Abe Carver

Last updated
Abe Carver
Days of our Lives character
James Reynolds as Abe Carver.png
Portrayed by James Reynolds
Duration1981–present
First appearanceOctober 29, 1981 [1]
Classification Present; regular
Created by Pat Falken Smith
Introduced by Betty Corday and Al Rabin
Spin-off
appearances
Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem (2021)
In-universe information
Other namesAbraham Washington Carver
OccupationMayor of Salem
Salem police commissioner
Chief of Police
Police officer
Parents
  • Benjamin Carver
  • Rita Carver
Brothers
Sisters
  • Karen Carver
Wife Lexie Brooks (1991–2012) [2]
Paulina Price (2022–present)
Sons
Adoptive daughters Lani Price
Stepdaughters Chanel Dupree
Grandsons
Granddaughters Jules Grant (adoptive)
Nephews Jett Carver

Abe Carver is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera Days of Our Lives . Actor James Reynolds [3] has played the character since he originated it on the series in 1981, and is currently the fifth longest serving actor on the show. The role is one of the longest-running African American characters in American soap operas. The character was created by head writer Pat Falken Smith. Abe is the widowed husband of Lexie Carver, daughter of international crime lord, Stefano DiMera. He is the father of Brandon Walker and Theo Carver and the adoptive father of Lani Price. [4]

Contents

Storylines

Abe grows up in Salem with his siblings, Theo, Jonah and Karen. His passion for justice starts young, but amplifies after Theo is killed by a crooked police officer. Abe joins the Salem Police Department determined to rid the city of filth, including international crime lord, Stefano DiMera. Abe is also the police officer who investigates Anna Brady's claim that she was sold into white slavery. She reports the existence of her secret Swiss bank account to her husband, Roman Brady.

Abe starts a relationship with Nikki Wade, but this is cut short after he stands her up at a débutante ball in favor of heading up a drug bust. He is also in two short-lived relationships with Dr. Valerie Grant and singer Tamara Price. Before Abe's promotion to police chief, he meets and marries Lexie Brooks. Over the years, their marriage gets compromised due to Lexie being the daughter of Stefano.

His next major storyline involves the Aremid wedding of Peter Blake and Jennifer Horton. Abe is caught up in the investigation of Tony DiMera's murder. Abe and Lexi go to Paris to find Marlena Evans when Stefano kidnapped her. They end up finding and saving Marlena and catching Stefano but are unable to prosecute him, because only Stefano has a drug that can save Roman's life. Abe, Lexi, and John Black help break Stefano out of jail and later he is pardoned for his crimes after returning to Salem with the drug Roman needed.

Later, Abe and Lexie adopt baby Isaac, thinking he is the child of DiMera henchman Wilhelm Rolf. Isaac is actually the son of Bo Brady and Hope Brady who was switched at birth by Stefano. Abe is later appalled to learn that Lexie knew of the switch, but hides the truth from him. Abe files for divorce but after Lexie helps Hope, Brady and her son Zack, Lexie and Abe reconcile.

Brandon Walker comes to Salem with a deep hatred of Abe. Lexie sleeps with Brandon in a weak moment and becomes pregnant, unsure if Abe or Brandon is the father. It is revealed Abe is the father and Lexie and Abe reconcile for good. Brandon's presence causes issues for Abe until it is revealed that Brandon is Abe's illegitimate son with Fay Walker. After some time, Abe and Brandon embrace each other as family, and have since had a good relationship.

In 2003, Abe is supposedly dead on the day of Theo's christening, becoming the first victim of the Salem Stalker serial killer. Months later, he is revealed to be alive – his death having been faked – on a remote tropical island, Melaswen, which is a complete replica of Salem. He works together with Roman and the others to escape the island. Abe is reunited with Lexie and Theo but goes blind as a result of an injury he got while escaping Melaswen and learns that he is impotent. His anger shines through and he becomes paranoid that Lexie is cheating. Eventually, Abe's eyesight is restored but an anonymous note leads him to a motel where he finds Lexie having sex with his protege, Salem police officer Tek Kramer. Their marriage is in turmoil for a while until Abe uses Lexie in the investigation of her half-brother, EJ DiMera, and Abe falls back in love with her. They stay together until Lexie disappears on December 29, 2006.

Abe's eyesight starts to deteriorate again and he undergoes a second retina transplant. At the same time, Lexie is found in the tunnels under Doug's Place and the DiMera mansion, where André DiMera has kept her against her will for months. The transplant is successful and Abe returns to work as the Commissioner of the Salem Police Department. In the fall of 2010, Abe returned full-time to the screen. He began investigating the murders of the people of Salem, because he did not want anyone going through what he already had. However, the tables may turn on him when Stefano decided that he was going to frame Abe for the murders.

In June 2012, Lexie, who has cancer, died peacefully in Abe's arms.

In 2015, Abe finds out that he has a daughter, Lani Price, that he fathered with Tamara.

