Gina Von Amberg

Last updated
Gina Von Amberg
Kristian Alfonso as Gina Von Amberg.png
Days of our Lives character
Portrayed by Kristian Alfonso (1998-2001, 2012, 2017-2020)
Sasha Higgins (2021)
Duration
  • 1998–2001
  • 2012
  • 2017–2021
First appearanceDecember 1, 1998
Last appearanceSeptember 6, 2021 (2021-09-06)
Created by Sally Sussman Morina
Introduced by
Classification Past; regular
Profile
Other names Hope Williams Brady
Countess Elsa
Occupation

Princess Gina Von Amberg is a fictional character on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives , and it's spinoff series Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem. The role was portrayed from 1998 to 2000 by Kristian Alfonso, who also plays Hope Williams Brady on the series. In addition to being a separate character who was Hope's doppelganger, "Princess Gina" was also a persona exhibited by Hope herself while under mind control. Alfonso reprised the role of Princess Gina after the character's death, both as visions of the real Gina in 2001, 2019 and 2020, as well as Hope behaving as Gina in 2012, 2019, and 2020 (and in non-canonical Halloween episodes in 2017 and 2018). Sasha Higgins stepped into the role for one episode of Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem in 2021.

Contents

Character background

Much of the narrative of Gina's life was introduced via flashback scenes and dialogue. Gina was married to Prince Philip Von Amberg, hence the title "princess". She gave birth to a daughter, Greta, soon after Prince Philip died in a yachting accident. Princess Gina became a skilled art thief and forger hired and manipulated by Stefano DiMera. In the 1980s, Stefano partnered her with his brainwashed pawn, John Black, with whom she fell in love. In 1985, Stefano altered John's personality and reassigned him. Believing John dead, Gina became mentally ill and no longer wished to paint, becoming useless to Stefano. He imprisoned her at her home, Chateau de Reves, in the countryside outside Paris. Stefano obtained a replacement for Gina by abducting the presumed-dead Hope Brady, who resembled Gina, and implanting a microchip that gave her Gina's memories and personality. Hope lived as Gina, Stefano's art thief and forger, for several years in the early 1990s until Stefano decided to deactivate the chip. Hope returned to her normal life, but with amnesia of her years as Gina.

Storylines

In 1998, the character Greta (Julianne Morris) reveals that Princess Gina was her mother, and that in 1990 she was informed of Gina's death. In actuality, a delusional Gina has remained imprisoned in France, with only her devoted manservant, Kurt, for a companion as she waits for John to rescue her. In 1999, after learning of Gina's history with Stefano, Greta decides to learn more about her mother's life and death; she and her friend Eric Brady travel to France and visit Chateau de Reves. Kurt tries to keep Gina and Greta apart, fearing for Gina's sanity, but Gina ultimately discovers a sleeping Greta and reveals herself to her. However, Gina's haggard appearance frightens Greta; the incident leads Gina to realize that her mental illness caused her to lose track of the passage of time, while Greta is unsure if she dreamed the encounter.

Gina began to reclaim her mind, and was eventually allowed by her manservant, Kurt, to attend a ball thrown in her honor. It was at this ball that Princess Gina met her imposter, Hope, which she was under the control of the computer chip once again in 1999 due to Stefano reactivating Gina's memories and emotions, including Hope's memories of being Gina, however Hope still retained her memories as Hope, thanks to Stefano needing her to pretend to be Hope when needed, which caused Hope to conflict with if she is Hope or Gina. Disguising herself as Countess Elsa Schwengel, Gina and Hope talk and she eventually learns that John was still alive and living in Salem. Hope eventually was able to fight Gina as her alter ego out of her mind and body thanks to Bo reminding her that she is Hope, but still retained Gina's memories and was going to use them to help the authorities arrest Stefano. However, this fails because Gina then lured Hope to the chateau, where she imprisoned her, during this time Stefano deactivates the computer chip in Hope's brain through satellite and then Hope has no memories of being Gina and is completely Hope again. Gina then had plastic surgery, made her way to Salem, and impersonated Hope. When Gina arrived in Salem, she realized that John would never leave his wife, Marlena Evans. She then decides to marry Hope's love, Bo Brady, who thought she was Hope. The two planned to marry on New Year's Eve 1999.

