| Justin Kiriakis | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Days of our Lives | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Wally Kurth | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current status | Present; Recurring | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1987–91, 2009–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | February 3, 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Leah Laiman | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Betty Corday, Ken Corday and Al Rabin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fullname | Justin Alexander Kiriakis | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gender | Male | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1960 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age | 62 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Former District Attorney Lawyer Businessman | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Kiriakis Mansion 13201 Glen Oaks Drive, Salem, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Justin Kiriakis is a character from the soap opera Days of Our Lives, portrayed by Wally Kurth from 1987-91, and again from 2009-present.
Casting and characterization
Wally Kurth joined DAYS in 1987 and was successfully paired with Judi Evans, who played his wife Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis. After having studied music atal theater at Loretto Heights College in Denver and theater arts at UCLA, Kurth spent a number of years working as a horse ranger, meat packer, telemarketer and appeared in several theater productions before landing his first daytime role on the NBC soap opera. Kurth was also nominated for "Hottest Male Star" at the 1996 Soap Opera Digest Awards. He remained with the show until 1991 and soon joined ABC's General Hospital as Ned Ashton that same year. He found great success in the role and remained on the show until 2007, later accepting the short-term role of Sam Hutchins on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns from 2007-2008. Outside of acting, Kurth ventured into hosting duties with his reality show 1 Day With on SOAPnet from 2004-2005, which feature him documenting the daily lives of soap stars. Kurth most recently appeared on NBC's primetime drama Law & Order: Los Angeles on April 11, 2011, which coincided with the final episode starring Skeet Ulrich. Kurth has also made a name for himself in music as the lead singer and guitarist of "Kurth & Taylor." He also won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song for his song "Barefoot Ballet" on GH in 2002, which he shared with his band mate Christian Taylor and lyricist Debi Cochran.
Between 2015-20, Kurth has been from contract to recurring, on and off. He is currently recurring as of 2020.
Storylines
Justin Kiriakis arrived in town to become reacquainted with his uncle Victor Kiriakis, from whom he had become estranged since the death of his parents. Justin became accustomed to the family's questionable conduct as he ran his construction company. He soon met the love of his life Adrienne Johnson. Adrienne was unlike anyone Justin had known since she had not grown up in a privileged family, but instead was raised in poverty by an abusive father and ineffectual mother. Victor objected to their relationship but they eventually married. They had their share of issues, primarily Justin's affair with Angelica Deveraux which resulted in a son, Alexander Kiriakis. Adrienne also had a relationship with Emilio Ramirez, whom Justin tried to have killed only to get caught in his own trap and become paralyzed from the waist down. Justin and Adrienne divorced and she opened a rival construction company before they remarried. The reunited couple had trouble conceiving a child, however their housekeeper, JJ Bagwood, allowed them to adopt her twins which they named Victor and Joseph. Following a custody trial with the biological father (Stanley), Justin and Adrienne were livid when the biological mother kidnapped the twins. After they were found, Adrienne learned she was pregnant and so she, Justin and their three children left town before the birth of their son Jackson (Sonny).
Justin returned to town after he became a lawyer and told his cousin Bo Brady and his wife Hope Williams Brady that he and Adrienne were on the brink of divorce. Bo and Hope were also not getting along and so Justin and Hope soon developed feelings for one another until ending any possibility for a relationship. Adrienne soon returned to town and after they struggle with their divorce the couple found their way back to each other and remarried. The couple soon welcomed their son Jackson "Sonny" Kiriakis back to town and it is revealed that he is gay. They support him as he comes out to his uncle Victor and as he makes a home for himself with his new life with Will Horton as his boyfriend. In 2013, Justin went into business with EJ DiMera as well as represented Sami when she was put on trial for the murder of dirty cop, Joseph Bernardi; at last second, she was found not guilty. On April 3, 2014, Justin was last shown attending and speaking at his son, Sonny`s wedding to Will Horton. He hadn't been seen since until returning in February 2015. In 2015, Justin and Adrienne divorce following his affair during a business trip to Mumbai. They decide not reconcile and instead begin seeing other people. Justin became Salem’s district attorney, and while being the prosecutor against Chad DiMera during the necktie serial killings, he and Eve Donovan form a relationship.
In July 2016, Justin was fired as district attorney and replaced by Aiden Jennings after Andre DiMera had him exposed for destroying evidence. Angelica Deveraux returned to town in 2017, and set out to ruin Adrienne. Angelica attempted to buy the spectator from Jennfier and Adrienne, but Justin helped them acquire the funds to stop her. Justin was surprised when Adrienne broke up with Lucas and married with Victor. Soon, Justin got a call from the real Adrienne, who was in prison after Angelica had her kidnapped and replaced with Bonnie Lockhart. Bonnie skipped town, and Justin help Adrienne get out of prison, and they reconnected.
When Sonny was accused of sexual harassment by Leo Stark, Justin defended Sonny and he also served as Brady’s lawyer when Theresa sued him for full custody of their son Tate.
