronted Heather and warned her that the police were onto her. While Olivia tried to contain Heather until the police arrived, Heather injected Olivia with a syringe of LSD.

The LSD caused Olivia to experience premonition like visions, and she and Steve worried that Olivia would never make a full recovery. Her visions gained notoriety after several events that she had "foreseen" transpired with eerie accuracy.

Despite Olivia's "gift," Steve was able to surprise her on January 4, 2013 when he proposed marriage to her. Olivia happily accepted. Shortly after the engagement, Heather escaped the authorities, and she tried to attack Olivia with a butcher knife. During the attack, Steve arrived and protected Olivia. Steve was seriously injured, and he required surgery.

After Steve recovered, Olivia made plans to get married right away. She arranged for a small ceremony to take place in his hospital room, but the wedding never took place. Just as the nuptials began, the Memphis police arrived and placed Steve under arrest for the murder of his former patient because Maggie's suicide had been a forgery. Steve chose not to fight the charges, and he was taken to Memphis to carry out his prison sentence. Olivia was crushed by Steve's decision, so she ended their engagement.

While Olivia nursed her broken heart, she looked forward to the arrival of her first grandchild, and she bonded with her newly integrated cousin who decided to go by the name Connie. One night while the women enjoyed a night out at the Metro Court, Olivia had a vision that Sonny was about to be shot by Franco, the infamous serial killer and famed artist. As Olivia tried to warn Sonny, she walked into the path of the bullet and was shot in the chest. The shot was fired by Ava Jerome and her intended target had been Franco.

Olivia survived the gunshot, and she took up Sonny's offer to recover at his home. While Olivia resided with Sonny, they grew close and their relationship turned romantic. Just as they gave into their passion, Connie interrupted and announced that she wanted Sonny back. Olivia quietly excused herself from the situation and wished them well. Later she admitted to Dante and Lulu that although she had not slept with Sonny, Sonny and Connie had broken her heart.

Shortly after Sonny and Connie reunited, their romance was tested when Connie went against Sonny's wishes and ran a newspaper article which would impact Sonny's relationship with two of his children. Sonny sought advice from Olivia, and she admitted her regret over not fighting for what she and Sonny could have had together. Before they could sort out their feelings, Olivia received word that Maxie Jones was about to deliver Dante and Lulu's child.

As Olivia and Sonny rushed to the hospital to meet their granddaughter, Connie was murdered in her office at Crimson. Olivia was devastated over the loss of her cousin, but she put her own grief aside to help care for Sonny. His mental health had declined in the days that followed had Connie's death, and Olivia had helped pull him through. She encouraged Sonny to focus on the people he still had in his life, including their new granddaughter who had been named in honor of Connie. However, Sonny and Olivia were dealt another blow when they learned that Dante and Lulu's daughter was actually the biological child of Maxie and Damien Spinelli. Maxie had miscarried the Dante and Lulu's embryo.

Olivia continued to offer friendship to Sonny, and she pushed him to reveal the details regarding the latest threat to his business. She became his confidante and his lover. As the relationship between Olivia and Sonny deepened, they became grandparents together after Dante and Lulu were revealed to be the biological parents of Britt Westbourne's son in April 2014. Britt had stolen one of the couples frozen embryos to manipulate Dr. Patrick Drake into marrying her.

Shortly after, Olivia sensed that Sonny was hiding something. Olivia remained concerned for Sonny until she learned that he had slept with Ava Jerome -- and possibly fathered her unborn child. Olivia ended their relationship, and she was stunned when Sonny claimed he wanted to be with her even though Ava had moved into his home.

As Olivia worked to forget Sonny, she developed a friendship with Ned Ashton. Over time, Olivia's feelings for her new friend turned romantic even though Ned was involved with Alexis Davis. Olivia thought that she was the better match for Ned and believed that Alexis was only seeing Ned to get over Julian Jerome. Olivia decided to be honest about her feelings for Ned, but Ned decided to stay with Alexis.