In 2021, it was revealed that Lani wasn't his daughter but actually the daughter of Tamara's sister Paulina, and that Tamara had raised Lani as her own child. However, that did not impact their relationship and eventually Abe legally adopted Lani.

Cultural impact and reception

James Reynolds' portrayal of Abe Carver since 1981 has made Abe the longest-running African American character in American soap opera history. [5] Having logged more hours on television than most actors, Reynolds is also a humanitarian [6] and his work on Days of our Lives helps continue his work. For his role as Abe Carver, James Reynolds earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2004, and won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2018.

Abe was a minority character of tremendous integrity who was not working for somebody else. He was in charge—and that meant a lot to the African American audience. It had real impact.

James Reynolds [5]

In 2020, Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows placed Abe 31st on their list of the 35 most memorable characters from Days of Our Lives, saying that "For going on four decades, James Reynolds’ stand-up character has had the thankless job of being Salem’s voice of reason. None of your wackadoo neighbors may listen, Abe, but we hear you, loud and clear." [7] That same year, Mason and Candace Young from Soaps She Knows put Abe on their list of Daytime's Most Important African-American Characters, commenting that "Since 1981, James Reynolds' top cop has provided the (rarely heeded) voice of reason in Salem as well as a counterpoint to the madness that's forever swirling around him. Don't get sucked in, Abe! Don't!" [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefano DiMera</span> Soap opera character

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexie Carver</span> Soap opera character

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 was the wife of mayor Abe Carver.

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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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ava Vitali</span> Fictional character

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlena Evans</span> Fictional character from Days of Our Lives

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Taylor Walker (<i>Days of Our Lives</i>) Soap opera character

Taylor Walker is a fictional character from the American NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives, a long-running series about working-class life in the fictional town of Salem. She was introduced in 1998 by head writer Sally Sussman Morina, and executive producer Ken Corday by actress Katherine Ellis. The character was reintroduced in 2011, by former General Hospital actresses Natalia Livingston and Tamara Braun, the latter of whom also portrayed the character of Ava Vitali on the same show. Taylor's last appearance was on September 22, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theo Carver</span> Fictional character

Theo Carver is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created under head writer Dena Higley, Theo was born onscreen in 2003. The character was portrayed by two sets of twins and three child actors, Chase and Tyler Johnson (2003–2004), Kavi Faquir (2006–2007), Amyrh Harris (2007), Terrell Ransom Jr. from (2008-2015), Kyler Pettis (2015–2018), Cameron Johnson (2020–present). Along with several other child characters, Theo was rapidly aged in November 2015 and Pettis stepped into the role. Pettis announced his departure from the series in 2017 and he vacated the role in 2018. After a two-year absence, Theo was recast when Johnson took over the role in 2020.

Cameron Davis is a fictional character from the daytime soap opera, Days of Our Lives, portrayed by Nathan Owens. The character was created by then head writers Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas, Jr. He started appearing in 2010 and was introduced under executive producers, Lisa De Cazotte and Greg Meng in 2012 as the previously unmentioned son of Celeste Perrault, and younger half-brother of Lexie Carver. The role was originated by Schuyler Yancey, but was recast with Owens, who made his debut in late 2012. In addition to joining the staff at the local hospital, Cameron is also a romantic interest for Abigail Deveraux and romantic rival of her ex-boyfriend, Chad DiMera. Cameron's most controversial storyline involved the character's secret life, moonlighting as a male stripper to help his mother make ends meet and to pay back student loans. In late 2013, the character was written out of the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lani Price</span> Soap opera character

Lani Price is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, played by Sal Stowers. On September 25, 2015, Lani was introduced by co-head writers Josh Griffith and Dena Higley as a rookie police officer, who is revealed to be the daughter of long-running character, Mayor Abe Carver. While Lani is quickly promoted to detective, the character struggles to find a place on the canvas and is abruptly written out on June 9, 2016, after Stowers was released from her contract. Lani was reintroduced on December 19, 2016, and Stowers became a series regular again a year later.

References

  1. "Five Things That Happened On October 29 In Soap History". Soap Opera Digest . Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  2. Young, Candace (June 29, 2020). "Eli & Lani Are the First Black Couple to Get Married on Screen on NBC's Days of our Lives in 54 Years". Soaps.com. SheKnows Entertainment . Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  3. "James Reynolds - Days Of Our Lives - Soap Opera Digest and Weekly". Soapoperadigest.com. Retrieved 2010-05-29.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. "Days of our Lives - Bios - James Reynolds as Abe Carver". Nbc.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-18. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  5. 1 2 "The Killer Strikes (TV Guide, October 4–10, 2003)". TV Guide.
  6. Detroit news interview with James Reynolds December 6, 2007.
  7. Mason, Charlie (6 October 2020). "Days of Our Lives' 35 Most Memorable Characters Ever [PHOTOS]". Soaps She Knows. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  8. Candace Young; Charlie Mason. "Black History Month Tribute to (But Some of) Daytime's Most Important African-American Characters [PHOTOS]". Soaps She Knows . She Media . Retrieved 25 July 2023.