Like sands through the hourglass…”Days of Our Lives” (DOOL) first hit the airwaves on November 8, 1965, and for the past nearly six decades, the show’s cast has been bringing all the daytime drama that soap opera fans yearn for.
Whether captivated by the possession and subsequent exorcism of Marlena, the switched identities of Roman Brady and John Black, or any of the other wacky and inane plot twists, DOOL fans know that this show just may be their guiltiest pleasure.
Let’s take a look at some of the more noteworthy “Days of Our Lives” cast members over the years and find out some interesting facts about their characters.
Dr. Marlena Evans
Deidre Hall plays psychiatrist Dr. Marlena Evans, and it’s a role she’s held off and on since 1976. Some other fun facts include the fact that she’s been married to John Black six times, and she was possessed by a demon spirit and levitated at one point.
Victor Kiriakis
Victor Kiriakis was played by John Aniston (aka Jennifer Aniston’s dad). He was on the show from 1985-1997 and 1999-2022. On the show, he faked his own death, and he was married to Maggie Horton at one point. Upon his real-life passing in November 2022, he was written out of the show as having died in a plane crash.
Doug Williams
Doug Williams was played by Bill Hayes and appeared on the show from 1970 to 2023. On the show, he was married (three times!) to character Julie Williams, who was played by Hayes’s real-life wife, Susan Seaforth Hayes. Bill Hayes died in January 2024 at the age of 98.
Julie Williams
Julie Williams was played by Susan Seaforth Hayes, who is the only actor to appear on the show for all seven decades it’s been on. She was married to Doug Williams, who was played by her real-life husband, Bill Hayes.
Tom Horton
Tom Horton was played by Macdonald Carey, who appeared on the show from 1965 to 1994, when he died of lung cancer. Carey voiced the iconic line at the opening sequence: “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.”
Alice Horton
Alice Horton, who was married to Tom Horton (above), was played by Frances Reid. Reid is on the list of longest-serving soap opera actors in the U.S. (ranked #5 at the time of her passing in 2010 at age 95). Tom and Alice had five children: Tommy, Addie, Bill, Mickey and Marie.
Maggie Horton
Maggie Horton was played by actor and former Rockette, Suzanne Rogers. She’s been on the show since 1973 and is listed as the “longest-serving actress still appearing actively on an American soap opera.” Rogers was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, an autoimmune disease, in real life, which was then written into the show.
Stefano DiMera
Stefano DiMera was played by Joseph Mascolo, who appeared on the show 1982 to 1985, 1988, 1993 to 2001, and 2007 to 2016. Stefano “died” an estimated 13 times during his time on Days. In real life, Mascolo passed away from Alzheimer’s disease complications in 2016 at the age of 87.
Jennifer Horton Deveraux
Melissa Reeves is one of five actors who have played Jennifer Horton Deveraux over the years. Melissa appeared 1985–1995, 2000–2006 and 2010–2022. In addition to “Days,” Melissa also appeared on popular soap opera “Santa Barbara.”
Caroline Brady
Caroline Brady was played by Peggy McCay, and she appeared on the show from 1983 to 2016. She was married to Shawn Brady, and she was mother of Roman, Kimberly, and Kayla (with Shawn), two adopted children Frankie and Max, and Bo Brady, who was born from an affair with Victor Kiriakis. McCay passed in 2018 at age 90.
Hope Williams Brady
Hope Brady is played by Kristian Alfonso, who joined the show in 1983. Hope has a long and storied romance with Bo Brady, and she has three children — Shawn Douglas, Ciara and Zack, who tragically passed away when he was run over by Bo Brady’s vehicle. In addition to being a wife and mother, Hope was also a police officer.
Bo Brady
Bo Brady was played by Peter Reckell, and he first appeared on the show in 1983. The son of Caroline Brady and Victor Kiriakis, Bo has two children with Hope Brady: Shawn Douglas and Zack, who tragically passed away when he was run over by his father’s vehicle.
