Days of Our Lives/Characters

As with any long-running soap opera, there's Loads and Loads of Characters, so this will try to only include fairly significant ones. In order to not make this a massive info dump, we've split it up into folders based on when the character first appeared on the show. For characters that were born on the show, they'll be included in the folder where they first became non-child recurring characters, and were actually teens or older and part of the plot.

1965-79
Alice Grayson Horton "Played by: Frances Reid (1965-2007)"

The matriarch of the Horton family (and, really, Salem in general), Alice and her portrayer Frances Reid was one of the few mainstays of the series, appearing from the premiere until Christmas 2007 when Reid became too ill to appear anymore. A wise and loving woman, her death in June 2010 (coinciding with that of Reid) was the end of an era both for Days and the soap opera world in general.

She left behind children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren...almost all of whom have been the recipient of some of her patented Horton advice-and-doughnuts at some point or another.


 * Back From the Dead: In 2004. The one in 2010 is going to stick, we think.
 * Cool Old Lady
 * Granny Classic
 * Incorruptible Pure Pureness
 * Killed Off for Real: Following the death of her performer, after 45 years.
 * Never Mess With Granny
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Not really her favorite, but Alice Horton is eternally connected to her doughnuts.

Dr. Thomas "Tom" Horton Sr. "Played by: MacDonald Carey (1965-94)

"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives...""

Alice's loving husband until his death in 1994, coinciding with Carey's. Essentially take everything that Alice was, make it male, and you have Tom. Infinitely wise, patient and paternal, Tom was the Chief of Staff of University Hospital where he was always on-hand to advise the younger doctors or anyone who happened to pass through the doors.


 * Killed Off for Real: In 1994.
 * The Patriarch

Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Horton Jr. "Played by: John Lupton (1967-72/1975-79/1980)"

Tom and Alice's eldest son. He began the series as missing and presumed dead from the Korean War, but eventually returned with amnesia. And really didn't do much of anything. And now he pretty much doesn't exist and everyone pretends Tom and Alice had four kids.


 * Back From the Dead: Upon his introduction in 1967.
 * Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: At one point in the 1970s, Tom went upstairs and didn't come back down for years. He also hasn't been seen or mentioned since about 1980, even when his parents died. Mickey was referred to as Tom and Alice's eldest son at Tom's funeral, when that was supposed to be Tommy.
 * Incest Is Relative: Basically Tommy's only story of note was coming back to Korea with amnesia and plastic surgery and hooking up with his sister Marie without knowing it was her.

Adelaide "Addie" Horton Olson/Williams "Played by: Patricia Huston (1965-66), Patricia Barry (1971-74)"

Tom and Alice's eldest daughter and Tommy's twin sister, she actually spent very little time on the show actually alive, and is primarily remembered nowadays as being the deceased mother of current characters Julie and Hope. And for having her younger daughter with her elder daughter's love interest.


 * Killed Off for Real: One of the few deaths not necessitated by that of the character's iconic performer which immediately stuck and has never been retconned. Yet.

Michael "Mickey" Horton Sr. "Played by: John Clarke (1965-2004), John Ingle (2004-06), Kevin Dobson (2008)"

Tom and Alice's middle son. Like Alice, Michael was on the show pretty much forever, and like Alice he was killed off in 2010. Mickey was an attorney and the golden boy and good son of the Hortons. Most famously and long-lastingly played by John Clarke, upon Clarke's retirement they had difficulty recasting him and finally just had him die offscreen so they could move his wife onto other stories and stop awkwardly pretending he was in the other room or away on business.

Though his first big pairing was with Laura, with whom he was in a decade-long triangle with his younger brother Bill, Mickey is far more famously known for his later pairing with Maggie, which lasted over three decades.


