Days of Our Lives’ Robert Clary and John Aniston: Warmly Remembered

Days of Our Lives’ Robert Clary and John Aniston: Warmly Remembered

By Patrick Erwin, a contributor to this column for many years on As the World Turns and Guiding Light

(Patrick says: I’m honored to be a contributor to Marlena’s column once again.)

It’s a bittersweet memory for today’s visit. We’re remembering the sad recent passing of two Days of Our Lives actors, Robert Clary (Robert LeClair), born in 1926 and John Aniston (Victor Kiriakis), born in 1933.

Days was my mom’s “story” and watching the trials and tribulations of Doug and Julie was my introduction to a “supercouple!” And Robert was always there at Doug’s Place, a night club entertainer, sometimes as comic relief, sometimes as moral support, and often with a microphone in his hand, performing on stage solo or with Doug. He played similar roles on Young and the Restless and Bold and the Beautiful in a 20-year soap career that began in 1972.

As captivating as his characters could be onscreen, however, his offscreen story was even more compelling, and provided him a unique background for a pre-soap role that made him a star. Clary was a Holocaust survivor, the only member of a Jewish family of 12 who survived 31 months in a Nazi concentration camp. He spoke frequently about living through that harrowing experience, and was interviewed about it often after he joined the cast of a new sitcom called Hogan’s Heroes (1965-71), about prisoners in a German POW camp during World War II. He played Corporal LeBeau in an ensemble that included Bob Crane and Ivan Dixon. The series was a huge hit at the time and is now regarded as a classic.

John Aniston also had multiple soap roles on his resume, including, as the shady Martin Tourneur, one of Jo’s (Mary Stuart) many husbands on Search for Tomorrow. On Days, he played another not-so-nice operator, Victor, the mastermind of a drug and porno ring, a successful turn that certainly disqualified the character from any awards from Salem’s Chamber of Commerce!

But Days was already home to one of daytime’s most notorious villains, Stefano DiMera (played by the late, great Joseph Mascolo). Aniston wisely found ways to portray Victor with shades of gray. He added elements of snark and humor to his portrayal, and a very dry delivery that often had viewers in stitches. The revelation that he was Bo’s biological father tied him to the Bradys, and kept Victor and the Kiriakis family front and center.

In recent years, even as Victor mellowed with marriage to Maggie (Suzanne Rogers), Aniston’s portrayal (and stinging dialogue) was as sharp and focused as ever, and he continued appearances on Days until recently. His long tenure earned him a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. His passing elicited an outpouring of love from fans, as well as a heartfelt tribute from daughter Jennifer Aniston, a star of the hit series Friends.

It’s been a sad year for many of us longtime soap fans, with the passing of so many performers who gave us so many years of their time and talents. Clary and Aniston join a list of 2022 deaths that include Kathryn Hays and Jerry ver Dorn. Let us be thankful for the opportunity to have seen them shine on screen. May they rest in peace.