Days of our Lives Classic Character Recap: Byron Carmichael

Heretofore unknown identical-looking siblings have been a dime a dozen throughout soap opera history, but not many of them leave their lookalike kin a literal fortune like Byron Carmichael of Days of our Lives, whose will has allowed Doug Williams to live the life of Riley these many decades.

Who Is Byron Carmichael?

While in Paris to attend a jewelry auction, no-goodnik Steven ‘Steve’ Olson was shocked to see amongst his fellow bidders a bespectacled gentleman who was the literal spitting image of his brother-in-law Doug Williams.

Steve made the man’s acquaintance and intrigued the southern aristocrat with tales of the man he so resembled. Upon the auction’s conclusion, Byron extended an invitation to Steve to join him at his opulent estate.

Shocking Lookalike
The stories about his doppelganger tickled and intrigued Byron, who instructed his private attorney, Desmond Towers, to investigate the man in question. Slowly, the facts about Doug’s life began to pour in. Like Byron, he had been born in Wheeling, West Virginia and, in their infancy, both men had been offered up to an adoption agency.

Towers’ research eventually uncovered that the men shared the same father but his digging also revealed Doug’s birth name – Brent Douglas – and the extensive rap sheet he incurred thanks to his many years as a confidence man on Days of our Lives.

Making Plans

Unperturbed by the latest development, Byron made immediate plans to visit Salem and get to know his brother. However, Byron unable to embark on his journey thanks to terminal cancer, and he instead had to settle for a phone call.

The conversation between the two was, at first, strained. Doug had given little credence to Steve’s claims that he had a Confederate carbon copy out there in the world but the more he spoke to Byron, the more convinced he became that he was indeed talking to the brother he had never known.

Life in Salem
Byron delighted in hearing about Doug’s life and was especially pleased to learn that he was an uncle. As the dialogue continued, the wheels began to turn inside Byron’s head. Now, he realized, he had relations that his vast fortune could benefit.

He was no longer obligated to simply bequeath the entire Carmichael legacy to his outwardly charming but emotionally cold and lascivious spouse Emily ‘Lee’ DuMonde — who would no doubt squander the cash on extravagant purchases or use it as barter for the sexual favors she frequently sought outside their marriage bed.

Approaching The End

After saying goodbye to Doug, a weakened Byron took to his bed but even as he lay ill and dying, he gathered the strength to summon Desmond and instruct him on a number of alterations that he expected to be made to his will.

Soon after, Byron Carmichael passed. A few weeks later, those named in his testament assembled for the reading. To Lee, Byron left a Manhattan condo, a limousine, and an annual stipend of $35,000. To Doug, Byron left the lion’s share, amounting to about $5 million, plus various properties and the antique holdings within.

Although Doug felt blessed by his sudden and unexpected windfall — the subject of money had not been broached during their one-and-done chinwag — he would soon be regretting Byron’s generosity. Lee was on the warpath, and she arrived in Salem determined to extract what she felt was her rightful due. Days of our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.