Thaao Penghlis, 74, has seen his characters on "Days of Our Lives" and "General Hospital" killed numerous times. "The only thing I ask is they do not give me the cake of death," says Penghlis. He refers to the time-honored soap tradition. They fire you. They tell you how much they will miss you and teary-eyed cast mates say so long. A minute later, they head back to taping.

Penghlis has played heroes and villains. He explains, "You cannot have a good villain unless you have a good hero." He played both on "Days of Our Lives," cunning Andre and good guy Tony. "They look alike, but they are very different," says Penghlis. "My acting coach, Milton Katselas, insisted every character you play must have layers."

Penghlis is headed back to "Days of Our Lives" for a story arc.

Says Penghlis: "I love returning to the show. First, it means work. More than that I get to work with Lauren Koslow (Kate), Leann Hunley (Anna) and all the others. I have been on and off for 30 years. Amazingly, some of the crew I started with are still around."

The actor has loving memories of Joe Mascolo, who played his father, Stefano. "Joe was only a few years older than I," says Penghlis. "Scenes with him were always a surprise. You never knew what you were going to get. I mean that in a good ay. If a scene called for him to play chess, he learned how to play chess. Stefano loved classical music, so did Joe. For years when he was on the set, on or off camera he used the Stefano accent."

Born in Australia, Penghlis admits: "My parents were not thrilled about my career choice. When I got some primetime gigs, they were fine."

Acting is not his only love. Want a great meal? He will make it. "I love having guests for dinner. Seeing people eating and enjoying what I prepared is wonderful."

He also enjoys ancient artifacts. "I have been on several digs in Greece and other countries. You learn so much about past civilizations it helps you understand things that are going on presently."

In lockdown with the rest of the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, he is busy pouring over cookbooks, history books and fan mail that beg him to stay on "Days." "Not my call," says Penghlis. "If Ken (Corday, executive producer) calls, I am ready."

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: SommerRayn at Pixabay