Soap Opera
‘Days of Our Lives’ Star James Reynolds Makes TV History After 45 Years in an Iconic Role
James Reynolds, actor on Days of Our Lives, is celebrating a very special anniversary. October 29 marks 45 years since his debut as the daytime soap fan-favorite police officer/commander/commissioner and mayor Abe Carver.
In a recent interview with TV Insider, Reynolds shared his feelings about this major milestone. “I never thought about being on one single show for this long. The career, I’m not surprised at. I had hoped and assumed that I’d be working for many, many years, but I didn’t know it would be in one place.”
He continued, “With this long career, you begin to realize that there are a lot of people who depend on you, and you’re so lucky to be able to do what you love to do and make a living. You’re overwhelmed with gratitude.”
Not only is Reynolds doing what he loves, but he’s also making history. After 45 years on the soap, he holds the record as the longest-running Black actor to play the same continuous character on a television series. He opened up about this accomplishment to TV Insider, saying, “That’s kind of astounding, and it means a lot. One specific reason always stands out to me, and that’s when I meet young Black actors who have grown up and watched Abe, and he has become part of their dream. He made it seem possible, and that just fills me with so much pride.”
The soap star added, “Sometimes they’ll run up to me and say something that is so gratifying and makes me feel so honored that I have to hold back my emotions. It fills me with passion to continue.”
Back in 2018, Reynolds spoke to Michael Fairman about Days of Our Lives’ longevity and his then-37 years on the show: “When you do a nighttime show, you think when you actually sign to do it, you think, well, gosh, I hope this show lasts five or six years. Because you want to get to those hundred shows and those residuals.”
He also spoke candidly about the remarkable history of the daytime soap and his character, adding, “Daytime shows, you never think about it. You just kind of, you know, assume that the show’s going on, and then over the years you realize, wow, what an accomplishment, how extraordinary it is for this show to have this kind of longevity…I didn’t think I’d be here more than a couple years.”
Reynolds joined the cast of Days of Our Lives in 1981, just 16 years after the show’s 1965 premiere. While he’s best known as Abe Carver, the actor’s career started in the 1970s. After an uncredited part in the 1974 Western action-thriller film Mr. Majestyk, he went on to guest star in several popular television series, including The Incredible Hulk, Diff’rent Strokes, The Dukes of Hazzard, Nero Wolfe, and Hart to Hart.
During his time on Days, Reynolds continued to act on other shows, such as Highway to Heaven, 227, and Seinfeld.
Even though he’s part of soap history, Days of Our Lives was the actor’s first daytime drama. He told Soap Opera Digest in 2017, “I was cast on Days on a Friday, and showed up for work on a Monday. I had never done a soap before and thought, ‘Well, this will be good for a year or so.'” Fast-forward 45 years, and Reynolds is still delighting audiences as Abe Carver.
