Days of Our Lives Wayback: Remember Chris Kositchek

He was everyone’s friend and confident on Days of Our Lives and he owned or operated two of the town’s biggest hotspots. But, in truth, Chris Kositchek’s two biggest claims to fame were his disastrous taste in women and being the older brother to one of the most famous serial killers in soap opera history.

Same Face, Different Name
If the character looks familiar, it’s probably because you still see the actor that portrayed him on your television screens. Josh Taylor, who has played Roman Brady since 1997, spent 10 years (1977 to ’87) as Chris. Taylor vacated the role, after a full decade, in order to devote himself entirely to the primetime sitcom The Hogan Family on which he starred.

The (Not So) Fairer Sex
Chris was what one could term a “real ladies’ man” but the problem was that he seldom chose suitable women. His first love was Mary Anderson – his bosses’ daughter. Even after Mary admitted to having an affair with Neil Curtis, Chris pursued her. It was only after Mary turned down his proposal that Chris took up with the separated – but still very married – Amanda Howard Peters.

Chris and Amanda moved in together but Mary suddenly decided that she had made a mistake and fought desperately to reclaim her man. Amanda learned that she was pregnant but couldn’t be sure if the father was Chris or her estranged husband. However, the pregnancy was tubal and the baby was lost.

Determined to remove himself from the increasingly turbulent quadrangle in which he found himself embroiled, Chris tried moving on with his secretary, Leslie James, but she was run out of Salem in an act of complicated corporate sabotage. As the years went on, Chris’s other lovers included Sandy Horton, Kayla Brady, and Savannah Wilder.

A Bad Apple
Although Chris had a close relationship with his sister Amy, he did not share such a warm rapport with his younger brother Jacob or “Jake.” In fact, the two had been estranged for many years and it was only the rumor that Chris would be coming into some serious money that brought Jake to Salem in 1981.

By the end of the next year, Jake would be unmasked as the Salem Strangler, the fiend who had throttled the life out of six women including Chris’s former lover, Mary Anderson, and Marlena’s identical twin sister Samantha.

Entrepreneur
When first introduced, Chris was a foreman and engineer at Anderson Manufacturing. At various times, he tinkered on two major projects for the firm – namely a special carburetor and a solar generator – but both inventions would come to naught.

Finally tiring of the corporate life – and all the lying, cheating, and illegal activities therein – Chris went into business with Joshua Fallon and together the two created, owned, and operated The Body Connection, Salem’s premiere – and only – health club and spa. In a separate venture, Chris also took over managing duties at Shenanigans – a popular nightclub and bar.

Cease to Exist
By 1987, Chris’s screentime was negligible, and he served as merely a “talk to” and advice giver. Without much explanation, Chris suddenly entered law school, quickly passed the bar, and became a lawyer.

After that, the character was quietly dropped and allowed to disappear without ever being given a true exit storyline. Presumably, he is still living in Salem. Days of Our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.