On New Year's Eve 2014, both Olivia and Julian found themselves in a bad place. Both were hurting, so when the clock struck midnight, and revelers began to ring in the New Year at Metro Court Restaurant, they decided to join in. "This never happened," Olivia warned Julian. "Never," he agreed just before he kissed her passionately. Ned has seen the celebratory kiss, so he pulled Olivia aside to demand why she had been kissing "scum" like Julian. Nearby, Alexis berated Julian for being childish by trying to make her jealous.

The following morning, Olivia was startled when she woke up naked next to Julian. She grabbed the sheet then jumped out of bed making the sign of the cross as she rebuked herself for sleeping with Julian. Julian reminded Olivia that she had been a willing participant, and that they both had been trying to forget that Alexis and Ned had spent the night together. Olivia insisted that the attraction had been one-sided, but Julian knew it was a lie. As Olivia gathered her things to change in her office, Ned and Alexis caught her trying to slink out of Julian's hotel room.

Ned accused Julian of taking advantage of Olivia, but she assured Ned that she had been in control of her faculties and a consenting adult. Later, Olivia told Julian that she had no intention to playing his games by making Ned and Alexis jealous, but Olivia's night with Julian returned to haunt her when she discovered that she was pregnant. Olivia panicked because she didn't want Julian to be a part of her unborn child's life. Julian was a mobster who had continually antagonized Sonny.

Eventually, Olivia confided the truth to Ned, and he was prepared to raise the child as his own. On the night of the Nurses Ball, Sam Morgan overheard Ned and Olivia talking about the baby and Julian. Sam told her father, and Julian made it clear that he intended to assert his rights as a father. Just then, Olivia went into labor. Julian thought it was a ruse to get out of dealing with him, but Olivia's water broke. Dr. Patrick Drake was forced to set up a birthing area as Olivia ordered that Julian not be present for the birth of the baby.

Julian was forced to wait nearby, while Patrick, Ned, and Sam helped Olivia deliver a baby boy. Olivia's joy turned to concern when the baby didn't cry. Olivia and the baby were rushed to the hospital. The baby had been born prematurely, and his lungs had been underdeveloped, which Olivia believed had been her punishment for lying to Julian. Once the baby boy had been stabilized, he was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit. Olivia broke the news to Dante about the baby's paternity, and that Ned had stepped up from the beginning to help her protect her son from Julian's violent lifestyle.

Dante had supported his mother's decision because Duke Lavery had been murdered the previous evening in a mob hit. Olivia asked Dante to help her and the baby disappear because she didn't want her baby to get swept up in Julian's war with Sonny. Dante wondered if his mother was truly prepared to leave him and his son behind, so Olivia explained that she would lay low with her friend Melissa in Bensonhurst. In the end, Dr. Liesl Obrecht helped Ned and Olivia fake the infant's death from sepsis. Ned arranged for the child to be moved to another hospital then left town on the pretext of attending to urgent L&B business. Olivia joined Ned and the baby a few days later when she left town to "mourn" her loss.

On August 17, Olivia returned to Port Charles without her baby. She visited Dante, and she gushed that she couldn't wait for Rocco to meet his "Uncle Leonardo." She revealed that Leo was hiding out with Ned and his daughter, Brook Lynn. By then, Julian had reportedly left the mob, but Dante conceded that he couldn't be certain if it was true. Shortly afterwards, Sonny was shot, and suspicion fell on Julian when Olivia had encountered him near the scene of the crime. However, Ava later cleared her brother of any wrongdoing and involvement with the mob.

On October 8, Olivia confided to Dante that his baby brother was with the nanny in Olivia's hotel suite. Olivia had decided to introduce her son as an infant that she had recently adopted. Unfortunately for Olivia, all of her lies to keep Julian away from Leo had cost her Ned because he didn't like his daughter being dragged into it, and he wasn't comfortable starting a family with Olivia under a "cloud of lies." Olivia was crushed, but her lies had been in vain because a DNA test had confirmed that Leo Falconeri was Julian's biological son. In the end, Olivia and Julian agreed to share custody.

