Hope Williams Brady

Hope Brady
Kristian Alfonso as Hope Brady
Days of our Lives character
Portrayed by	Kristian Alfonso (1983–87, 1990, 1994—) (and others)1
Duration	1974–87, 1990, 1994—
First appearance	January 10, 1974
Created by	William J. Bell
Introduced by	Betty Corday
Classification	Present, regular
Profile
Occupation	Detective for the Salem PD Former Police Officer Bounty Hunter Police Officer Private Eye Model
Residence	Copper Lantern Drive Salem, USA
Family Family Horton Parents Doug Williams Addie Horton Siblings Steven Olson Julie Olson Douglas LeClaire Spouse Larry Welch (1984-85) Bo Brady (1985-95, 2000–12)[1] John Black (1999–2012)[1] Children Shawn-Douglas Brady Zack Brady Ciara Brady Grandchildren Claire Brady Grandparents Tom Horton Alice Horton Aunts and uncles Byron Carmichael Tom Horton Jr. Mickey Horton Bill Horton Marie Horton First cousins Sandy Horton Melissa Horton (adoptive) Sarah Horton (adoptive) Mike Horton Jennifer Horton Lucas Horton Jessica Blake Fallon

Hope Alice Brady (née Williams; formerly Welch) is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives. Created by writer William J. Bell, she has been portrayed by Kristian Alfonso since she was SORASed to an adult in April 14, 1983.^[2][3] Hope is a member of the Horton family, the long-running core fictional family on Days. She is the mother of Shawn-Douglas Brady, Zack Brady (deceased), and Ciara Brady. She is one half of the super couple Bope the signature supercouple of the daytime drama.^[4] She is also the stepmother of Chelsea Brady. She is a detective for the Salem, P.D.

Alfonso was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series (previously called Outstanding Igenue)in 1985.^[3] She has also been nominated for eight Soap Opera Digest Awards and won four — two with co-star Peter Reckell (Bo) for Favorite Couple (2001, 2003), Hottest Female Star (1999) and Favorite Newcomer (1984). She was also nominated for three Young Artist Awards (1984-'86).^[3] In 2002 she and Reckell won a Special Fan Award (voted online) at the Daytime Emmys as Favorite Couple.^[3]

Character history

Hope Williams Brady, the mother of Shawn-Douglas, Zack and Ciara Brady, is born on-screen on January 10, 1974^[5] to Doug Williams and Addie Horton. Soon after she marries Doug and becomes pregnant, Addie discovers she is suffering from leukemia, but she declines treatment in order to save her unborn baby. On December 24, 1974, while crossing the street, an oncoming car careens towards Hope and Addie, but Addie pushes Hope's baby-carriage out of the way, just in time to save her baby daughter, but not herself. Addie dies, and Hope is taken in by her maternal grandparents, Tom and Alice Horton, until Doug is strong enough to take care of her. Addie, who was wealthy from her first marriage to Ben Olson, leaves Doug and Hope with financial security. Soon after Addie's death, Doug marries Hope's half-sister Julie Olson. Hope is sent off to boarding school and is not seen again until the 1980s.^[6] She returns in the spring of 1983 when Roman Brady rescues her after she runs away from boarding school and later falls from a car driven by a drunk friend. She later develops a crush on Roman.

Roman spurns Hope's advances, even after Hope attempts to seduce him, and the situation inflames the jealousy of Roman's younger brother, local bad boy Bo Brady. Bo and Hope start to fall in love while working together in various dangerous situations. On Hope's 18th birthday, she and Bo decide to make love but Doug tries to stop them and suffers a heart attack, and Hope agrees never to see Bo again. Bo hides the fact that his brother Roman is alive, and to protect Hope, pushes her away. Hope spends time with Larry Welch, (a local politician) and thinking that Bo no longer loves her, she agrees to marry him. As Hope and Larry stand at the altar, Bo rides into the church on his motorbike and kidnaps Hope before the wedding can be completed. However, Hope is then kidnapped again, this time from the barn where Bo has taken her, and the kidnappers force her to marry Larry. Bo is devastated, but later discovers the true reason Hope married Larry; the two vow never to be apart, and to work together to find out who is behind Larry.

Larry takes the fall for Salem's drug ring, leaving Bo and Hope free to finally marry in 1985. By this time it has been revealed that Bo's real father is Victor Kiriakis. The couple move into Victor's home but they soon experience marital problems, and Hope disapproves of Bo's sudden change of character to please his father. Hope falls pregnant, but miscarries her child. They try again and have a son Shawn-Douglas who is born in 1987. Bo, Hope, and Shawn leave Salem in 1987, and sail the world on their ship, Fancy Face.^[6]

They return to Salem in 1990, but soon after, Hope is embroiled in the schemes of the villainous Ernesto Toscano, who kidnaps Hope and holds her hostage in a cave. When the cave explodes, Hope is presumed dead. Four years later, Bo begins a new relationship with Billie Reid, who later proposes to him, but their plans are shattered after John Black finds an amnesiac woman at Stefano DiMera's house, "Maison Blache", who looks exactly like Hope. The woman calls herself "Gina", but after Alice finds a puzzle box that only Hope could open, they learn that "Gina" is truly Hope.^[6] Bo later breaks up with Billie, and reconciles with Hope but just before they are to remarry, Hope catches Bo in a compromising position with Billie, and rejects Bo. She then moves in with Franco Kelly.^[7]

It is subsequently revealed that during Hope's four years of captivity at Maison Blanche, Stefano has the memories of the real Princess Gina Von Amberg, an accomplished art thief, saved on a chip and then installed in Hope's head. Now Stefano is seeking to retrieve his art treasures from Vivian Alamain, so he turns Hope back into Gina to help him - he has her kidnap John Black, and they make love on Stafano's yacht. When Stefano finds them, he ditches John and makes love to Hope himself. Hope and Stefano then travel to Paris where they are held prisoner by the real Gina as she tries to reclaim her life. They are finally rescued and Hope finds herself pregnant. Hope wishes that the baby is Bo's but doesn't believe it possible, so she comes to believe that the baby is John's. In fact the baby belongs to Marlo Ungerschtemer and had been switched with Hope's baby at birth by Stefano.

