| Leo Stark | |||||||||||||
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| Days of our Lives | |||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Greg Rikaart | ||||||||||||
| Current status | Present; Recurring | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 2018-20, 2021 (BS), 2022-present | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | March 27, 2018 | ||||||||||||
| Created by | Ron Carlivati | ||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Ken Corday, Albert Alarr and Greg Meng | ||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Mary (by Paulina in Will's story) Matty Cakes (by Gwen Rizczech) Shady Mistletoer (by Sloan) Lady Whistleblowhard (by Chanel) | ||||||||||||
| Alias(es) | Leo Kiriakis (married name) Matthew Cooper (birth name) Nurse Leora Lady Whistleblower (journalistic pseudonym) | ||||||||||||
| Gender | Male | ||||||||||||
| Born | 1978 or 1977 (Pisces) | ||||||||||||
| Age | 45 | ||||||||||||
| Occupation | Co-Owner of the Spectator Con Artist (formerly) Prostitute (formerly) | ||||||||||||
| Residence | Salem, Illinois | ||||||||||||
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Leo Chalamet Stark is a character from the soap opera Days of Our Lives, portrayed by Greg Rikaart.
Rikaart first appeared in 2018 for a multi-episode arc. He debuted in March and last aired on July 3, 2018.
Rikaart reprised the role of Leo again in November 28, 2018, to March 26, 2019 on a contract basis.
Rikaart appeared again on April 1, 2020, in an April Fools episode.
On August 2, 2021 it was announced that Rikaart would be reprising the role of Leo on the new spin off show Days Of Our Lives: Beyond Salem.
Rikaart returned to the series again in February 2022, and was put on contract in July 2022.
In January 2023, it seems as if Rikaart has been bumped to recurring again, as he returned to The Young And The Restless.
Storylines
Leo was hired by Vivian Alamain to date Sonny Kiriakis, and then intern at TITAN where Sonny was CEO. Not wanting to mix business with pleasure, Sonny broke up with Leo, but Vivian then ordered Leo to seduce Sonny as his employee, presumably create a scandal. Leo is found out by Kate, who enlists him to continue the takedown of TITAN after Vivian is killed. Leo gets a hold of Sonny’s phone and sends dirty harassing texts to himself. He later tells Sonny that he will quit his job and they make love in the office while a hidden camera catches it all before Sonny can get Leo’s resignation in writing. Kate hired Ted Laurent to represent Leo, and he successfully used the texts and the video to their advantage. Eventually, Kate wanted to drop the lawsuit and wanted Leo to take a settlement, which would be next to nothing by the time Ted got his share. Leo went to Sonny and emotionally blackmailed him into marrying him, but then Will showed up and exposed Leo as a prostitute. He also revealed Leo’s real name was Matthew Cooper. Leo lost his patience and started strangling Will. Sonny pushed Leo away from Will, and he runs face first into a fireplace, and dies.
Leo turns up alive and taunts Sonny and Will. Giving in to Leo's blackmail, Sonny marries him so that he'll keep quiet about the "attempted murder." Leo has photos showing Will and Sonny rolling up his body in the rug. As long as Sonny keeps Leo happy, he won't show them to anyone. When Gabi ties Leo to a bed so that Will and Sonny can have some alone-time, Leo retaliates by going to the police with the pictures. However, John gets Leo to drop the charges. Leo's mother Diana came town. Diana had previously been in Salem years ago and had a relationship with John, so she claimed that Leo was John's son, and a DNA test seemed to confirm it. After Diana was arrested for trying to kill John's wife Marlena Evans, she admitted that she lied and that John wasn't Leo's father. Leo turned his back on Diana and left town.
Leo returned on April 1st, 2020 as part of the April Fools Day episode where he stole Eli Grant'a and Sheila Watkins's baby, and tried to sell the baby to Will and Sonny. Sonny later walked in and found Leo and Will into bed, who then declared April Fools.
Leo was found by Sonny and Chad DiMera in a spa in Phoenix, Arizona. Leo assumed Chad and Sonny were together, and soon after, Will came out of another room. Sonny, who has previously believed Will may be cheating on him, assumed Leo was sleeping with Will, and punched him. Leo explained that Will was only after him because he has a lead on the Almanian Peacock that Will wants to write a story about that. Despite the fact that Leo had been stringing him along. Reluctantly, Chad and Sonny agreed to help Will.
ISA agents Billie Reed and and Kyle Graham soon joined them, and everyone was suspicious of Leo telling them the truth until his contact Jackie Cox showed up and told them where to find. Leo invites Chad to come with him and use the fact that he is a DiMera to get them access to to the gay bar. In the confusion, Leo slips away with the Almanian Peacock emerald, but is cornered by Drew Donovan, posing as his twin brother Shane Donovan, who is also an ISA agent.
The next morning, Chad wakes up with Leo in his bed, who claims he and Chad has sex, and Chad proposed. A security check shows Leo snuck into Chad's ten minutes prior. Leo insisted it was just some innocent fun, and as it turned out, inadvertently saved the day when he switched the emerald with a fake. The real Almanian Peacock can be used to power satellite lasers.
Leo appeared as a character in Will's story based in Salem and off of people that he knew about. In it, Leo worked as the new assistant for the sinister Paulina Price, who, like her real life counterpart, wanted to tear down the Horton Town Square and replace it with Price Town. Paulina was emotionally abusive to Leo, who she kept calling Mary, despite him constantly telling her his real name. Leo was also written to have a flirtation with Xander Cook, who also worked for Paulina. In the end, Leo turned on Paulina and helped the citizens of Salem raise enough money to save the town.
Trivia
- Leo is left-handed.
- He is a Pisces, and so is his actor.
- Leo seems to be a “flexitarian” and considers himself “a vegan at heart” but “eats meat from time to time.” (November 27, 2023) He also mentioned he smelled like “eau de faux turkey” from the men’s shelter. (December 25, 2023)
