He was a child whose true origin nearly destroyed an entire family in the 1960s. He reigned as a teen heartthrob in the 70’s, who matured into a strong heroic lead character in the 80s and 90s. But just how much do you really remember about Days of our Lives‘ Mike Horton — played by several popular actors, including Michael T. Weiss and will soon be back in the form of Roarke Critchlow?
Early Days of our Lives
Mike was born under a cloud of secrecy and overt hints of a family-wrecking scandal owning to the fact that his biological father, Bill Horton, had raped his former intended Laura Spencer after she wed his older brother Mickey. Having learned that Mickey was sterile, Laura and her father-in-law Tom covered up Mike’s true parentage.
Bad Blood
The truth about the boy’s paternity lay dormant for 16 years and would have probably never been revealed if not for a life-threatening injury that Mike received when he was crushed underneath a truck he was repairing.
The young man was in desperate need of a blood transfusion but when his “father” tried to donate, Tom and Laura had to reveal the truth. In response, Mickey literally took a shot at his brother (winging Bill in the shoulder), severed all ties with “bastard” Mike, and then suffered a nervous breakdown.
Days of our Lives: Confused Adolescence
Hoping to put as much distance between himself and the family who he felt betrayed him, Mike set up house with gal pal Trish Clayton. The friendship blossomed into a romantic one but each time the pair attempted to make love Mike, found himself unable to perform.
Mike feared that he was homosexual – why else would a red-blooded male be unable to make love to a woman? He found himself turning to Linda Patterson, the woman whom Mickey had slept with while married to Laura. In time, the older woman manipulated Mike into her bed and proved to him that he was indeed a “real” man.
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The Female Persuasion
Mike and Trish fought valiantly to keep some semblance of a relationship but her mental health issues – Trish suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder – coupled with her baby-producing affair with David Banning, scuttled all hope for a future together. Instead, Mike found happiness with the young and fragile Margo Anderman.
Margo’s untimely death – from leukemia related complications – spurred Mike into pursuing a medical career and his next great love was his superior at the hospital: Dr. Robin Jacobs. Religious differences kept the two from marrying – she was a devout Jew and Mike a Christian – but Robin did bear Mike a son whom she named Jeremy.
Days of our Lives: Last Appearances
Mike spent many years living in Israel where Robin had relocated with their child, but he did pay extended visits back to his hometown. In fact, he spent a few years wooing Carrie Brady and the two actually lived together both in Salem and in Israel.
The relationship ended after a short engagement but they remained very close friends. The last time Mike traveled home, he was on a mission to say his goodbyes to his beloved grandmother, Alice, but she passed away while he was en route for his visit.
Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on Peacock+ in the U.S. and The W Network or Global TV in Canada. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest that’s been posted on DAYS spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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