Popular Days Of Our Lives Actors Ranked

The land of Salem would be nothing without its leading men. They are handsome, charming, smart, sometimes devious, and just downright entertaining to watch. Many actors have graced the set of Days of Our Lives (DOOL) over the past 50 plus years it has been on television and, no doubt, some have been more popular than others. Below is a list of the most popular DOOL actors ranked.

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12. Billy Flynn

Billy Flynn jumped on to the Days scene back in 2014 when he was recast in the role of Chad DiMera. He’s since wowed audiences as one of the few within the DiMera family who isn’t scheming and evil, but rather charming and sincere (as much as one can get on a soap opera). More so, his super couple status with Abigail Deveraux made legions of “Chabby” fans.

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11. Galen Gering

Galen Gering entered Salem in 2008, playing an FBI agent helping Sami Brady out in the witness protection program. The two ended up falling in love, but Sami’s heart always seemed to sway back to E.J. DiMera. Over the years, Gering’s character, good guy Rafe Hernandez, has hooked up with a wide variety of leading DOOL ladies, including Kate Roberts, Jordan Ridgeway, as well as Hope Williams.

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10. Vincent Irizarry

Irizarry is no stranger to daytime drama as he’s held roles on numerous soap operas throughout his career like Santa Barbara, Guiding Light, One Life to Life, All My Children, and The Young and the Restless. He began portraying Victor Kiriakis’ younger brother Deimos in early 2016 and has simply wowed DOOL audiences with this manipulative and all-around bad boy character. Irizarry has racked up four Daytime Emmy nods over the years, and tied with Jeff Branson in 2009 for the Best Supporting Actor statue.

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9. Bryan Dattilo

It’s hard to believe that Bryan Dattilo has spent over two decades playing Lucas Horton on DOOL. Fans have watched Horton evolve from a teenager who was up to no good to one of the most respected citizens in Salem today. Lucas has also gotten around during his tenure with the show and been involved in some incredible romances with Carrie Brady, Nicole Walker, Chloe Lane, and of course the infamous Sami Brady.

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8. Eric Martsolf

Eric Martsolf was recast in the Brady Black character in 2008 after Kyle Lowder left the show in 2005. Almost a decade later and Martsolf has become a staple on DOOL who’s been involved in some of the most high-level storylines. He’s no stranger to soap operas — some may remember him playing Ethan Winthrop on the short-lived soap opera Passions, and Eric was awarded the Outstanding Supporting Actor Daytime Emmy in 2014.

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7. Dan Feuerriegel

Fans weren’t sure what to expect when their beloved E.J. DiMera — a role that had been vacated years earlier by James Scott — was recast with Dan Feuerriegel. However, the daytime drama newcomer proved that he could be just as manipulative and cunning. He reentered the show in 2021 and turned DOOL upside down with his scheming plots.

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6. Stephen Nichols

What would DOOL be without its hero, Steve “Patch” Johnson? We would never have the super couple of Steve and Kayla, and the show may have lacked a bit of adventure (and comedy). Nichols joined the DOOL cast in 1985, only to leave in 1990 to pursue other acting opportunities. During his time away, Nichols wowed audiences on General Hospital and Young and the Restless, and he eventually returned back to DOOL in 2016.

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5. John Aniston

Known to some as Jennifer Aniston’s dad, John Aniston played the manipulative and controlling Victor Kiriakis on DOOL for over thirty years. While he portrayed a bad guy who softened up considerably over the years, fans do love to hate this long-standing character. Aniston recently celebrated an Outstanding Supporting Actor Daytime Emmy nod in 2017. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 89.

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4. Matthew Ashford

Many fans thought that DOOL executives made a huge mistake when they killed off the ever-popular Jack Deveraux character in 2012. Clearly, the execs believed it too since the Jack made a splashing return to the show in 2019 (very much alive), despite the fact that he had made appearances on the soap prior as a “ghost.” Of course, audiences are more than willing to forget all that as long as Deveraux continues to grace their screens daily!

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3. Drake Hogestyn

In 1986, when Hogestyn first entered DOOL, he portrayed Roman Brady, the lost husband of Marlena Evans that was thought to be dead. As the years would pass, a mysterious character would reveal himself and the storyline of ‘Who Really IS John Black’ continues today. Hogestyn is undeniably one of the most popular DOOL characters of all time, and even at the age of 65, many fans still consider him one of the show’s finest-looking men.

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2. Peter Reckell

DOOL fans are still mourning the loss of Bo Brady a year and a half later, and that is simply due to Reckell and Bo’s popularity. Peter joined the show in 1983 and played Bo (on-and-off) for about three decades. When he was written out of the show in 2012 without an official onscreen send-off, fans were devastated. Reckell did return in 2015, but sadly his DOOL comeback was short-lived. Bo passed away weeks after he arrived back in Salem due to a brain tumor. In 2009, Reckell earned himself an Outstanding Lead Actor Daytime Emmy nomination.

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1. Joseph Mascolo

The late and great Joseph Mascolo played one of the most hated villains in soap opera history, DOOL’s infamous Stefano DiMera. He entered the role in 1982 and played the part (on and off) until his passing in late 2016. Sure, Stefano tortured the Bradys, was responsible for everything bad that happened in Salem, and was an all-around evil man, but Mascolo played the part so well that fans almost reveled at seeing DiMera win over a scheme or come back to life. Salem is simply not the same without Stefano, and while DOOL audiences continue to mourn the loss of Mascolo, the good news is the memories of his amazing performances on daytime screens will forever remain in our hearts.