John Black
Actor History
Robert Poynton (1985 to 1986; while bandaged)
Drake Hogestyn (1986 to 2007, 2008 to present)
Lifeline
Born to Colleen Brady
Believed to have died on October 17th, 2007, from complications due to a hit and run
Discovered alive in Stefano's basement in January of 2008
Other Names
John Black DiMera
Father John Black (fake priest name)
John Stevens (name known as in Switzerland)
Roman Brady (from 1986 to 1991)
The Pawn (from 1985 to 1986)
Forrest Alamain (believed birth name)
Ryan Brady (actual birth name)
Occupation
Runs the DiMera Empire
Former Assistant to the Salem PD in many investigations
Former ISA agent
Former Owner Basic Black
Former half-owner of Alamain Industries
Former Manager of the Toscano Foundation
Former Titan Publishing Board Member
Former Bella Magazine Board Member
Former Horton Center Co-Chairperson
Former Salem University Board Member
Former Salem Police Department Investigator
Former Mercenary
Former Army Doctor
Former Art Smuggler
Former Priest (fake)
Former DiMera pawn
Resides At
The DiMera Mansion
Marital Status
Married/Marlena Evans (Married: December 7th, 2006)
Past Marriages
Marlena Evans (invalid)
Isabella Toscano (one son; dissolved by her death)
Susan Banks (invalid)
Biological Relatives
Santo DiMera (father; deceased)
Colleen Brady (mother; deceased)
Stefano DiMera (paternal half-brother)
Numerous unnamed paternal half-brothers
Pete Brady (maternal grandfather)
Patrick Aloysius Brady (maternal great grandfather)
Nora Molly Brady (maternal great grandmother)
Eric Brady (maternal uncle)
Molly Brady (maternal aunt)
Shawn Brady (maternal uncle; deceased)
Colin Murphy (maternal cousin; deceased)
Roman Brady (maternal cousin)
Kimberly Brady (maternal cousin)
Kayla Brady (maternal cousin)
Frankie Brady (maternal cousin; via adoption)
Max Brady (maternal cousin; via adoption)
Carrie Brady (maternal cousin, once removed)
Eric Brady (maternal cousin, once removed)
Samantha Brady (maternal cousin, once-removed)
Rex Brady (maternal second cousin)
Cassie Brady (maternal second cousin)
Andrew Donovan IV (maternal second cousin)
Jeannie Donovan (maternal second cousin)
Stephanie Johnson (maternal second cousin)
Joey Johnson (maternal second cousin)
Will Roberts (maternal third cousin)
John Roman DiMera (maternal third cousin; paternal grand half-nephew)
Alice Caroline Horton (maternal third cousin)
Renee DuMonde (paternal half-niece; deceased)
Megan Hathaway (paternal half-niece; deceased)
Lexie Brooks Carver (paternal half-niece)
Benjy Hawk (paternal half-nephew; deceased)
E.J. Wells (paternal half-nephew)
Tony DiMera (paternal half-nephew**)
Andre DiMera (paternal half-nephew; deceased)
Theo Brandon Carver (paternal half- grandnephew)
Steven Hawk (paternal half-grandnephew)
*While John's past was always a mystery, he was believed to be a blood relative to the Alamain family from his early introduction to Salem through February of 2008-when it was revealed that he was actually the love child of Colleen Brady and Santo DiMera.
**While Tony is not a DiMera by blood, he was raised by Stefano, and the family thinks of him as a DiMera.
Relatives, Non-biological
Leopold Alamain (father; via adoption; deceased)
Philomena Alamain (mother; via adoption; biological aunt; deceased)
Lawrence Alamain (brother; via adoption; biological cousin)
Nicholas Alamain (nephew; via adoption)
Vivian Alamain (aunt; via adoption)
Daphne DiMera (aunt; via adoption; biological mother)
Tony DiMera (cousin; via adoption; biological half-brother)
Children and Grandchildren
Brady Black (son; with Isabella)
Belle Black (daughter; with Marlena)
Claire Brady (granddaughter; via Belle)
Flings & Affairs
Ava Vitali (lovers as John Black DiMera)
Kate Roberts (engaged)
Hope Williams (lovers, while under Stefano's control)
Susan Banks
Kristen Blake
Rebecca Morrison
Yvette DuPres
Diana Colville
Gina Von Amberg (deceased)
Danielle Tremaine (AKA. Romulus)
Crimes Committed
Former mercenary for hire
Art theft while under Stefano's control
Attempted to kill Marlena Evans and Colleen Brady while under Stefano's control (February 2008 as John Black DiMera)
Bribed Paul Hollingsworth to commit customs fraud and delay the Kiriakis shipments (June 2008 as John Black DiMera)
Bribed Judge Fitzpatrick (July 2008 as John Black DiMera)
Committed adultery with Ava Vitali (July 2008 as John Black DiMera)
Framed Philip for Paul's "murder," even though Paul was alive and living in the basement of the DiMera mansion (August 2008 as John Black DiMera)
Brief Character History
John came to Salem not knowing who he was. He simply was "The Pawn." The Pawn, after unraveling the bandages from his extensive plastic surgery, came up with the name John Black. He took a job in hospital security and found a friend in Dr. Marlena Evans. Marlena tried to help John Black regain his memory through hypnosis. Some people speculated that he could actually be Stefano, who had the money and means to create a drastic physical transformation if he wanted one. When Marlena got a peek at John's tattoo, she was shocked. It was a phoenix, and she thought he could indeed be Stefano as others suspected. Later, after seeing before and after surgery photos, Marlena realized that he could be her presumed dead husband Roman. Although John couldn't remember his past, he knew he loved Marlena and believed she was his wife. Later that year, Marlena and "Roman" renewed their wedding vows. Shortly before Christmas in 1986, Marlena was presumed dead. In 1988 Roman got involved with Diana Colville but it ended when it was discovered that Diana had accidentally shot "Roman." She was so overwhelmed with guilt that she left town.