 * Absentee Actor: Though he stopped appearing regularly in 2006, Mickey was supposed to still live in Salem at his house with Maggie until his death.
 * The Artifact: Lasted until 2010, but never really had anything to do since the 1980s, minus little minor stories here and there. He would generally just be around for family events and to be everyone's lawyer should they need one.
 * Cain and Abel: When Mickey learned Bill was the biological father of his son Mike, Mickey went temporarily insane and tried to kill Bill.
 * The Dutiful Son: For the vast majority of Days, Mickey was the only Horton child in Salem and usually the good, stable, dependable one.
 * Killed Off for Real: Highly unlikely that he's coming back, since he died in such a normal way (heart attack) and since John Clarke is retired and no recasts have really worked out.
 * Sibling Rivalry: With Bill.
 * Super Couple: With Maggie.

Dr. William "Bill" Horton "Played by: Paul Carr (1965-66), Edward Mallory (1966-80/1991-92), Christopher Stone (1987-88/1994-95), John Martin (2010)"

Tom and Alice's youngest son. He began the series as a med student and grew to be a successful doctor, spending much of his career fighting AIDS in Africa, where he remains to this day. Bill has always been the troubled Horton son, and has a tendency to do things that on paper would make him sound like total Jerkass. But for the most part, he means well. Though he's only appeared in occasional guest spots since the 80s, Bill remains a prominent part of the landscape by being the father of Mike, Jennifer, and Lucas, all three of whom arguably went on to become more prominent Days characters than Bill himself.


 * Cain and Abel: When Mickey learned Bill was the biological father of his son Mike, Mickey went temporarily insane and tried to kill Bill.
 * Black Sheep: It just goes to show how perfect the Horton family is if a respected doctor and humanitarian is the family's black sheep. But in fairness, he is a douchebag.
 * The Bus Came Back: Has returned occasionally, usually for big events like weddings and funerals, and even then seldom. For a while this was because all of the actors who played Bill had died, but in 2010 with Alice's funeral they finally decided they couldn't not include Bill and after fifteen years finally recast him. He may make more appearances now.
 * Jerkass: Raped Mickey's wife, Laura, got her pregnant (Mike) and eventually stole her away from his brother and had another kid with her (Jennifer), only to cheat on her with Kate and conceive a childhood out of wedlock (Lucas), driving Laura insane and causing her to abandon infant Jennifer on a bus and get carted off to an asylum. Then, rather than take responsibility and raise his kids, he pawns Jennifer off on his parents, leaves poor Kate to become a prostitute to provide for her infant son and goes gallivanting around the world. Oh, and years later he stole his son's girlfriend from him too. Bill is a douche.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: In spite of all that, Bill really does mean well.
 * Put On a Bus: Has been living in Africa for twenty years, as a conveniently far away place to explain why he seldom returns for visits.
 * Sibling Rivalry: With Mickey.
 * Victim Falls For Rapist: With Laura.
 * Youngest Child Wins: Though Mickey and Bill have a younger sister Marie, between the two of them Bill's the youngest. And he stole Mickey's wife, turned out to be the father of his only son, and is the only one of the two still alive.

Julie Olson Williams "Played by: Charla Doherty (1965-67), Catherine Dunn (1967), Catherine Ferrar (1967-68), Susan Seaforth Hayes (1968-84/1990-95/1999-)"

Tom and Alice's eldest grandchild, Addie's eldest daughter, and Salem's original It-Girl. In Salem's ling history, she's grown from a teenage girl to a woman approaching senior citizenship and has even graced the cover of Time Magazine


 * The Artifact: Julie essentially ruled the show in the 1970s and hasn't really had a storyline since then, but is usually a part of the show in some capacity just because she's Julie.
 * Commuting On a Bus: Though she and Doug have technically been on recurring status since 1999, we see them very rarely as they seem to be constantly on a world cruise. They tend to just pop up when there's a holiday, big family event or Hope's got some sort of crisis.
 * Super Couple: Doug and Julie are often cited as daytime's first.

Margaret "Maggie" Simmons Horton "Played by: Suzanne Rogers (1973-84/1985-2003/2004-)"

Mickey's wife and recent widow. Began the show as a young naive farm girl and has grown to become the beloved matriarch of Salem following Alice's death.


