A HUGE Days of Our Lives Milestone for Deidre Hall!

Can you imagine Days of Our Lives (DOOL) without its most trusted doctor, Marlena Evans? Deidre Hall is celebrating an anniversary, and we can’t imagine Salem without her.

It was 42 years ago today that Marlena first stepped foot in Salem as the psychiatrist treating Mickey Horton (John Clarke).

She has been a part of some of DAYS’ most famous couplings, from Don Craig (Jed Allan) to Roman (Wayne Northrop), and then John Black (Drake Hogestyn) for the better part of the last 40 years.

DAYS scribe Sheri Anderson paid tribute to the soap legend with a tweet, noting what she was doing at the time of Hall’s addition to the show.

“Deidre’s audition tape was the first I saw when I joined the show as a writer’s assistant under Pat Falken Smith & her enduring character enriched the legacy that is DOOL. A strong, smart, funny, romantic woman who was & is an example to us all. Thank you, Deidre!”

In addition to being one-half of some of the show’s biggest supercouples, she’s also been a part of some of its biggest storylines over the years.

From being thought dead several times (once it was her twin sister, Sam, who met her maker, played by Hall’s twin, Andrea), to being possessed by the devil, Hall has played it all.

One of her greatest screen partners was the late Joe Mascolo. Stefano’s obsession with Marlena led to some incredible adventure stories, and their chemistry, while not romantic, was incredible.

Another fantastic screen partner was her onscreen daughter, Sami, played by Alison Sweeney. Sami confronting her mother about cheating on her father Roman with John provided incredible drama that fans couldn’t get enough of.

Through it all, Marlena has been the heart of Salem, accepting her grandson Will (Chandler Massey) when he revealed he was gay, to always being everyone’s shoulder to lean on. But perhaps it’s her love story with John that keeps fans coming back for more.

Either way, Marlena is synonymous with Days of Our Lives and hopefully will be for years to come.

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.