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DAYS OF OUR LIVES

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Kristian Alfonso (Hope, DAYS)

Growing up in chilly New England — Brockton, Mass., specifically — Kristian Alfonso developed an early passion for figure skating. She became a Junior Olympic Champion with bright prospects, until a tobogganing accident caused multiple fractures to her landing leg. MORE

— NBC

Matthew Ashford (ex-Jack, DAYS)

Matthew Ashford was bitten by the acting bug at 12 years old, when his sisters dragged him to auditions for a local play. A year later the family moved to Fairfax, Va., where he decided he had found his calling and became heavily involved in his high school drama program. MORE

— NBC

Blake Berris (ex-Nick, DAYS)

Born into the business — his father, Ken Berris, is a director — Blake Berris always knew he wanted to perform. And, as a native of sunny California, he didn’t have to go far to achieve his dream. However, Berris did spend a summer abroad studying at Oxford, concentrating on the likes of Shakespeare and Chekhov. MORE

— CBS

Roscoe Born (ex-Trent, DAYS)

Roscoe Born was born on November 24, 1950 in Topeka, Kansas, one of four siblings. At the age of seven, his family moved to Maryland, where he spent the rest of his formative years. Born entered Tulane University in Louisiana at the early age of seventeen, and later attended Boston University. MORE

— NBC

Darin Brooks (Max, DAYS)

Born and raised in paradise — a.k.a. Honolulu — Brooks got bit by the acting bug after playing Rapunzel's Prince in a high school production of Into the Woods. He began taking classes and doing extra work in movies filmed in Hawaii. MORE

— Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

Shawn Christian (Daniel, DAYS)

Born in Grand Rapids, Mich., Christian graduated in 1989 from Ferris State University with a degree in marketing. He promptly moved to Chicago to pursue an acting career, where he began honing his skills onstage by joining the improvisational company, Improv Olympics. MORE

— NBC

Bryan R. Dattilo (Lucas, DAYS)

Bryan R. Dattilo may be best known for playing DAYS's Lucas — the character he's portrayed for over a decade — but the Kankakee, IL native got his start in the biz when he was a child. After his parents divorced, his mom, Peggy, moved him and his siblings back and forth between Florida and Beverly Hills, California. MORE

— FilmMagic

Kevin Dobson (Mickey, DAYS)

One of seven siblings, Dobson grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens. He served as an MP in the Army during the Vietnam era. Dobson began studying theater with Sandy Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. He made his stage debut in The Impossible Years. MORE

— JPI

Judi Evans (Adrienne/ex-Bonnie, DAYS)

Though Judi Evans was born in Montebello, CA and grew up in Monterey Park, it would be accurate to add that the actress grew up professionally on daytime. Evans made her television debut on the CBS drama GUIDING LIGHT in 1983 as the troubled Beth Raines. Her performance won her the 1984 Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Supporting Actress. MORE

— NBC

Mary Beth Evans (ex-Kayla, DAYS)

A California girl, Mary Beth Evans was voted Best Actress by her fourth-grade classmates — and she never looked back. After several guest-starring prime-time roles as "the girl from Wisconsin," she landed the part of DAYS sweetheart Kayla Brady, which would make her daytime royalty, thanks to her chemistry with Stephen Nichols (Steve, "Patch"). MORE

— NBC

Galen Gering (Rafael, DAYS)

While going to high school in Los Angeles, Galen Gering tagged along with a friend to a hair salon, where he was asked to model for their ad. The spontaneous gig spearheaded Gering's modeling career. He headed to New York and completed his high school courses via mail. MORE

— NBC

Deidre Hall (ex-Marlena, DAYS)

One of daytime's most beloved stars, DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans Black) came to Salem in 1976, after gigs on EMERGENCY as Nurse Sally Lewis and on daytime as THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS's Barbara Anderson. Hall played Marlena until 1987 and then made a dramatic return to the show (and from the dead) in 1991. MORE

— NBC

Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie, DAYS)

Susan Seaforth Hayes has been a working actress nearly her entire life. She made her theatrical debut at the tender age of 4 playing Trouble to Dorothy Kirsten's Madame Butterfly. When not even a teenager, she toured with Billie Burke (known to all as the Good Witch on The Wizard of Oz) in the play Mother Was a Bachelor. MORE

— MITCHELL HAASETH/NBC

Shelley Hennig (Stephanie, DAYS)

Shelley Hennig became interested in performing when she was only 2 and began taking dancing lessons. She continued dancing throughout her teen years, finding comfort in the discipline after her older brother, Brad, was killed in a car accident and her parents divorced. MORE

— NBC

Drake Hogestyn (ex-John, DAYS)