 * The Alcoholic: Recovering, which allows her to mentor all alcoholics and drug addicts that followed her.
 * The Artifact: Played straight, then finally subverted. This was the case for her for over 20 years, until Alice died and she was able to take over the role as the show's matriarch. To the fandom's rejoicing, Maggie now has a huge role on the show for the first time since the early 1980s.
 * Back From the Dead: In 2004.
 * Farm Girl
 * Fiery Redhead (when she wants to be)
 * Super Couple: With Mickey.

Dr. Marlena Evans Brady/Black "Played by: Deidre Hall (1976-87, 1991-2009, 2011-)"


 * Alternate Character Interpretation: She's either an Attention Whore Diva or a lovable heroine, depending on who you ask.
 * Back From the Dead: In 1991, 2004, and 2005.
 * Canon Sue
 * Evil Twin: Samantha (not to be confused with Hattie Adams, who also looks exactly like her but is not actually her twin).
 * Large Ham
 * Serial Killer: Really wasn't her fault, though.
 * Super Couple: With Roman and John.
 * The Shrink

1980-84
Roman Augustus Brady "Played by: Wayne Northrop (1981-84/1991-94), Josh Taylor (1997-2004/2005-)"

The first member of the Brady clan that would essentially take over the show in the 1980s, a hard-nose no-nonsense police officer. Most famous for his love story with Marlena in the early '80s, basically his entire identity would eventually be stolen by John Black.


 * Back From the Dead: Oh, so many times - 1991, 1997, 2004, 2005.
 * By the Book Cop: Generally only when compared to Bo.
 * Cowboy Cop: Generally only when compared to Abe.
 * Demoted to Extra
 * Family Business: The Salem Police Department is often derided as the Brady Police Department, because Bradys make up more than half of it.
 * The Hero: In the 1980s. By the 1990s, this had been taken by his little brother Bo and doppelganger John.
 * Out of Focus

Beauregard Aurelius "Bo" Brady "Played by: Peter Reckell (1983-87/1990-92/1995-), Robert Kelker-Kelly (1992-95)"

Roman's younger brother, Bo showed up as a leather-wearing no good hoodlum who was always getting in trouble but had a heart of gold. He eventually became a police officer, husband and father and over the years, Bo has grown to become the de-facto main male character of Days of our Lives.


 * Badass: So many examples, but most notably the dude KNIFED OUT HIS BEST FRIEND'S EYE. Also, most of the time he lived on a boat.
 * Badass Beard: Though beards were fairly common in the 1980s when Bo came around, we're long past the point where anything above Perma Stubble is common for a leading character. But Bo Brady's holding on to his beard 'til the bitter end.
 * Badass Decay: In the 1980s, he used to be a leather-wearing motorcyle-riding hoodlum who once knifed out his best friend's eye. By the 1990s, he was now a police officer, but of the "I play by my own rules!" variety and he still wore leather. He was a husband and father, but he lived on a boat so he was still anarchic. Now he's a middle-aged police commissioner who lives in a domesticated house and if he wears leather at all, it's rare.
 * Chronic Hero Syndrome: Often accused of having this by the women in his life... particularly if he's saving other women.
 * Cowboy Cop
 * Family Business: The Salem Police Department
 * Former Teen Rebel
 * The Hero: Has essentially been the main male protagonist since the early 1980s and is almost always the one called upon to save the day.
 * Hot Blooded
 * Opposites Attract: With his "Fancy Face" Hope.
 * Shirtless Scene: He's had tons over the years.
 * Super Couple: With Hope (arguably the most famous pairing of the show's run).
 * Troubled but Cute: In the 1980s. He's not really troubled anymore.

Hope Alice Williams Brady "Played by: Various Child Actresses (1974-83), Kristian Alfonso (1983-87/1990/1994-)"

The daughter of Doug Williams and Addie Horton. A spoiled princess turned police officer, and one half of supercouple Bo and Hope. One of Days' biggest heroines.


