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Ashford was born in Davenport, Iowa the fifth of eight children to parents Cecil, a civil engineer, and mother Patricia, an executive secretary. The Ashfords moved to Northern Virginia when Matt was in junior high school. While attending Hayfield High School, Matt excelled in theatre and decided to continue his education in the performing arts.

Matt needed to work many odd jobs in order to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Some of his most memorable careers include stints as a construction worker, a sanitation collector, a singing waiter, and as a street performer and clown at the Grandstand Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. After college graduation, Matt moved to New York City where he was quickly put on a holding contract with ABC, which led to the role of "Drew Ralston" on One Life to Live. In typical soap opera fashion, Drew was killed on the way to his wedding. Drew's untimely demise led Matt to the role of "Cagney McCleary" on Search for Tomorrow.

Matt met his wife, Christina Saffran, when the two appeared together in a ballet that was part of a World Peace Culture Festival. "I played a foot soldier in George Washington's army in a dance piece called Valley Forge Ballet, recalls Ashford. "I'm not a dancer, but they needed actors who moved well. Christina was a dancer in the ballet and the co-choreographer. We were married within two years."

When Matt and Christina traveled to Los Angeles in 1987 to participate in another World Peace Culture Festival, he auditioned for the role of Jack Deveraux on Days of our Lives, a role he played for six years to wide acclaim.

After Matt left Days in 1993, he appeared briefly as Dr. Tom Hardy on General Hospital. He was also featured in the films Species, Bonfire of the Vanities, and Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss, starring Sean Hayes. Ashford recently guest starred on the hit comedy Dharma and Greg.

Matt is an active member of the Interact Theatre Company in Los Angeles. Some of Matt's favorite stage roles include the Wolf and the Prince in Sondheim's Into the Woods, Count Carl Magnus in Sondheims's A Little Night Music, and Bernard Nightingale in the Tom Stoppard play Arcadia. But Jack Deveraux remains Ashford's favorite role. "Jack allows me to do everything that I would never get away with in real life. Jack never gives up when he wants something. It's very liberating for an actor to have no boundaries," he professes.

Matt and Christina are the parents of Grace, nine years of age, and Emma, age four. Matt is a spokesperson for Retinoblastoma International, an organization the Ashfords were instrumental in forming after Emma was diagnosed with the rare form of infant eye cancer, of which Emma is now in remission.

In his spare time, Matt enjoys hiking, camping, having outdoor adventures, and above all, being with his family.

Matt has brown hair and blue/gray eyes and stands 6' 1". He celebrates his birthday on January 29th.

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MELISSA REEVES
JENNIFER ROSE HORTON DEVERAUX

After a five-year absence, Melissa Reeves triumphantly returns to Days of our Lives and the role of Jennifer Horton, one of daytime television's most beloved characters.
Born and raised in Eatontown, New Jersey, Melissa grew up in a close family environment, which included her father, Lawrence Brennan, her mother, Marion, and her older brother David. "My family always gave me a lot of encouragement to pursue a career in the performing arts," explains Melissa. "My dad is a disc jockey in New Jersey and growing up near New York City, a great cultural center, also didn't hurt."

Melissa initially dreamed of dancing professionally and commuted into New York City to study dance with Phil Black. "I took dancing very seriously," recalls Melissa. "Then I landed some commercials when I was fifteen and that gave me the acting bug."

Melissa studied theatre at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Institute in Manhattan and soon landed roles in the HBO movie Somewhere Tomorrow and the After School Special The Lakeside High Experiment. Her first foray into daytime television was on NBC's Another World. Landing the role of Jade Perkins on Santa Barbara was Melissa's first contract job on a daytime drama.

Melissa relocated to Los Angles and graduated from high school while appearing on Santa Barbara, but after only one year on the show, she was released from her contract when the Perkins family was written off the canvass. In September of 1985, one month after leaving Santa Barbara, Melissa landed the role of Jennifer Horton on Days of our Lives, a role that earned her four Soap Opera Awards and a place amongst television's most beloved heroines.