Drake Hogestyn began playing the complicated, complex John Black in early 1986. An Indiana native, Hogestyn dreamed of life as a professional baseball player, but majored in microbiology at University of South Florida and also considered becoming a dentist if all else failed. MORE

— NBC

Leann Hunley (Anna, DAYS)

The youngest of four children, Leann Hunley was born in Forks, Wash., and attended the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1977, the blonde beauty entered the Miss Hawaii contest, and finished as second runner-up. The recognition from the pageant led to modeling work. MORE

— NBC

Jay Kenneth Johnson (Philip, DAYS)

Growing up in Springfield, MO, Jay Kenneth Johnson attended Baptist church every Sunday, and always imagined he would be working a normal desk job someday. MORE

— NBC

Lauren Koslow (Kate, DAYS)

Lauren Koslow has been making waves as the crafty Kate Roberts since 1996, but she didn't begin as an actress. The second of three children studied art at University of Massachusetts, then transferred to Virginia Tech, where she obtained a degree in costume design. MORE

— JPI

Martha Madison (ex-Belle, DAYS)

Martha Madison knew that she wanted to entertain from a very young age. When she was only 6, she began performing at the Actors' Theatre of Houston. She also took dance classes, and throughout high school was part of the dance team. After graduating, Madison attended Texas A&M University, where she was the captain for the dance team. MORE

— NBC

Eric Martsolf (Brady, DAYS)

Eric Martsolf grew up with brother Justin, mom Nancy (a teacher) and dad Rick (a lawyer) in Harrisburg, PA. In the early '90s, during his breaks from Dickinson College, he showed off his singing and dancing chops during a sweet gig at Hershey Park, a chocolate-theme park nearby. MORE

— NBC

Joseph Mascolo (Stefano, DAYS)

Joseph Mascolo was born and raised in West Hartford, CT. From early on, his passion was for classical music and opera. He hadn't considered acting until ... a drama coach realized he was destined to be on stage. MORE

— JILL JOHNSON/JPI

Peggy McCay (Caroline, DAYS)

Growing up in New York City gave Peggy McCay plenty of opportunities to pursue her interest in acting. While she was in high school, she performed in several plays, including Omnibus and Playhouse 90. MORE

— NBC

Rachel Melvin (Chelsea, DAYS)

Rachel Melvin was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, but raised in Phoenix, Arizona. During high school, she choreographed Mountain Pointe Dance Company concerts and was part of the Southwest Valley Youth Orchestra where she played and studied violin. MORE

— NBC

Stephen Nichols (ex-Steve "Patch," DAYS)

Out of high school Stephen Nichols was offered an art scholarship to Ohio State University, but he turned it down in favor of traveling west. There he studied Yoga and lived as a monk while he prepared vegetarian meals for the monks and nuns in a Hollywood ashram. MORE

— NBC

Thaao Penghlis (Tony/ex-Andre, DAYS)

One of four children whose parents immigrated to Australia from Greece, Thaao Penghlis was born in Sydney. Captivated by history and art, he originally dreamed of becoming an archaeologist, but his life took another turn when he moved to New York to study art history and fashion. MORE

— NBC

Peter Reckell (Bo, DAYS)

Peter Reckell knew from an early age that he wanted to be an actor. After working behind the scenes in his junior high school productions, Reckell finally went on-stage in high school. MORE

— NBC

Frances Reid (Alice, DAYS)

Frances Reid was born in Wichita Falls, Texas and raised in Berkeley, Calif. While living in California, the third child in her large family, her father taught her that she could be a capable and self-sufficient woman. MORE

— JPI

James Scott (EJ, DAYS)

The eldest of four children, James Scott always knew he was destined to become an actor. He was first introduced to the theater upon moving to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he got a summer job at the Gilded Balloon Theatre, working with such great actors/comedians as Stephen Fry, Ben Elton and Eddie Izzard. MORE

— NBC

Alison Sweeney (Sami, DAYS OF OUR LIVES)

Alison Sweeney may have been sweet 16 when she joined DAYS, but fans soon found themselves loving to hate her not-so-sweet character. Though she was young, the Los Angeles native had already amassed an impressive set of credits as a child actor. MORE

— NBC

Josh Taylor (Roman, DAYS OF OUR LIVES)

One could say that Josh Taylor 's career has come full circle. Growing up in Chillicothe, IL, Taylor was more into sports than acting and was on his high school's football, track and baseball teams (his father, George, was the coach). MORE

— John Paschal/JPI

Arianne Zucker (Nicole, DAYS)

Arianne Zucker was born Arianne Bethene Zuckerman in Northridge, California. She was raised in Chatsworth, California. Her mother, Barbara, is a lab technologist and her father, Barry, is a plumber. She has an older brother, Todd, whom she described as "the best brother a girl could have." MORE

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