 * Action Girl
 * Back From the Dead: In 1994.
 * Opposites Attract: With bad boy from the wrong side of the track, Bo.
 * Horrible Judge of Character: Basically, every guy she's been paired with who isn't Bo has turned out to be evil.
 * Hot Mom: More when Shawn was a kid.
 * Split Personality: In the 1990s as Art-thief and DiMera pawn, Princess Gina. In 2010 as "Nighttime Hope" who attacks and mugs powerful men.
 * The Squadette
 * Spoiled Sweet
 * Super Couple: With Bo.

Stefano DiMera "Played by: Joseph Mascolo (1982-85, 1988, 1993-2001, 2007-08, 2008-)"

Known as "The Phoenix", Stefano is the arch-villain of Days and patriarch of the DiMeras, an Italian mafia family with a long-standing vendetta against the Bradys.


 * Arch Enemy: To almost all of Salem, but particularly Shawn Brady Sr., John Black, Roman Brady, Bo Brady, and Marlena Evans.
 * Back From the Dead: Over ten times. His nickname is "The Phoenix" for this very reason.
 * Badass Decay: In the 1980s-90s, Stefano was the most dastardly villain this show had ever seen. Since his return in 2007, he's been significantly less diabolical. They even gave him diabetes.
 * Big Bad
 * Cartoonish Supervillainy: Often accused of this in the 1990s.
 * Chronic Villainy
 * The Chessmaster: Both literally (he's fond of and constantly plays chess) and figuratively (a manipulator events, uses other people as pawns...in fact, his nickname for half-brother/former-henchman-turned-hero John Black is "Pawn").
 * Diabolical Mastermind
 * Family Business: DiMera Enterprises, and the continuation of the vendetta against the Brady family.
 * Hijacked By Ganon: Evil schemes that were originally the machination of someone else (Ernesto Toscano, Lawrence Alamain, etc.) often turn out to somehow really have been done by Stefano.
 * Karma Houdini
 * Large Ham
 * Magnificent Bastard
 * Screw the Rules I Have Money
 * Sharp Dressed Man: In the 1990s he was a bit more casual, often going with a black leather jacket, but for the most part he's rarely seen out of his suit.

Abraham Washington "Abe" Carver "Played by: James Reynolds (1981-90, 1991-2003, 2004-)"

The longest-running African-American character on television, Abe's initial role on the series was as Roman's token black best friend and partner, but he eventually grew into Commander and then Commissioner of the Salem Police Force, making him the de-facto leader of the good guys. Though he's married to Stefano DiMera's daughter, Abe is perhaps one of the most honorable and decent characters in the series. He recently resigned as Commissioner of the Police Force and successfully ran for Mayor of Salem, a position he holds today.


 * Back From the Dead: In 2004.
 * Black Best Friend: To Roman.
 * Black Dude Dies First: Was the first casualty of the Salem Serial Killer in 2003. Though it turned out none of those characters actually died at all, and two of the ten victims (Andre and Alice) have since died for real, prior to the still-living Abe.
 * Blind Black Guy: Intermittently from 2004 to 2006. Eventually Abe received the eyes of Bo's dead son Zack, which has cured him.
 * Da Chief: Before he became the Mayor, Abe was usually the by-the-book boss trying to
 * Demoted to Extra: Though it's not quite that bad, in the past few years Abe's role on the show has been severely downgraded.
 * Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Though a lot of good characters do this, Abe is often cited as one of the moral centers of Days.
 * Out of Focus: See above
 * Token Minority: Abe and his wife Lexie have often been accused of being this for Days.

1985-89
Jennifer Rose Horton Deveraux "Played by: Melissa Reeves (1985-95/2000-06/2010-), Stephanie Cameron (1995-98)"

The daughter of Bill and Laura Horton, and one of Days' biggest heroines.