On the day of her wedding to Bo, she tried to shoot Marlena Evans and Bo and Hope's son Shawn-Douglas. [1] In Bo's struggle to get the gun away from her, she is shot and died of her wounds on January 14, 2000. She also appeared to her daughter Greta in 2001, when she was completing the tasks necessary for her to become the new Princess Von Amberg, and to Marlena Evans in 2019, when she coded after being shot by Xander Kiriakis, on the orders of Kristen DiMera.

Gina returns on in March 2012, as an alternate personality of Hope's, after being hoaxed and coaxed out of her subconscious by Stefano through hypnosis, to reclaim a Fabergé-like egg that had been stolen from him; something only Gina and John Black as (The Pawn)/Father John can recover for him.

It is revealed in Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem that Princess Gina (really a brainwashed Hope) stole the famous Alamainian peacock in 1991, and fenced the jewels.

Related Research Articles

Bo Brady and Hope Williams

Beauregard "Bo" Brady and Hope Williams Brady are fictional characters and the signature supercouple on the American daytime drama Days of Our Lives. Bo is portrayed by Peter Reckell and Hope is portrayed by Kristian Alfonso. On internet message boards, the couple is often referred by the portmanteau "Bope". Along with General Hospital's Luke and Laura Spencer, Bo and Hope are considered to be one of daytime television's most iconic couples.

John Black and Marlena Evans

John Black and Marlena Evans are fictional characters and a supercouple from the American daytime drama Days of Our Lives. John is portrayed by Drake Hogestyn and Marlena is portrayed by Deidre Hall. In magazines and in advertising, as well as on Internet message boards, the couple is often referred to by the portmanteau "Jarlena" or "Jolena".

Roman Brady Fictional character from Days of Our Lives

Roman Brady is a fictional character from the long-running NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives. The role was originated in 1981 by Wayne Northrop, who played the role until 1984, was filled by Drake Hogestyn from 1986 to 1991, again by Northrop from 1991 to 1994, and is currently being portrayed by series veteran Josh Taylor, who stepped into the role in 1997.

Stefano DiMera

Stefano DiMera is a fictional character from the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, played by Joseph Mascolo. Created by Pat Falken Smith, Stefano was introduced on January 18, 1982 as the father of Tony DiMera looking to expand his criminal empire to Salem. Stefano's early storylines included his feud with Roman Brady, playing his children – Tony and Renée DuMonde against one another when he is presumed dead, orchestrating a series of murders with his son and Tony's deranged look-a-like André, and replacing the presumed dead Roman with the brainwashed John Black.

Lexie Carver

Lexie Carver is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives, created by head writer Leah Laiman. The role has been played most notably by actress Renée Jones, who appeared in the role from 1993 until departing in 2012. She is the daughter of crime boss Stefano DiMera, and the psychic Celeste Perrault. She is the mother of Theo Carver, and the wife of mayor Abe Carver.

John Black (<i>Days of Our Lives</i>)

John Black is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. He has been played by actor Drake Hogestyn since 1986, with a break in between from January 2009 to September 2011. John was created by script writers Sheri Anderson, Thom Racina and Leah Laiman as The Pawn in 1985 and introduced by executive producers Betty Corday and Al Rabin. John becomes one of the series' most popular characters when he is revealed to be the presumed dead Roman Brady with plastic surgery and amnesia. However, Northrop's return in 1991 led to Hogestyn's Roman being retconned into the entirely separate character of John Black, which also establishes the supercouple pairing of John and Marlena, due to John's affair with Roman's wife, Marlena Evans. Hogestyn was attributed with helping the series out of its ratings slump in the 1980s. He was often featured in soap opera magazines such as Soap Opera Digest and Soap Opera Weekly.

Victor Kiriakis Fictional character on NBCs Days of Our Lives

Victor Kiriakis is a fictional character on NBC's Days of Our Lives. The role has been portrayed by John Aniston on and off since 1985. His time on the show has been since 1985 with a storyline driven absence in 2004 when his character was "killed off" but found alive on the island of Melaswen.

Kate Roberts (<i>Days of Our Lives</i>) Fictional character from Days of Our Lives

Kate Roberts is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives an American soap opera on the NBC network. The matriarch of the series' Roberts family, the role was originated by Deborah Adair in 1993, and is currently played by Lauren Koslow, who has held the role since 1996. Kate is the mother of Austin Reed, Billie Reed, Lucas Horton, Philip Kiriakis, and the twins Cassie and Rex Brady. Kate is the ex-wife of Curtis Reed, Victor Kiriakis, Roman Brady, Stefano DiMera, and is the widow of André DiMera. She is known for getting what she wants via scheming. In 2000, Koslow received a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress, for her portrayal of Kate.

