Lance Prentiss was the eldest son of Vanessa Prentiss. He had one brother, Lucas Prentiss, and was the father of Brooks Prentiss. In 1976, Lance was CEO of Prentiss Industries. In 1977, when Lance found himself intrigued by Leslie Brooks, Vanessa feared that she would lose her son to another woman. Leslie performed piano concerts and was surprised that a wealthy admirer, Lance, followed her from town to town faithfully attending every concert. Lance revealed to Leslie that he loved her. In a desperate attempt to forget Brad Elliot, Leslie had an affair with Lance. But when she realized that her heart still belonged to Brad, Leslie broke off the affair.