 * Hair of Gold
 * Hot Scoop
 * Intrepid Reporter
 * Opposites Attract: With shady anti-hero Jack Deveraux.
 * Morality Pet: For Jack
 * Parental Abandonment / Raised By Grandparents: Though both her parents are alive, her mother was in an institution for most of her childhood while her father was usually off in third-world countries providing medical aid.
 * Plucky Girl
 * Rape As Drama: Her rape by Lawrence Alamain caused both drama for her, and for her ex-rapist love interest, Jack.
 * Super Couple: With Jack.
 * Wide Eyed Idealist

John Black "Played by: Drake Hogestyn (1986-2007, 2008-09, 2011-)"

Also known as Ryan DiMera, Forrest Alamain, Roman Brady, and the Pawn. John's backstory has been constantly reinvented. John showed up in Salem with amnesia and was believed by everyone for years (for some reason that made sense at the time) to be the presumed dead Roman Brady with plastic surgery. When the real Roman was discovered alive, it was accepted that John was really someone else...and it took them like forever to figure out who. The current accepted story is that he's Stefano's younger-half brother, the product of an affair between Santo DiMera and Colleen Brady, which began the Brady/DiMera rivalry.


 * Action Hero: Days has never had such a flamboyant example.
 * Badass: He has a variety of super-spy skills that he doesn't know how he came by.
 * Chronic Hero Syndrome
 * Expy: Even the show has admitted, he's a fairly blatant rip-off of Jason Bourne.
 * The Hero: After Bo, he's probably Days' biggest.
 * Dark and Troubled Past
 * Large Ham: That's a fact!
 * Mysterious Past
 * Shirtless Scene
 * Super Couple: With Marlena.

Steven Earl "Patch" Johnson "Played by: Stephen Nichols (1985-90, 2006-09)"

Best friend/former rival of Bo Brady's. A badass leather-jacket wearing hooligan with one eye (knifed out by Bo). Though he was a villain at first, he became a good guy fairly early on and even became the good counterpart to his darker younger brother. He controversially returned to life sixteen years after being killed off.


 * Badass: Especially in the early years.
 * Back From the Dead: In 2006.
 * Badass Decay: By the end of his run, the only reason you'd have to suspect that this guy may be a badass is the fact that he's missing an eye.
 * Broken Base: Since his run in the 2000s was generally uneventful, many fans think it diminished the iconic nature of the character to have negated his deah, taking him from a 1980s icon unsullied by poorer writing of recent decades to a far more forgettable character. Others were just so happy to have him back, they didn't care.
 * Ensemble Darkhorse: Was supposed to be a quick minor villain to Bo, he eventually grew to be a hugely popular character and took over Bo's place as the main hero of Days when he left temporarily in 1987.
 * Expy: Though this one hasn't been admitted, he'd appear to be a blatant rip-off Snake Plissken from Escape from New York. Hell, some consider him just a blonde Bo Brady with an eyepatch. His rise to to a main hero pretty much coincided with Bo's departure.
 * Eyepatch of Power
 * Parental Abandonment: When he was a boy, his mom put him and his infant brother Billy in an orphanage to protect them from their abusive father. Because Billy was just a baby he was adopted fairly quickly by a wealthy politician, the older Steve (who was midway through his childhood) wasn't so lucky. Steve resented his family because of it.
 * Super Couple: With Kayla.

Jack Harcourt Deveraux "Played by: Joseph Adams (1987), James Acheson (1987), Matthew Ashford (1987-93/2001-03/2004-06/2007/2011-), Mark Valley (1994-97), Steve Wilder (1997-98)"

Born Billy Johnson, Jack is the long-lost younger brother of Steve Johnson, adopted by the wealthy Harper Deveraux and raised in wealth and extravagance, turned him into an arrogant manipulative prick. Though he was a despised villain in his earlier years, he ultimately became one of Days' most popular heroes.