Sami Brady
Sassy Sammy Brady was played by Alison Sweeney, who first appeared on the show in 1993. The daughter of Roman Brady and Dr. Marlena Evans, Sammy has had relationships with Austin Reed, Lucas Horton and E.J. DiMera.
John Black & Roman Brady
Actor Drake Hogestyn played both the John Black and Roman Brady characters. He was originally Roman Brady until he was brainwashed into being John Black, who first appeared in 1986.He has a long-standing relationship with Dr. Marlena Evans, whom he affectionately calls “Doc,” and he has been a private investigator and CEO of Basic Black, the fashion company from which he was accused of embezzling funds and for which he was later arrested.
Roman Brady
The original Roman Brady was played by Wayne Northrop (pictured), and the character was later played by Josh Taylor and Drake Hogestyn. Roman first appeared on “Days” in 1981. He’s the son of Shawn and Caroline Brady and was a Salem police officer.
Kristen DiMera
Kristen DiMera was originally played by Eileen Davidson. Kristen was orphaned and taken in by Stefano DiMera, and though was intended to marry Tony DiMera, Stefano’s son, she had relationships with John Black and Brady Black, with whom she had a child.
Steve “Patch” Johnson
Steve “Patch” Johnson, played by Stephen Nichols, first appeared in 1985. He wore a patch, for which he earned his nickname, to cover the loss of his eye, which happened in a fight with Bo Brady. Patch worked for Victory Kiriakis and had a long-time relationship with and marriage to Kayla Brady.
Kayla Brady
Kayla Brady, played by Mary Beth Evans, first appeared in 1982. She was married to Steve “Patch” Johnson and has two kids: Stephanie and Joey. She has worked in nursing and hospital administration, and she has experienced several bouts of amnesia and was deaf and mute for a time as a result of trauma caused by Jack Deveraux.
Billie Reed
Billie Reed was first played by Lisa Rinna and later by Krista Allen and Julie Pinson. Half-siblings with Austin Reed and Lucas Horton, Billie first appeared on the show in 1992. She had relationships with Bo Brady and Jack Deveraux, she also had a substance abuse problem early on. She got clean and went on to have jobs as a detective, head of security and CEO of Countess Wilhelmina cosmetics company.
Abe Carver
Abe Carver, played by James Reynolds, has the honor of being the “longest-running African American character in American soap opera history.” Abe first appeared in 1981, and he was married to Lexie Carver, until she died of cancer in 2012. Abe’s death was faked when he was taken to Melaswen, the replica of Salem (and “new Salem” spelled backward). He had two retinal transplants and received two corneas, which were donated when Zack Brady passed away.
Tony DiMera
Tony DiMera was played by Thaao Penghlis and is the son of Stefano DiMera. Tony first appeared on the show in 1981 and faked his own death in 1995. Though Tony died at Salem University Hospital, he was found alive in 2019 in Chicago.
Jack Deveraux
Played by Matthew Ashford, Jack Devereaux first appeared on the show in 1985. Though he was most notably romantically tied to Jennifer Horton (later Deveraux), Jack committed a crime against Kayla when he found out she’d had an affair during their marriage. Jack was a journalist, but he later suffered a nervous breakdown and checked into The Meadows, a mental health clinic, to get healthy.
Austin Reed
Austin Reed, first played by Patrick Muldoon (1992-1995, 2011-2012), was later played by Austin Peck (pictured) from 1995-2002. The character first appeared on the show in 1992 and though he was married to Sami Brady, he was in love with Carrie Brady. Eventually ended up with Carrie and their baby in Switzerland.
Justin Kiriakis
Justin Kiriakis, played by Wally Curth, first appeared on the show in 1987. He was married to Adrienne Johnson (twice) and Anjelica Deveraux, and Justin and Adrienne have three sons. Justin was a lawyer and a nephew of Victor Kiriakis. Fun fact: Kurth was also on “General Hospital.”
Shane Donovan
Charming Shane Donovan was played by Charles Shaughnessy, aka the husband of Kimberly Brady Donovan. Shane first appeared in 1984, and during his time in Salem, he had a bout of amnesia and spent some time in jail.
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