Melissa met her husband, actor Scott Reeves, when he joined the cast of Days. At the time, they were both involved with other people and there were no romantic sparks. Sometime later, however, Scott invited Melissa to a party and on their first date, it was clearly love at first sight. The couple became engaged one month later and they married on March 23, 1990.

Scott, who currently stars as Ryan on The Young and the Restless, and Melissa recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary. They currently reside in the San Fernando Valley with their eight year old daughter, Emily, and their three-year-old son, Larry. The Reeves have a menagerie of pets, which includes two dogs named Grace and Coco.

In 1999, both Melissa and Scott starred in the made for television film Half a Dozen Babies, which told the real story of the Dilley family and their six little blessings.

Melissa, who likes to unwind by quilting, sewing, and painting, is ecstatic to be returning to Days of our Lives. "My children are older now and there was never a question where I would work. It was always going to be back at Days. It's like coming home."

Melissa has blonde hair and green eyes and celebrates her birthday on March 14.

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JAMES REYNOLDS
COMMANDER ABRAHAM CARVER

It is not many acting hopefuls who get the chance to personally quiz the likes of Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas, and Peter Fonda on how to make it "big" in Hollywood, so when James Reynolds got the opportunity, he took it. Having studied journalism in college, Reynolds spent time as a film critic for the Topeka Daily Capitol and interviewed a number of Hollywood's brightest talents.

His research has paid off as fans of NBCs Days of our Lives and Generations will attest. After nine years as the stalwart Abe Carver on Days of our Lives, Reynolds briefly moved to Generations where he was rewarded with an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of entrepreneur Henry Marshall. When Generations ceased productions, Reynolds rejoined the cast of Days of our Lives, and is now celebrating his 11th year on the show with the best storyline he has ever had. Reynolds character is a police officer that has risen to the rank of Commander, but not at the cost of his political awareness.

According to Reynolds, "The idea is for Abe to become concerned with the people he has left behind in his rise to power."

In real life, Reynolds still finds time to be president of La Famile Films, a film and television production company, and frequently tour colleges in his one man show I, Too, America, a commentary on the African-American experience.

Reynolds was raised in the small farming community of Askaloosa, Kansas. "It was great growing up in a small town," he recalls. "The town's entire population was only eight hundred and the lifestyle was generally one of peace and quiet. My grandparents told me of the time they were held together overnight by an escaped convict from nearby Leavenworth Federal Prison, but that, of course," he adds with a smile, "was the exception to the rule. That was the biggest news event in Askaloosa in decades."

In a school with such a small student body there was never a shortage of extracurricular activities. In addition to performing in several school plays, Reynolds became very active in sports, playing football, basketball, and track.

Following graduation from high school, Reynolds joined the Marines. After boot camp he was assigned to the Information Service Office where, first stationed in Hawaii, he became a writer for the service newspaper, The Windward Marine. Later he was sent to Vietnam and served for almost a year with a variety of units in and around Chu Lai, adding battlefield reporting to his combat duties until a wound resulted in his discharge.

Returning stateside, Reynolds enrolled in Topeka's Washburn University, majoring in pre-law and journalism. Advised that the best place on campus to meet girls was the theater department, he began auditioning and performing in plays. In addition to his much-improved social life, Reynolds reaped another unexpected benefit - he discovered a passion for acting. He went on to appear not only in regular campus productions of musicals and dramatic plays, but with local theater groups as well.

Reynolds enjoyed campus life, but after his first real taste of travel in the service, became restless and took periodic breaks from his studies in order to travel the country. Working the docks of Houston, the orange groves of Southern California, or hopping freight trains in between, Reynolds got a unique look at the U.S. before deciding to leave school once and for all and head to San Francisco where he worked as an actor for a time.

A few months after landing in San Francisco, Reynolds' life took another turn. Finding it necessary for family reasons to return to Kansas, he used his background in journalism to land a post with the Topeka Daily Capitol, covering theater, film and music. It was here, over a period of almost two years, that he interviewed stars such as Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas and Peter Fonda, among others, and it was here that he resolved to pursue a professional career in acting.