Olivia put her animosity towards Julian aside, and she invited him to take annual family portraits with her and their son wearing matching outfits. Julian humored Olivia to be a part of his son's life, and in time they had reached a friendly truce. Things between Olivia and Ned also improved, and by 2016 they were once again dating. Trouble kept find Julian, especially when his marriage to Alexis began to crumble, so Ned had remained the one constant in Leo's life besides Olivia.

In October 2016, lives were rocked when Morgan Corinthos was killed in a car explosion. The car had belonged to Julian, and the bomb had been intended to kill him, but Morgan had stolen the vehicle in a manic episode trigger by his bipolar disorder. Olivia was at her son's side as Dante grieved for his brother, and she was supportive of Sonny and Carly as they tried to make peace with the tragedy.

On March 29, 2017, Ned proposed marriage to Olivia, but she had reservations because he'd been divorced several times. Just then, two masked gunmen stormed the Floating Rib and forced the patrons to surrender their valuables. Olivia balked at giving up her phone because her son was with a sitter, but the gunman was unmoved. Olivia reluctantly dropped the phone then her jewelry into the bag, but she refused to hand over the engagement ring because it had been a gift to Lila Quartermaine from her husband Edward. The gunman decided to count down to five, but Ned sprang into action before the gunman pulled the trigger.

Seconds later, police commissioner Jordan Ashford shot the gunman. After the ordeal, Olivia yelled at Ned for risking his life. After Olivia calmed down, she asked Ned to marry her, and he accepted. Olivia also wanted Ned to adopt her son because Julian had always been an unstable presence in Leo's life.

On May 3, Ned made a fateful decision when he filed a petition to legally change his name to "Edward Lawrence Quartermaine." Ned had had a falling out with his father Larry Ashton who had tried to pull an elaborate con on Tracy Quartermaine. Olivia assured Ned that she would not object to being Mrs. Quartermaine. On July 7, Ned and Olivia were married, but the wedding was not without drama.

The previous evening Olivia had gotten carried away during her bachelorette party, and she had ended up in jail. The scandal appeared in the newspaper the following morning, but Ned didn't care. He loved Olivia, and he wanted to marry her. Later that evening, Ned and Olivia enjoyed a firework show with their guests. Shortly afterwards, Ned decided to run for mayor in a special race. Laura Webber Collins had been his opponent, but a family emergency had forced her to step down, and Ned was elected.

Olivia focused on raising her son and being the mayor's wife. They lived at the Quartermaine mansion with Monica, and Olivia often butted heads with Cook II until one day Olivia lured the temperamental cook to accept a job as chef at the Metro Court Restaurant. Olivia was delighted to take over the cooking duties for the family, and she loved decorating the mansion for the holidays.

In time, Julian had pulled his life together, and Olivia agreed to let Julian have limited access to his son. However, Ned and Olivia remained Leo's primary caregivers, and they made certain that Julian's visits were supervised.

In March 2018, an earthquake rocked Port Charles. It was later determined that a man named Jim Harvey, who had been in business with Ned working on a revitalization project for the Charles Street district, had been illegally fracking, which had triggered the earthquake. The scandal cost Ned the reelection, and Laura Webber Collins was elected mayor.

In April 2019, the Quartermaines gathered around one of their own when Oscar Nero, Drew Cain's teenage son, had reached the final days of his battle with an inoperable brain tumor. Oscar and his parents had moved into the Quartermaine mansion, and Olivia showered Oscar with attention -- and food. Oscar pulled Olivia and Ned aside to ask them to help him plan his memorial. He trusted Olivia and Ned to honor his wishes.

After Oscar peacefully passed away in his sleep, Olivia and Ned assembled everyone in the park as Oscar had requested. They also announced that a portion of the park had been renamed "Oscar's Meadow." Olivia handed out wildflower seeds, and mourners tossed them into the field. That summer, the field was filled with wildflowers.