Days of our Lives celebrated 60 years on the air last year, and now, Deidre Hall, beloved as Dr. Marlena Evans on the show, is celebrating a personal milestone with the Peacock drama. She has been playing Marlena for 50 years!
Hey, Mickey, You’re Not So Fine
DAYS needed a new psychiatrist on the scene to help treat Mickey Horton (the late John Clarke). Enter savvy, sophisticated, and beautiful Deidre Hall to take on the part of Dr. Marlena Evans. The actress beat out some familiar faces to soap fans. While she had some daytime experience as Barbara on The Young and the Restless, Hall was certainly new to DAYS fans.
She wasn’t on the show long before the writers thrust Marlena into a role beyond helping Mickey. She became romantically involved with Don Craig (the late Jed Allan). They married and welcomed a son, D.J., into their lives. Alas, D.J. died from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Losing D.J. and Don’s affair with Liz Craig (Gloria Loring).
Marlena hosted a radio call-in show (today, it’d be a podcast!) and started receiving some threats. Enter hunky lawman Roman Brady (the late Wayne Northrop), who showed up at Marlena’s penthouse, sleeping bag in hand, and moved in to protect her.
Stefano DiMera (the late Joe Mascolo) interfered in the couple’s relationship, eventually kidnapping Roman after the two struggled on top of an island cliff where Roman took a bullet (and nearly fell to his death!).
Hall delivered a tour de force in a scene with Peter Reckell’s Bo when her brother-in-law came to tell her that Roman’s body (presumably) had been washed out to sea (in reality, it had not been!).
Her Roman Empire
Left alone to raise Roman’s children, Samantha Gene (Sami) and Eric, Marlena’s next leading man was crooked lawman Richard Cates (the late Rod Arrants).
Marlena was saved from a robber at Shenanigan’s by a mysterious man named John Black, who later believed that he was indeed Marlena’s beloved Roman, back from the dead.
Marlena and “Roman” re-wed, and a year later, she was kidnapped by Stefano (again) after being presumed dead in a plane crash. Hall had left the show to star in the NBC nighttime drama Our House as Jessie Witherspoon, opposite Wilfred Brimley.
After Our House ended, Hall returned to DAYS in 1991. She and “Roman” reunited on the docks when “Doc,” Roman’s nickname for Marlena, stepped out of the fog. Soon, everyone learned that “Roman” wasn’t Roman at all. The real Roman was being held captive by Stefano. He was rescued, and Roman and Marlena resumed their life together.
(Northrop would later appear as Dr. Alex North, Marlena’s first husband, who turned out to be a bad guy!)
Back in Black
But Marlena couldn’t forget her passion for John Black. He was going to leave town with his son Brady, whose mother, Isabella (Stacy Greason), had passed away, and because he couldn’t bear to be around Marlena since he was still in love with her. It turned out that she still loved him, too.
Marlena and John slept together, which resulted in the conception of the couple’s daughter, Belle (Martha Madison). However, their romp was witnessed by Sami (Allison Sweeney), which set off a whole host of issues for the troubled teen.
Even after Roman left town, a host of other problems kept John and Marlena from reuniting, including, but not limited to, Stefano, Kristen (Eileen Davidson; now, Stacy Haiduk), John nearly being beheaded by a guillotine, John wanting to keep his priestly vows, and demonic possession (hers).
The couple wed, finally, in the summer of 1999, but there was trouble ahead with a rebellious Brady (Kyle Lowder; now, Eric Martsolf). Later, Marlena was believed to be a serial killer after several beloved figures in Salem, including Alice Horton (the late Frances Reid), were murdered!
Queen of Soaps, Queen of the Night
John stood by Marlena when all signs pointed to her being the serial killer. It all turned out to be a DiMera hoax, and soon, everyone was alive and well back in Salem.
John was presumed dead at one point, resulting in Marlena confronting Stefano, vowing to go after him with a vengeance!
Marlena and John left town after he was paralyzed, but they returned a few years later when he had recovered.
Marlena and John continued to battle Stefano as John searched for his true origin over and over again. Marlena and John were separated many times, but last year, John passed away after suffering injuries while rescuing Bo Brady (Peter Reckell).
Marlena continues to be a guiding force in Salem. In her role as a psychiatrist, she advises many, including Xander Kiriakis (Paul Telfer), who had had trouble controlling his anger.
Marlena bid a final farewell to Stefano at a memorial for the Phoenix earlier this year. Might Stefano, who was obsessed with his “Queen of the Night,” still have some influence over Marlena?
Hall has been nominated for three Daytime Emmys, all in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress. She’s also topped the popularity polls and is, arguably, among a handful of recognizable names for folks who have never even seen a soap opera.
Recently, movie star Ryan Gosling (Project Hail Mary) raved about Hall’s acting in an interview. An invitation has been extended to Gosling to visit the DAYS set. Don’t be surprised if that happens!
Soap Central wishes Hall a happy 50th anniversary as Dr. Marlena Evans!
Edited by Michael Maloney