| Tony DiMera | |||||||||||||||
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| Days of our Lives | |||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Thaao Penghlis | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1981–1985, 2007–2009 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | November 6, 1981 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | March 31, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
| Created by | Pat Falken Smith | ||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||
| Title | Count | ||||||||||||||
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Count Antony "Tony" DiMera is a fictional character from the American soap opera Days of our Lives, played by actor Thaao Penghlis on and off from 1981 until 2009. One of the character's main storylines includes being impersonated by fellow character André DiMera, at various points in the characters tenure. However, both roles were played by Penghlis.
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Count Tony DiMera arrived in Salem in 1981 with two purposes. He wanted to win back his wife, Liz Chandler, whom he had never officially divorced. He also wanted to scope out Salem on orders from his father Stefano DiMera to see if it was suitable to relocate the DiMera family business. Setting up his penthouse with hidden cameras, Tony throws a big party with invites sent to all of Salem's finest. After the party, Tony shows the videos to Stefano. Learning that the Brady family is alive and well in Salem, Stefano has Tony plant roots in the business community in order to continue the vendetta against the family that is the DiMeras sworn enemy, the Bradys.
In 1982, Tony proposed to Renee Dumonde, who accepted. However, Renee discovered Lee DuMonde's diary. Reading the diary she learned that Lee was really her mother and that Stefano DiMera was her father, making Tony her half brother. Renee quickly broke things off with Tony, not telling him the real reason in order to spare his feelings. Tony refused to let Renee go, and when she told him the truth he refused to believe they were siblings. Tony blamed Stefano for breaking them up. When Tony tried to leave town Stefano faked a heart attack. Tony later learned that he and Renee were in fact not related due to a death-bed confession by his mother Daphne and had the blood tests to prove it. Renee had moved on and was married with David Banning when Tony learned the truth. Despite the evidence that they were not related, Renee refused to leave David. She was later killed by Andre.
Around the same time Liz Chandler became pregnant with Neil Curtis' child, though Tony believed it was his. Tony would grant Liz her divorce, but only after the baby was born, because wanted the baby if it proved to be his. Liz gave birth to her baby, and when Tony realized it was Neil Curtis' child he quickly divorced Liz.
In 1984, Tony and evil lookalike Andre came face to face. Andre chained Tony up and took his place pretending to be Tony. It was the first, but wouldn't be the last time he impersonated Tony in the next 20 years.
In 1985, Tony and Anna became engaged once again. Their attempts at marriage encountered many rocky starts. Their first attempt was sabotaged by Alex Marshall and an actor playing a minister, thus their "marriage" was invalid. When they attempted a second time to get married, Anna was kidnapped. Eventually Tony and Anna were finally married, and returned to Salem. After returning from Salem Anna was accused of murder and while trying to prove her innocence Tony disappeared. Anna was also blamed for her husband's disappearance, but in truth Tony was held captive by a very much alive Claud Van Zandt, Anna's supposed victim. Claud was eventually discovered as being alive, and Anna was acquitted of all charges. Eventually, Tony was blackmailed by Emma Donovan to divorce Anna and leave Salem.
After over twenty years outside of Salem, Tony was finally located on a deserted island. Anna convinced him to return to Salem to confront his past (and his father), and Tony agreed to team up with the Bradys to end the DiMera/Brady feud once and for all. On March 31, 2009, Count Antony "Tony" DiMera was pronounced dead in Salem University Hospital after falling and becoming impaled, following a fight with Philip Kiriakis, a fight which Nicole Walker witnessed.
Before her death, Daphne DiMera claimed that her lover Enrico, the family gardner, was Tony's real father and blood tests in the early 1980s supported this as fact.