In 1990 while trying to help exonerate Kayla of the murder of Marina Toscano, "Roman" met and got close to Isabella Toscano. It was eventually revealed that Isabella was the one who had killed her sister, Marina, and not Kayla. "Roman" was forced to arrest Isabella, who was later cleared of all charges due to self-defense. Later that year, it was determined that Isabella was the daughter of "Roman's" long-time nemesis, Victor Kiriakis. In 1992 Roman's presumed dead wife Marlena returned after a five-year absence, while the real Roman escaped his jungle prison. "Roman" and Roman ran into each other in Mexico while searching for Marlena's former captor. In the end, it was determined that "Roman" was actually Forrest Alamain. John had been brainwashed by Stefano DiMera to think he was Roman Brady; he then decided to use the name John Black permanently.
The truth about John being Forrest Alamain came out when John burst in on his 'brother' Lawrence, who was about to seduce Carrie Brady. Later, with his life back on track, or so it seemed, John and Isabella (who was very pregnant) were married after she gave birth to their son Brady Black in the church. When the happy couple returned from their honeymoon, they found that Isabella had inoperable pancreatic cancer. She died later that year in John's arms.
After his wife's death, John began an affair with Marlena. Marlena's daughter, Sami, caught them in their affair. Marlena gave birth to Isabella "Belle" Black after it was discovered that John, not Roman, fathered the little girl. John soon fell for Kristen Blake, but when it was discovered that she was Stefano's adoptive daughter, Stefano tried to kill John to stop Kristen from being with him.
In 1994 John arrived at Maison Blanche, a DiMera family house, when Stefano sent him puzzle pieces of the estate. Stefano then locked John in the dungeon and began brainwashing him again. John was able to escape when Celeste released gas into the dungeon and set fire to the mansion.
It was then discovered that John had been a priest, and Kristen broke off their relationship at hearing that. Soon after, a mysterious man named Gabe began visiting John, and John soon learned that Gabe was an angel. Then Fr. John Black had to perform an exorcism on Marlena to save her soul. After that, John was released from his priestly vows and he and Kristen renewed their romance, even though he knew he still had strong feelings for Marlena.
During an extended trip to Aremid, John was tried and convicted of Tony's murder and was sentenced to the gas chamber. The gas had already started to rise when Tony's journal was found, which exonerated John, because Tony had actually killed himself. But John's luck did not turn good after that. Stefano captured John, who was looking for a kidnapped Marlena in Paris, and sentenced John to die by the guillotine. Once again he was saved at the last second, this time by his aunt, Vivian Alamain.
After that, John and Kristen had a baby. Although she lost the baby in Paris, she faked her pregnancy and had her look-alike, Susan, give birth, and took the child to pass off as John's. Marlena discovered a letter Kristen had been hiding in which John stated how much he loved Marlena. John believed he was married to Kristen, although it was Susan who participated in the ceremony, and was raising Susan's child, unbeknownst to him. John believed that John Jr. was his and Kristen's baby.
In summer 1997, John found out about Kristen's lies at his wedding to Susan. Of course, he didn't know it was Susan at the time. After the wedding, Marlena and John went to the penthouse where they declared their undying love for each other and made passionate love. Then Roman returned the day of John and Marlena's wedding. He had an incurable disease, which he had gotten as a result of nuclear war. Marlena felt very guilty because her affair with John in 1993 had caused Roman to leave Salem and take the risky mission. Stefano said he had the cure, so he took Kristen, John, and Hope to the jungle somewhere. There they found the cure for Roman.
They brought the cure back just in time to interrupt Roman's wedding to Marlena. Not long after that, Kristen was found dead in the pool. John felt very guilty. He blamed himself. As it turned out, the woman who was dead in the pool was Penelope, the fourth Banks triplet given up for adoption. Kristen was shipped off to the evil kingdom where Susan had been forced to stay. No one in Salem knew this.
John then decided to continue with his search for his past. So, he went to Lugano, Switzerland, where he was a priest. He discovered that he might be connected to Princess Gina, who the presumed dead Hope impersonated for four years after the REAL Princess Gina died. His relationship with Greta, Gina's daughter, who was also Swamp Girl, had affected his relationship with Marlena.
