Days of Our Lives actor Paul Telfer had a notable year, gaining recognition and love for his portrayal of Xander Kiriakis. Xander and his anger issues resulted in major consequences. By the end of 2025, he had lost his wife and rights to his daughter. In real life, Telfer wasn’t as down on his luck as his character. He earned a big Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actor. Soap Hub named him Performer of the Month twice. And now fans have voted him Performer of the Year for 2025.
Key Takeaways
- Paul Telfer is voted Performer of the Year for 2025 by Soap Hub fans.
- His portrayal of Xander Kiriakis delivered depth, intensity, and growth.
- A standout year capped by major accolades and widespread fan support.
2025 Performer of the Year: Paul Telfer
In 2025, Paul Telfer received script after script asking him to portray a complex range of emotions. For Xander, it was a bumpy road to redemption. He tried to contain the rage that simmered underneath the surface. But he often lost that fight. Here are some of what the Emmy-winning actor had to tackle this year.
Ruthless CEO
It was nice to see Xander come out on top when he and Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier) worked together to execute a takeover of DiMera Enterprises. Sure, it didn’t last. Tony (Thaao Penghlis) got it back, but it was great to see Xander collaborate and achieve a goal without resorting to violence or shady tactics. It was shady but not too bad. It was a legit maneuver on the part of the Kiriakis brothers.
Anger
It didn’t take much to trigger Xander’s temper. No matter how many times Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) shared the fact that she didn’t want to be in a marriage with a person capable of such anger and destruction, Xander found it hard to refrain from his urge to rage. When he found out about Philip’s forgery, Xander made his brother pay dearly. And then he proceeded to lie about what he had done instead of telling Sarah the truth, because he knew what would happen.
The Forgiveness Factor
When he discovered that Sarah knew about the forgery for months, he turned on her so completely. He was unforgiving and unable to move past his anger. However, he managed to forgive Philip, and that was a feat of strength in his universe. And he eventually came around on Sarah, too. This showed he could change and evolve.
Soft at His Core
Telfer got to show Xander’s soft side with Sarah. But this year, he mostly reserved it for Victoria. His daughter is the one person that he loves unconditionally and knows unconditionally loves him. It’s an amazing thing that he can’t get enough of, and he will do almost anything for her, including becoming a better person. In fact, we got to see Xander make the decision to get therapy. His sessions with Marlena (Deidre Hall) demonstrated that he was willing to chase redemption. And he got to a point where he could acknowledge his anger and then react to it in a different way than he had ever before.
His Flowers
Needless to say, Telfer knocked it out of the park with each performance. He made you want to root for Xander’s redemption, even knowing all of the crimes he had committed in the past. Telfer is fun to watch. His expressions range from adorable to menacing and everything in between. And he lights up every scene that he’s in. He earned that Daytime Emmy win earlier this year. We wouldn’t be surprised if he were up for another one in 2026.
And now the fans have voted him the resounding Performer of the Year for 2025 for DAYS. Fans here on Soap Hub feel that Telfer has been believable as Xander. And that he has shown a lot of depth in his performances.
One fan raved about him, saying, “We are pulling for him as he fights to control his temper, & as he navigates unknown waters with his newfound brother Philip, & most of all, as he yearns to be back with the wife & daughter he adores. I can see only more praise for Paul in the future!”
