The Five Faces of Eileen Davidson

April 24th, 1998 marked the end of one of "Days of Our Lives'" most imaginative, off-the-wall and totally enthralling story lines that ever hit soaps, a lengthy tale that couldn't have been pulled off without the brilliance of Eileen Davidson.

      The actress's portrayal of not just one, not two, but five characters (and that's not counting Kristen pretending to be Susan and vice-versa) on the popular soap has been a fascinating study in totally distinct, yet slightly eccentric personalities.

      Davidson's voyage into soap opera history as the first actress to play five roles on daytime television began when Davidson's original character Kristen suffered a miscarriage in Paris. Fiercely determined not to lose John as a result, Kristen enlisted Stefano's help. Her stepfather complied by finding Susan Banks, an exact double (well, except for the teeth) for Kristen.

      Using his abundant fertility, Stefano made sure that Susan would give birth - to his son. Knowing that Susan's life-long idol was Elvis Presley, Stefano drugged Susan, dressed as The King and artificially inseminated her with his child.

      Even though Susan was carrying Stefano's child, she firmly believed that Elvis was the father because he appeared at her bedside.

      The plan was for Susan to give birth, then Kristen would take the baby and raise him as John, Jr. and John, Sr. would never know that Kristen suffered a miscarriage. Kristen used padding to fake her pregnancy while Susan was fixed up with a set of dentures and passed as Kristen in the delivery room. Neither Kristen nor step-dad Stefano had an inkling of things to come, though.

Susan's motherly bond was very strong and the wacky Banks began a one person crusade to get her baby Elvis back. Living with John and Kristen as the nanny brought about the perfect opportunity to remain close to her baby while trying to find a way to get him back. In the interim, Susan fell in love with John. That was when Kristen's house of cards began to tumble.

      At that time, Kristen had Marlena locked in the secret room until Stefano could come and take her away. Susan turned the tables, though, and locked Kristen in with Marlena. John was none the wiser as Susan impersonated Kristen and began to live the perfect life with John and little Elvis. She planned the perfect wedding - Elvis Presley style - that went off without a hitch.....until Susan was exposed when her teeth flew out of her mouth and into Vivian's drink! Kristen's lies came out in the open, but she sure wasn't about to give up on John and "John, Jr."

      Throughout this whole charade, Davidson never faltered in her double duty and gave top notch performances as the dueling doubles. The powers-that-be at "Days" didn't miss a beat and as a result, utilized even more of Davidson's acting prowess by introducing Susan's siblings.

      First came Sister Mary Moira, Susan's stern, yet deeply loyal sister who was also a sister of the convent. Sister Mary appeared in Salem in an attempt to keep her naive sister out of harm's way (which was no easy task).

      Sister Mary was followed by a brief appearance from the Banks' brother Thomas, from whom Susan sought help. As things grew to a heated climax in the story line, yet another Banks sibling appeared. She was Susan's sister Penelope, who was adopted by an orthodontist in England after birth. Penelope had her teeth fixed and was an exact match for Kristen, which helped in Susan's final plan to be free from "the evil Kris-tan" once and for all.

      With each twist in the story line and each new character introduced, it all was quite believable and a major treat to watch. "Days" marches on without Davidson (the show consistently hits the No. 1 spot in the coveted women 18-49 demographic), but since her departure, it's like weaning off of chocolate - and begging for just a little bit more.

      Being a soap actor is one of the most demanding jobs for a thespian and Davidson was the first to admit that she was overdue for time off. Never has a daytime actor taken on five roles, playing three of them on a regular basis. Her schedule was exhausting, long days the norm. Originally slated to leave the show at the end of last year, Davidson agreed to extend her time in Salem to wrap things up and give her characters a proper send-off.

      Aside from needing a well-deserved break, it just may be the perfect time for Davidson to call it quits. The actress could very easily find herself at the end of an extremely successful five-year run with the ultimate prize for a soap actress - a daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress. This year's nod is Davidson's first nomination for an Emmy and the first year that an actress from "Days" has received a nomination for Lead Actress since Frances Reid in 1987. That's solid proof that not only have the fans taken notice of Davidson's extraordinary body of work, but so have her peers in the daytime industry.

      Although Davidson taped her final scenes on April 3rd and we saw the last of Kristen, Susan, Mary, Thomas and Penelope through April 24th, one thing is certain in daytime - never say never to a return!