In June 1999 Princess Gina arrives in Salem and reveals herself to Greta at John and Marlena's wedding. Meanwhile, Hope, still believing herself to be Princess Gina, arrives with Stefano; Hope briefly recovers her identity, but Stefano and Princess Gina then capture Hope and the real Gina takes her place. The ruse is briefly successful but Marlena and Shawn discover the truth and rush to stop the wedding of Bo and the false "Hope" on News Year's Eve 1999. The truth is exposed and Princess Gina attempts to shoot Shawn and Marlena, but she is shot and "killed" instead. Bo doesn't discover that Princess Gina was the one who died until the cremation. Bo rushes over and confronts Stefano, however Stefano brainwashes Bo to be evil. However, Bo comes recovers and finds Hope in the Dimera Mansion in poor health. Bo discovers that when Hope thought she was Gina, she slept with both John and Stefano and ended up pregnant but it is revealed that Bo is the real father. However it is also revealed that Gina is still alive, and she and Stefano now plot their revenge by changing the test results of the paternity test and switch the babies with Rolf's niece Marlo, who is having a child that will be adopted and given to Stefano's daughter Lexie and her husband, Abe, who is Stefano's rival.

Hope gives birth to their second child, Zack, in 2000, but the babies are switched by Stefano DiMera, and Hope believes her son is J.T Reiber. The switch is revealed, and they get Zack back. In 2002, Larry Welch returns and he and Billie Reed scheme to kidnap and kill Hope. Hope is rescued, Larry and Billie are caught; Billie is pardoned and ask to leave Salem but Larry Welch is eventually murdered in January 2003.

In 2003 Salem is rocked by a rash of apparent serial killings known as the Salem Stalker Murders, in which many close to Hope disappear and are presumed dead. Hope pursues the prime suspect, Patrick Lockhart, tracking him to Melaswen Island, where the two have an affair, and Hope discovers that all the missing victims are being held, alive. Bo tracks Hope to the island and they are reunited, but the situation in complicated by the fact that the group of "disappeared" includes Bo's old flame Billie. Bo and Bille also learn that their daughter is actually alive, and is Chelsea Brady.^[6]

On New Year's Eve 2006, Hope's son Zack is killed in a hit-and-run accident and the killer is revealed to be Bo & Billie's daughter, Chelsea.^[6] Bo learns that Chelsea was driving the car that hit Zack, but agrees to keep it a secret from everyone - including Hope - so his daughter won't go to jail. When Hope finds out, she kicks Bo out of the house and asks for a divorce by email. Meddling Chelsea responds to the email, pretending to be Bo, and agrees to the divorce.^[6] Hope is devastated and begins a relationship with Patrick Lockhart.

Hope learns she is pregnant, and thinks the father is Patrick, but she learns that Patrick had paid the doctor to change the DNA tests, and that Bo is actually the father.^[6] and the two again reconcile. In 2008 Bo & Hope travel to Ireland to meet Colleen Brady after revealing the Brady-DiMera feud, but the group is involved in a plane crash; Grandpa Shawn Brady is killed, and everyone else is injured.^[6] Bo is briefly diagnosed with mystery illness affecting his pancreas, he requires a partial pancreas transplant and makes a full recovery.^[6] Bo & Hope's daughter Ciara Brady is kidnapped in the summer of 2009, and Hope struggles with her memories of losing their son Zach. She moves out of their house, taking Ciara with her. Bo is devastated.

Bo's old flame Carly Manning comes back to Salem, and pursues her ex-love Bo, driving a new wedge between Bo and Hope. Because of her separation from Bo, and his relationship with Carly, Hope is unable to sleep and takes prescribed medication, but she suffers bizarre side-effects that cause her to assume an alter-ego who mugs men on the street. Hope is caught and sent to jail shortly after this. During her prison time she uncovers an illegal organ ring, and Bo rescues her from prison. Whilst on the run, the two realize their relationship is far from over, and Bo ends his relationship with Carly.

In 2011, Bo and Hope renew their love for each other. On November 11, 2011, while searching through Alice's effects, Hope and Jennifer find a clock bearing the symbol of a phoenix, meaning Alice's secrets point to Stefano DiMera. During a conversation between Hope and Marlena on December 17, 2012, it is revealed that John and Hope’s divorce was finalized. Bo and Hope's problems now move to employment, mainly due to budget cuts at the Salem P.D., which meant that they are both asked to take a pay cut. Hope happily agrees, but Bo is very reluctant. After reassuring him that she will support his decision Bo chooses to leave the police force. About the same time, Bo's mother Caroline begins to show symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Kayla locates a clinic in California that will accept Caroline as a patient for a trial treatment. Bo leaves town with Caroline, and is reported to have returned to Salem a short while later, but is not seen on screen.

See also

• Bo Brady and Hope Williams
• Supercouple
• Horton family
• Brady family

References

Notes

1. ^ The character was portrayed by child actor Kimberly Weber from 1974 to 1975, and by Natasha Ryan from 1975 through 1980. From 1981 until 1982, child actor Tammy Taylor played Hope. Actress Kristian Alfonso assumed the role of teenaged Hope Williams in 1983, playing the role through 1987, reappearing in 1990, and playing the role since 1994.

Mila Kunis played a younger Hope in a flashback in 1994.

External links

• Hope at soapcentral.com