Five Fast Facts About Days of Our Lives Star Thaao Penghlis

Thaao Penghlis is best known for his roles on Days of Our Lives, but he’s also been on a number of other soaps throughout his career, including General Hospital and Santa Barbara. Since starting in the industry many decades ago, Penghlis has shown time and again why he has such staying power.

The charismatic actor has amassed quite a fan following over the years. From where he was born and raised to a major A-list encounter, here are five fast facts to know about the Days of Our Lives actor!

In The Beginning 
Penghlis was born on December 15 and was raised in Sydney, Australia. He got into acting when he was growing up, so he decided once he finished high school, he would move to New York City. He actually arrived there in September of 1967 with only $200 in his pocket! Luckily, he started to get work and studied with the great Milton Katselas.

Athletic Record
Though acting has always been his passion, Penghlis was a great athlete growing up. In fact, he ran track and field, and even set a New South Wales record in the 110-meter hurdle — a record which stood for 10 years!

A-List Connections
Before he started acting on soaps, Penghlis had an amazing encounter with an A-list celebrity. He was working for fashion designer Roland Meledandri in New York City and actually sold a suit to none other than Robert Redford! How’s that for a celebrity sighting?

Before Tom Cruise
Long before Tom Cruise starred in the Mission Impossible films, Penghlis starred in the 1988 remake of the Mission Impossible television series from the late 1960s. The show ran for two seasons, and it co-starred Phil Morris (ex-Tyrone, The Young and the Restless).

It’s All Greek To Him
Penghlis, who was born to Greek parents and also speaks the language, loves archaeology, history, Egyptology, and traveling — and he frequently enjoys doing the latter, often going to Egypt and Greece — and he shares pictures from his adventures. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.