John and Marlena were married on July 5, 1999, and went on their honeymoon in Hawaii. The happiness lasted only briefly as Gina got hold of John and turned him back to evil John. While evil John, he slept with Gina numerous times. Stefano found them, tossed him overboard, and left him for dead. Marlena found him washing up on the beach and he was saved. He had no memory of his time as evil John, but it soon became obvious once Hope turned up pregnant and John was believed to be the father. Luckily for John, his relationship with Marlena was strong enough to weather that storm, and when it was discovered that Bo was really the father, everyone was relieved, although John did feel just a bit sad.
When John's friends in Salem began being killed off by the Salem Stalker, John was determined to find the killer. He ignored all the evidence that pointed toward Marlena as the killer, and was convinced that his half-brother Tony was behind it all. He was devastated when Marlena was arrested and then later gunned down by the police on top of the Salem police station. He soon became convinced that there was something more going on, and ended up on the island of Melaswen, where he was reunited with all his lost friends, and his beloved Doc. John managed to survive the escape from the island only to be devastated anew as he learned Marlena was again presumed deceased. He was also severely injured in the rescue, and was secretly stealing pain medication (as well as obtaining it through other illegal means) to keep the pain at bay.
John began getting over his addiction and moving on with Kate Roberts when a miracle happened, and both Roman and Marlena returned from the dead. Although John had recently proposed to Kate, they broke off the engagement to return to their newly returned spouses. After returning to Salem, Marlena discovered she was pregnant, and the timing made it impossible for it to be John's baby. Unfortunately, Marlena fell down the stairs one day while listening to John and Roman argue about her and lost the baby. She awoke with a condition known as hysterical amnesia. Lexie called in the world's top specialist on amnesia, Dr. Alex North, who came to town to try to help Marlena regain her memory. It wasn't long before Alex revealed that he had a connection to Marlena that no one ever suspected--he was her long-lost and presumed dead first husband! That meant that all of her subsequent marriages were invalid, as she and Alex had never divorced. She was torn between John and Alex, but ultimately chose to honor her commitments to her first husband.
John eventually proved that Alex was a fraud, and he fell over a cliff to his death. While researching the DiMeras in Italy, John and Marlena were married in a beautiful ceremony, but didn't have long to enjoy themselves--John was shot by E.J. Wells, and fell into a coma. He was later kidnapped from the hospital and his kidney stolen. John was just beginning to take his life back when he was the victim of a hit and run. With his family surrounding him, John "passed away."
In January of 2008, viewers discovered that John was actually alive and living in Stefano's basement. Stefano somehow acquired John's body and had Dr. Rolf erase his memories (which were stored on a disc) and program John to be an assassin. Stefano wanted John to kill Colleen Brady, who had recently emerged and was trying to stop Stefano from hurting the Brady family. In an attempt to win favor with Sami, E.J. told Marlena that John was alive and in the basement. Marlena, Bo, and Hope rescued John and started on the path toward regaining his memories.
In February of 2008, John accompanied the Bradys to Ireland, where John learned that he was the love child of Coleen Brady and Santo DiMera. While hiding in seclusion in Argentina, Colleen Brady gave birth to a son and named him "Ryan." She was too poor to support a child, so he stayed at an orphanage. Eventually, he was adopted by the Alamain family.
John's new blood relation to the DiMera family earned him control of the DiMera mansion when Stefano went into a coma. Marlena's attempts to get John to remember his "old self" failed and John started embracing his "new" personality. He continued to date Marlena, but he also started a relationship with Ava Vitali. He started a feud with the Kiriakis empire in an attempt to make the DiMera shipping line profitable again. He even bribed a customs official, Paul Hollingsworth, to delay the Kiriakis ships.
In the summer of 2008, the DiMera/Kiriakis feud reached new heights. After John bribed the customs official, Phillip paid the same official to plant cocaine on John's ships. The police found the drugs and arrested John Black DiMera. Frustrated with being caught in the middle, Paul set John's warehouse, where the police were storing the drug evidence, on fire. John tried to get Paul to turn on Phillip for planting the drugs and the fire, but Paul refused. A few days later, Paul's unconscious body was thrown into the river. The police believed that Paul was dead and investiaged his murder. In reality, John's men fished out Paul's body and revived him. Paul agreed to help John frame Philip for the "murder."
Phillip paid someone to break into the DiMera mansion and steal "the disc" that contained all of John's memories. Phillip couldn't break the encryption on the disc, but he did learn that they were brainwaves. He gave the disc to Marlena. Marlena, eager to get the "old John" back, asked John to see what was on the disc. Ava, eager to keep the "new John," protested. John eventually destroyed the lab and broke the disc that Marlena gave him.
During the summer of 2008, John ran into trouble. His girlfriend, Ava, jumped bail and left town. His plot to frame Philip was in trouble when Paul escaped from the DiMera mansion. And, Stefano woke up from his coma--anxious to challenge John for the head of the DiMera empire.
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