Peter Reckell

Peter Reckell single-handedly changed the face of daytime with his strong portrayal of Bo Brady, the longhaired, bearded anti-hero on NBC-TV's number one daytime program Days of our Lives. His "break all the rules" approach, complete with motorcycle, earring and tattoo, created a characterization never before imagined for a daytime hero, and the impact was almost immediate. Peter was rated the number one male in daytime television for three straight years and garnered a People's Choice nomination for his portrayal of Bo, projecting strength and danger, tempered with a gentle vulnerability. His return in August, 1995 reunites Reckell in the role he originated with co-star Kristian Alfonso, who plays Hope.

This success story has a very solid foundation. Raised on a Michigan farm with two brothers and three sisters, Peter grew up riding horses and building houses with his father, showing promise of being the strong, silent outdoorsy type. What broke him out of the "aw-shucks" Gary Cooper mold was the discovery of a fine singing voice by his mother, a speech pathologist. While building sets for community theater, he became involved with a production of West Side Story.

"As a kid of fourteen I got hooked on pretending. I was suddenly in a whole other world, being in a gang, or whatever story. It was so attractive it soon consumed my life. I wanted to play all the time," Peter remembers.

Dissolve to the prestigious Boston Conservatory where Peter received his B.F.A. in theater with a minor in music and dance. He put himself through school by working as a singing waiter. The next step for this mid-western boy was the "Big Apple." He was one of the few who didn't have to play the role of the starving actor for too long. He did an Off-Broadway production of Moonchildren, and was in the longest running musical of all time, The Fantasticks. He made his television debut as the all-American Eric Hollister on As the World Turns. Realizing that the experience was invaluable, Peter stayed with the role for two years (1980-81), and soon after his arrival in L.A. all his training, perseverance and ability paid off when he landed the role of Bo Brady in 1983.

Then, Peter segued to prime time and gained new success and popularity portraying Johnny Rourke on the hit CBS series Knots Landing. TV Guide labeled him and his co-star "sexiest couple in a nighttime series".

During Peter's years on television, his attraction to live theater has never waned. He has done many musical productions, including Carousel, Pirates of Penzance, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Guys and Dolls, as well as legitimate theater, including productions of Love Letters and Death Trap. Drama-Logue said of his performance in the original production of Misconduct Allowed, "Reckell is almost too good to be true - tanned, fit, ridiculously attractive with an engagingly unruly forelock and a dazzling smile. Plus that, as an actor, he makes the right moves at the right times and can segue smoothly and believably from wry comedy to wrenching anguish." Peter reflects, "There is something about the energy, immediacy and adrenaline of live theater that I will always return to."

Peter has recently returned from Russia after shooting the film, Brooklyn Bridges, produced by Oscar winner Rustam Ibraguimbekov.

It would be an easy matter for Peter to relax and enjoy his success. But it would do nothing for him as an actor or as a person, and he is simply unwilling to spend even a short time without doing something that will ultimately add to his arsenal of talent, experience and sensitivity.

He was at the top of daytime, he risked it all and left. The risk paid off when he was welcomed to Knots Landing. Not many are willing to take that kind of professional risk. He also pushes himself physically. A natural athlete, his performance on the high wire in the Circus of the Stars was astounding, not only to television audiences, but to his trainers as well.

Today his physical regiment is as challenging as his artistic. It includes martial arts, yoga, and a passion for mountain bicycling. The mountains are not the only place you will find Peter riding his bike. He is a dedicated environmentalist, so don't be surprised to find him showing up at a business meeting in his bike shorts and, of course, he pedals his way to the Days set. Peter took his interest in fitness to new heights when he opened his own fitness gym in January 1997. Based in La Jolla, California, Evolve Indoor Training Center offers yoga, spinning (a type of indoor bicycle riding) and massage. Reckell says, "I wanted a place where everybody feels welcome - people who are fit, people who aren't."

Peter's hunger for new challenges, both professionally and personally will serve him through his entire career. He has learned to live comfortably with humor and ease of the very uncomfortable edge, and to make the risks work for him, as an actor and as a man.