It’s time to say goodbye to Victor Kiriakis.
The fictional character on NBC’s “Days of our Lives” was played for years by veteran actor John Aniston. He passed away last November 11th at age 89.
Aniston originated the patriarchal character 1985 after runs on New York based soaps “Search for Tomorrow” and “Love of Life.” The father of actress Jennifer Aniston also appeared in several prime time shows.
But it was his “Days” run that made him beloved. His character has been variously mentioned as “being away” for most of the year. But early next month, I’m told. “Days” — which now runs on Peacock streaming — will announce his death and have a funeral with all the trimmings. Since “Days” shoots way in advance, the funeral was presumably filmed well before the writers strike and now the actors strike.
Aniston wasn’t the oldest actor on the show. Bill Hayes, now 97, has been playing Doug Williams since the early 1970s.
“Days” isn’t the only soap that has to deal with the death of a beloved actor in real life. “General Hospital” has yet to address the death of Jacklyn Zeman, who died in May at age 71 after a short battle with cancer. She’d been with the show for 45 years playing Bobbi Spencer.