A couple of years later, James auditioned for and was accepted into a new repertory group based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he played major roles in a number of productions until, barely among their first season, the company went broke. Undaunted, Reynolds simply walked into the offices of the Colorado Springs Sun and landed another newspaper job as critic and feature writer while investigating other acting jobs in the area. Soon he also landed his first television commercial and a featured role in the film Mr. Majestyk, which starred Charles Bronson.

Finally, Reynolds moved to Los Angeles and amassed an impressive list of television credits. In addition to guest spots on such series as Highway to Heaven, 227, Different Strokes, Hart to Hart, and The Dukes of Hazzard, he co-starred, with Vincent Price, in the CBS series Time Express and appeared in a number of feature films including The Magic of Lassie, The Foundation, and Hotline. Anxious to continue his stage work, Reynolds also found time in his busy schedule to found the Los Angeles Repertory Theater, which he operated for seven years.

Reynolds and his wife, actress Lissa Layng, are owners of Classes Unlimited a learning center located in South Pasadena and Sherman Oaks, California.

James is very active in charities. He has been involved in fund raising activities for more than three hundred charities in the last ten years. Annually, he hosts a bowl-a-thon in Los Angeles for the National Asthma Center and a celebrity basketball game in Pasadena for the Foothill YMCA. With his family, Reynolds recently started the Big Men T-shirt with sayings like "Big men don't hit, they hug" and "Big men don't conspire, they inspire." The profits from the T-shirt sales go to a number of charities that deal with children

Reynolds is still an active sportsman, enjoying basketball and racquetball on his days off. He and his wife, and son, Jed, live in the Los Angeles area.

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VALERIE WILDMAN
FAY WALKER

Valerie Wildman portrays Fay Walker, a woman with a heart of gold despite unfortunate circumstances, on Days of our Lives. "I have played so many rich and shallow women," states Wildman, "that playing Fay Walker, with her humility and compassion, feels like a blessing. I hope Fay will inspire others who are going through hard times."

Valerie was born in Miami Beach, Florida and attended Miami Beach High, where she juggled academics, theatre, and her overwhelming desire to be involved in social services. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in psychology and attended graduate school at Sonoma State in Northern California, all the while dreaming of acting and finding a way to combine drama with helping others.

Valerie holds a Master's degree in Counseling and worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in the "barrios" of the Cartagena mountains in Colombia. At the end of her Peace Corps tenure, Valerie backpacked through Colombia, Ecuador and the Peruvuian Andes "through hail, snow, and rainbows" and realized she wanted to expand her theatrical efforts to make a difference by developing film and television projects that "uplifted the human spirit." Thus, her production company, Wildwind Productions, was born.

Upon arriving in Los Angeles after the Peace Corps, Valerie appeared in numerous films and television series, including Oliver Stone's acclaimed Salvador, The Falcon and the Snowman, Internal Affairs, Beverly Hills Cop II, Dear God, Chicago Hope, Tracey Takes On, Fired Up, HBO's award winning Indictment: The McMartin Trial, and Beverly Hills 90210 as the love interest of Jack McCay, who was portrayed by fellow Days of our Lives cast member Josh Taylor. In 1995, Valerie won the prestigious Dramalogue Award for her Marilyn Monroe-like portrayal of Helen of Troy in Trojan Women. Before joining the cast of Days of our Lives, Valerie wrapped a role in the upcoming film Castaway, starring Tom Hanks.

The very busy actress/producer still finds time to participate in Operation USA, a non profit medical relief organization, which has taken the actress to Mexico, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, The Philippines and the former Soviet Union to help lead relief and counseling efforts.

Valerie is married and has four step-children "of every age." Valerie is now working on her Ph.D. in Child and Adolescent Psychology, with an emphasis in the Expressive Arts. In her practically non-existent spare time, Valerie enjoys meditating, counseling young people, and anything to do with nature. Valerie has blond hair and green eyes. She celebrates her birthday on August 6.

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ERIC WINTER
REX

Daytime television newcomer Eric Winter portrays Rex, a young man who has traveled a great distance to Salem, on NBC's number one daytime drama, Days of our Lives.

Born in La Mirada, California, Eric spent most of his childhood in nearby La Puente. An only child, Eric attended Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights, where he excelled in football and volleyball. A stellar high school football career provided Eric with the opportunity to compete in the All Star Hall of Fame Game as a defensive lineman.

