Since 1997, Days of Our Lives’ resident mad scientist, Dr. Wilhelm Rolf, has been on hand to resurrect the dead, brainwash Salemites, and more. Originally played by William Utay, the part was later recast in 2022 with Richard Wharton as the devious doctor. If either iteration of the demented scientist seems familiar, that’s probably because he resembles a character actor who starred in several horror classics.
A Puppet Master Like Dr. Rolf
Guy Rolfe was a British actor who appeared in films since 1937 and starred in several classics, including Ivanhoe (1952), The Barbarians (1960), and King of Kings (1961). But it was his role as the title character in William Castle’s Mr. Sardonicus in 1961 that made horror fans take notice. In the film, he played a man whose face froze in a creepy and disturbing grin.
He appeared in several subsequent TV shows, including The Champions (1968), which starred General Hospital’s Stuart Damon (Alan). Other credits included The Avengers (1969) and films like 1973’s And Now the Screaming Starts! with horror legend Peter Cushing. Rolfe was adept at playing both leading man and supporting roles.
Rolfe’s horror career took a major upward swing in Stuart Gordon’s 1986 fright fest, Dolls. He was one half of an elderly couple who created magic dolls that kill. In 1989, William Hickey played Andrew Toulon in Puppet Master, which was written and produced by famed B-Movie legend Charles Band. Steve Welles played the character in the 1990 sequel, Puppet Master II. By 1991, the part was recast, with Rolfe taking over the role in Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge. The movie explained how Toulon created his puppets to fight the Nazis in World War II.
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The Resemblance is Uncanny
In the third film, you can see how Rolfe’s gaunt and goateed visage would later influence DAYS’ Dr. Rolf, especially with Wharton in the part. Toulon’s creations transitioned from simple killers to protectors as the films evolved. And Rolfe played the part with aplomb in subsequent films. They included Puppet Master 4 (1993), Puppet Master 5 (1994), and 1999’s Retro Puppet Master. Dr. Rolf has already created pseudo-puppets of people by brainwashing them, so the parallel to the film series is clearly evident.
On DAYS, Wharton seems to embody all that made Rolfe admired. And whenever he returns to Salem, viewers know that they’re in for a treat. Currently, Dr. Rolf supposedly has a serum that will cure Sarah’s (Linsey Godfrey) paralysis. Still, it’s only a matter of time before he tackles robotics and artificial intelligence. Along with a healthy dose of “magic”, he will undoubtedly create his own living minions that will do his bidding.
Whatever Dr. Rolf is up to next, you can be sure it will be a powerful tool that could be deadly. That is if it falls into the wrong hands—we’re looking at you, Kristen (Stacy Haiduk).
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