Days Of Our Lives’ Deidre Hall Has Something To Celebrate: A Look Back At 42 Years Of Marlena

This week marks 42 years of Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives.  In honor of this milestone let’s take a look back at Marlena through the years, and the very talented Deidre Hall.

Marlena First Appeared in Salem June 1976

Marlena first appeared in as guest role June 21, 1976 to treat Mickey Horton (John Clarke), son of town icons Tom and Alice Horton (MacDonald Carey and Frances Reed).  Deirdre’s sister Andrea also played Marlena’s twin sister Samantha, who was killed off the show during the Salem Strangler Storyline.

Marlena was first paired with Don Craig (Jed Allan) but divorced after the death of their son.  Marlena was later married to Roman Brady (then Wayne Northrup), who was presumed dead but the two had a set of twins Sami and Eric (Alison Sweeney and Greg Vaughan).  Later, Marlena was paired with John Black and the two had a daughter, Belle (Martha Madison).

Marlena Has Had Some Wild Story Lines

At one-point on Days Of Our Lives, Marlena was demon possessed and had to be exorcised by Father John, John Black’s alter ego.  Stefano has kidnapped Marlena and made her the Queen of the Night.  She has killed people while under Stefano’s influence, she’s stolen things while possess and had to save the men she loves from crazy situations as well.

Although Roman and Marlena were once a supercouple, John and Marlena have proven to have the larger fan base .  John and Marlena have survived paralysis, demon possession, amnesia, false deaths and mind control.

Deidre’s Awards

Although she hasn’t won an Emmy as Marlena, Deidre has won several awards for her portrayal of the character.  Deidre won Outstanding Lead Actress from Soap Opera Digest in 1984, 1985, and 1995.  She won Soapy Award for Lead Actress in 1982 and 1983.

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Deidre won an Outstanding Contribution Award by a Lead Actor/Actress in 1986. Deidre along with Drake Hogestyn won the Favorite Couple Award as “John and Marlena” in 2005.  Deidre also won two Lead Actress Awards at the Soap Opera Update Awards in 1994 and 1995.  Although she hasn’t won an Emmy, Deidre was nominated for one in 1980, 1984, and 1985.

Marlena Remains A Fan Favorite

Even after 42 years on the show, Marlena has remained a fan favorite.  Although Deidre has been off the show several times, whether by choice or not, the popularity of Marlena and John has remained steady with fans pushing to get them back onscreen during any exit they have had from the show.

In the minds of most fans of Days of Our Lives, Marlena is someone who should remain on the show until the end with John by her side.

As always, more detailed spoilers and a full collection of pictures for the week in question will appear here on Soap Opera Spy, when there could be more clues and hints over exactly what’s going on.

Days of Our Lives airs weekdays on the NBC network.

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