Eric attended UCLA, graduating with a degree in psychology. While in college, and after shedding approximately thirty pounds of football weight, a girlfriend suggested to Eric that he pursue work as a model to help pay the bills. He soon landed an agent and found himself juggling schoolwork and acting workshops with prestigious modeling assignments, many of which took him all over the world.

Eric's most high-profile print campaign was for Tommy Hilfiger. Eric has appeared in numerous national commercials, including campaigns for 7-UP and Mitsubishi.

Prior to landing the role of Rex on Days of our Lives, Eric guest-starred in several television shows, including Profiler, The Parkers and The Andy Dick Show.

In his free time, Eric enjoys playing basketball, hiking, snowboarding, and going to the movies; The Breakfast Club is his all time favorite film. He remains close to his father Wayne, who owns an Investigative Company, and his mother Gwen, who runs a theatrical fabric business.

Eric stands 6' 1" and has dark blonde hair and blue eyes. He celebrates his birthday on July 17th

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FARAH FATH
MIMI LOCKHART

Farah Fath portrays Mimi Lockhart, an insecure teen on ‘Days of our Lives.’

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1984, Fath grew up with stars in her eyes. ‘I loved being in the spotlight ever since I can remember,’ recounts the energetic teen. Farah began her show business career as a child model at the tender age of five. When she was eight years old, Farah traveled to Los Angeles to participate in an International Model and Talent Convention. The young beauty began competing in pageants at eleven years of age and was crowned ‘Miss Kentucky Pre-Teen’ in 1995. Farah was a National speech Winner in several pageants.

Fath juggled modeling assignments, commercials, and pageant competitions with academics, but still found time to be a cheerleader in junior high. Farah’s life changed forever in January of 1999 when she returned to Los Angeles to attend another International Model and Talent Convention; she walked away with a few awards and an agent. Reluctantly, Fath returned to Kentucky to finish her freshman year of high school, knowing that she would return to Los Angeles with her mother that summer to make the audition rounds. In July of 1999, Farah’s agent called with the news that she booked an audition with ‘Days of our Lives.’ Farah landed the role of Mimi on her very first audition in Hollywood.

When she isn’t working or spending endless hours in the ‘Days of our Lives’ school room, Farah enjoys shopping, hanging out with her new LA friends, and attending church regularly. Farah’s prized possession is her Cockapoo named Ziggy, who is half cockerspaniel and half Toy Poodle. She unwinds listening to her favorite band, Hanson, and watching her favorite show, ‘Friends,’ starring her favorite actress, Lisa Kudrow.

Farah celebrates her birthday on May 1st.

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ALEXIS THORPE
CASSIE

Alexis Thorpe portrays Cassie, a new arrival in Salem who will unlock an earth-shattering secret, on NBC’s number one daytime drama, “Days of our Lives.”

Thorpe made her first foray into acting when a childhood friend dragged her along for moral support during her audition for a local production of “Annie”. After watching her friend audition, she gained the confidence to get up on stage and try it herself. A short while later she earned her first professional role portraying Wendy in the musical “Peter Pan” at the Canyon Lake Theatre.

After high school graduation, an appearance in a workshop production of the musical “Assassins” caught the eye of an agent, who immediately signed the budding actress. Two weeks later, Thorpe received her SAG card playing a model in the movie “The Adventure of Rocky and Bullwinkle,” directed by Des McAnuff. Thorpe also starred in the Sony Pictures release “The Forsaken,” portraying a Vampire named Teddy.

No stranger to daytime television, Thorpe portrayed teen diva Rianna on “The Young and the Restless” for two years. During those two years Thorpe met and fell in love with her fiancée, actor David Lago.

When she isn’t working, Thorpe enjoys rock climbing, golf, shopping, and exploring her new passion, gardening. She resides in Los Angeles with her 2 dogs (a Boxer named Toby and a Maltese named Samson) and her Himalayan cat named Chloe. Born in Newport Beach, California, Alexis is the oldest of four children. She celebrates her birthday on April 19.

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