Cassie Brady

Cassie Brady is a fictional character from the NBC daytime soap opera, Days of Our Lives. Cassie and Rex, her twin brother, first appeared in Salem after a 4th of July meteor shower in 2002 and believed to be aliens. They are the children of Roman Brady and Kate Roberts.

Susan Banks Fictional character from Days of Our Lives

Susan Banks is a fictional character on NBC's daytime drama Days of Our Lives. She was played by Eileen Davidson from November 4, 1996 to April 8, 1998, and again in 2014 and 2017. Susan is the eccentric mother of Elvis "EJ" DiMera, and once acted as Kristen Blake's doppelganger. In November 2011, it was announced that Brynn Thayer would take over the role of Susan, since Davidson was committed to The Young and the Restless. Thayer made her brief one-off appearance as Susan on December 7, 2011.

Hope Williams Brady

Hope Williams Brady is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by writer William J. Bell, she was portrayed by Kristian Alfonso on-off from April 1983 to October 2020. Hope is a member of the Horton family, the long-running core fictional family on Days. She is the mother of Shawn-Douglas Brady, Zack Brady, and Ciara Brady. Hope is one half of the supercouple Bo & Hope. She works as a cop for the Salem P.D. Hope was promoted to Commissioner of Salem P.D. in 2017.

Kristen DiMera Fictional character from Days of Our Lives

Kristen DiMera is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. The role was originally portrayed by Eileen Davidson. Davidson joined the cast of Days of Our Lives in 1993, and departed in 1998 after a five-year stint. After a 14-year absence, Davidson returned to the role of Kristen in the fall of 2012. Kristen and her brother Peter were raised but not legally adopted by super villain Stefano DiMera at a very young age following the deaths of their parents; however, their mother Rachel was later revealed to be alive.

Steve Johnson (<i>Days of Our Lives</i>)

Steve "Patch" Johnson is a fictional character on Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by head writers Sheri Anderson, Thom Racina and Leah Laiman, he has been portrayed by Stephen Nichols since 1985.

André DiMera

André DiMera is a fictional character from the NBC Daytime soap opera, Days of Our Lives. The role was originated in 1983 by Thaao Penghlis when André was introduced as the nephew of Stefano DiMera. Having undergone plastic surgery to look identical to Stefano's stepson, Tony, André—on Stefano's behalf—sets out to frame Roman Brady for a series of murders. However, plans go awry as André claims several victims including Stefano's daughter Renée DuMonde. André's later plans to help Stefano heal his brain tumor and get revenge on their enemies culminates in André's presumed death in November 1984.

Billie Reed

Billie Reed is a fictional character from the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, originated and most notably played by Lisa Rinna. Created by writer Sheri Anderson, Billie did not know her mother was Kate Roberts until a court hearing after being accused of murdering her father, Curtis Reed. Billie's relationship with Bo Brady was famous to the character, and was a key reason she became such a popular character. The two share a daughter, Chelsea Brady.

Kimberly Brady is a fictional character on the television soap opera, Days of Our Lives. Originated by Patsy Pease in July 1984, she is most recognizable for the role. Her initial run lasted until March 1990, but she returned twice from 1991 to 1992, with Anne Marie Howard portraying Kim in the interims. Ariana Chase played the role from December 1992 to June 1993. Pease returned to the role in 1994, and continued to make appearances until 2016. Casey Wallace played Kimberly in flashback sequences in 1992.

Marlena Evans Fictional character from Days of Our Lives

Marlena Evans is a fictional character on the NBC daytime drama, Days of Our Lives, a long-running serial about working life in the fictional town of Salem. She has been played by actress Deidre Hall since 1976, but the character was absent from the show from 1987 to March 1991 and again from January 2009 to September 2011. Marlena was created by scriptwriter Pat Falken Smith and executive producer Betty Corday, and has become one of Days of our Lives' most well-known characters. Hall made her debut on the soap on June 21, 1976, currently making her the second longest running actress on the serial, surpassed only by Suzanne Rogers (Maggie).

References

  1. "Daily recap January 03, 2000". Soapcentral . Retrieved 27 October 2014.