The return of Greg Rikaart as Leo on Days of Our Lives came as a bit of a surprise even though the NBC sudser does “back from the dead” more often than any other soap!
Viewers are getting to know more about ambitious Leo, but what do they know about the man who plays him? Here are five fun facts about Rikaart that you may not know!
Early “DAYS”
Rikaart’s a native New Yorker, and was born in Brooklyn, NY , but raised on Staten Island. He attended Villanova University where he graduated with honors.
A Capitol Idea
While attending Villanova, Rikaart worked for a semester as an intern for a congressman on Capitol Hill.
Extra Special
Rikaart appeared in X2, the second film featuring the X-Men comic book characters. The actor didn’t portray a mutant. Rather, he appeared in a scene that took place in a museum in which his teen character tormented some of the students from Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
Rikaart’s character kept flicking a lighter, which wasn’t a smart idea to do around the mutant known as Pyro (Aaron Stanford)!
Restless Style
In 2003, Rikaart joined Y&R as Kevin Fisher, a bookkeeper at Bobby Marsino’s (John Enos; ex-Roger/Elvis, DAYS) nightclub. He surfed the Internet and preyed upon Lily Winters (Christel Khalil). He soon seduced her, infecting her with chlamydia.
The role was supposed to be short-term, but then the writers decided to make Kevin the half-brother of Michael Baldwin (Christian Jules LeBlanc) and his character was expanded.
It didn’t happen overnight, but eventually, Kevin was accepted into Genoa City society. Rikaart won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2005.
The Marrying Man
Like Leo, Rikaart is also married. In real life, the actor wed writer Robert Sudduth in Maui on May 9, 2015. They have a son, Monte, who was born on June 12, 2016.
Days of Our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check local listings for airtimes.
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