Abe Carver may be spending his days drafting memos and doing damage control for the out of control DiMera family but actor James Reynolds certainly has a reason to celebrate.
That’s because he was born on August 10, 1946, in Oskaloosa, KS, meaning that he is turning 73 years old today! This talented Emmy award winner who holds the distinction of playing the longest-running black character in the history of television was once a fine newspaperman who spent his days reviewing film, television, and local theater.
After high school, Reynolds joined the Marines and found himself stationed in both Hawaii and Vietnam. In both locations, he worked as a journalist and upon returning to the states he attended Washburn University in Topeka where he studied pre-law and journalism.
When Reynolds made the decision to pursue acting as a career he got his start with small, non-speaking parts on films like Fun With Dick and Jane and Mr. Majestyk.
Reynolds joined the cast of NBC’s Days of Our Lives in 1981 and debuted in October of that year. His character, Abraham “Abe” Carver, was initially planned as a short term role.
However, the writers paired him opposite Wayne Northrop’s Roman Brady and, suddenly, a new crime-fighting duo was born much to the delight of the show’s fans. Reynold’s stayed with the show until 1990 when he voluntarily left to take over the role of Henry Marshall on another NBC daytime drama called Generations.
The next year, upon the show’s cancelation, Reynolds was welcomed back at DAYS where he has remained for over 25 years. During his tenure at DAYS, Reynolds met his future wife, Lisa Layng, to whom he has been married for 32 years.
Soap Hub would like to wish Reynolds a very happy birthday and you can too by clicking on the Twitter link below. Days of Our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check our local listings for airtimes.
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