 * The Atoner
 * Back From the Dead: In 2004, '05, and '06. Yeah.
 * The Charmer
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Occasionally.
 * Con Man: Occasionally written as this.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Ensemble Darkhorse: Originally brought on as an interloper for supercouple Steve and Kayla, Jack ultimately wound up spending more time on the show than Steve and Kayla put together.
 * Intrepid Reporter
 * Jerkass Facade
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold
 * Lovable Rogue
 * Opposites Attract: With good girl Jennifer.
 * Parental Abandonment
 * Rape As Drama: One of his first acts on the show was to rape Kayla Johnson.
 * Reformed but Rejected: Initially; eventually, people accepted him.
 * Screw the Rules I Have Money: ...Until he didn't.
 * Sharp Dressed Man: In his twenties he never wore anything but a suit, but he grew more casual in his thirties and forties.
 * Super Couple: With Jennifer.
 * Troubled but Cute

Victor Kiriakis "Played by: John Aniston (1985-97, 1998-2004, 2004-)"

Greek business tycoon and occasional crimelord, Victor is the biological father of Bo Brady. Though originally just a Greek version of Stefano, the character eventually became slightly redeemed in his old age to be less of a villain and more just a jerk.


 * Badass Decay: Has more in common with Oscar the Grouch than his former arch-villain self.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Expy: When Stefano left the show, Victor came on as basically just a Greek version of him.
 * Grumpy Bear
 * Grumpy Old Man
 * Magnificent Bastard
 * Opposites Attract: Both with Caroline Brady and Maggie Horton.
 * Sharp Dressed Man
 * Screw the Rules I Have Money

1990-94
Carly Manning "Played by: Crystal Chappell (1990-93, 2009-11)"

Vivian Alamain "Played by: Louise Sorel (1992-2000, 2009-11)"

Austin Reed "Played by: Patrick Muldoon (1992-95/2011-), Austin Peck (1995-2002/2005-06)"

Billie Reed "Played by: Lisa Rinna (1992-95/2002-03), Krista Allen (1996-99), Julie Pinson (2004-08)"

Caroline Anna "Carrie" Brady Reed "Played by: Andrea Barber (1982-86), Christie Clark (1986-91/1992-99/2005-06), Tracy Middendorf (1992)"

Samantha Gene "Sami" Brady "Played by: Various Child Actresses (1984-92), Alison Sweeney (1993-)"

Lucas Desmond Horton "Played by: Bryan Dattilo (1993-2001, 2002-11)"

Katherine Elizabeth "Kate" Roberts DiMera "Played by: Deborah Adair (1993-95), Lauren Koslow (1996-)"

Kristen Blake "Played by: Eileen Davidson (1993-98)"

1995-99
Eric Brady "Played by: Various Child Actors (1984-92), Jensen Ackles (1997-2000)"

Nicole Walker DiMera "Played by: Arianne Zucker (1998-2006, 2008-)"

Greta Von Amburg "Played by: Julianne Morris (1998-2002)"

Belle Black Brady "Played by: Various Child Actresses (1993-99), Kirsten Storms (1999-2004), Charity Rahmer (2004), Martha Madison (2004-08)"

Shawn-Douglas Brady "Played by: Various Child Actors (1987/1990-99), Jason Cook (1999-2006), Brandon Beemer (2006-08)"

2000-04
Philip Robert Kiriakis "Played by: Various Child Actors (1995-99), Brandon Tyler (1999), Jay Kenneth Johnson (1999-2002/2007-11), Kyle Brandt (2003-06)"

Chloe Lane "Played by: Nadia Bjorlin (1999-2003, 2004-05, 2007-11)"

Brady Victor Black "Played by: Various Child Actors (1992-99), Kyle Lowder (2000-05), Eric Martsolf (2008-)"

2005-09
Chelsea Brady "Played by: Mandy Musgrave (2004-05), Rachel Melvin (2005-09)"

'''Elvis Aron "E.J." DiMera''' "Played by: Various Child Actors (1997-98), James Scott (2006-)"

William Robert "Will" Horton "Played by: Shawn & Taylor Carpenter (1995-2002), Darian Weiss (2002-03), Christopher Gerse (2003-07), Dylan Patton (2009-10), Chandler Massey (2010-)"