Rafe Hernandez is a fictional character on ''
Days of Our Lives
''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
'', an American
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
network. Portrayed by
Galen Gering
Galen Laius Gering (born February 13, 1971) is an American actor most known for his portrayal of characters on daytime soap operas. He currently plays the role of Rafe Hernandez on the long-running NBC soap opera '' Days of Our Lives.'' He also ...
and created by
Dena Higley
Dena Higley (born September 26, 1958) is an American writer, speaker and author.
Early life and career
Higley grew up in East County, San Diego and was the first of three children. She moved to Los Angeles as a teenager eventually graduating from ...
, Rafe is introduced in 2008 as the FBI agent assigned to protect the troublesome
Sami Brady
Sami Brady is a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network, portrayed by Alison Sweeney since 1993. The character is first seen as a newborn baby in the episode of October 16, 1984, in which mom Marle ...
(
Alison Sweeney
Alison Ann Sweeney (born September 19, 1976) is an American actress, reality show host, director and author. Sweeney is best known for her portrayal of Samantha "Sami" Brady on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', a role she played under co ...
) during her stay in witness protection. Sami and Rafe's contentious dynamic later develops into romance and the two fall in love and eventually marry. However, their romance is plagued by Sami's
supercouple
A supercouple or super couple (also known as a power couple) is a popular and/or wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or obsessive fashion. The term originated in the United States, and it was coined in the earl ...
romance with Salem's resident badboy,
EJ DiMera
EJ DiMera is a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by head writer James E. Reilly and introduced under executive producers, Ken Corday and Tom Langan, EJ is the son of crime boss St ...
(
James Scott). Rafe's disdain for the
DiMera family
''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television netw ...
grows when he discovers that EJ is behind the kidnapping and presumed death of Sami's daughter
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and EJ's father
Stefano
Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...
(
Joseph Mascolo
Joseph Peter Mascolo (March 13, 1929 – December 8, 2016) was an American musician and dramatic actor. During his long career, he acted in numerous motion pictures and television series. He played villain Stefano DiMera on NBC's soap opera ''D ...
) replaces Rafe with a
doppelganger. The series also introduces Rafe's younger sisters,
Arianna (
Lindsay Hartley
Lindsay Hartley (born Lindsay Nicole Korman; April 17, 1978) is an American actress. She first came to attention with three long-running soap opera roles: Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald on ''Passions'', Cara Castillo on ''All My Children'', and Arian ...
) and
Gabi (
Camila Banus
Camila Banus (born July 22, 1990) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Gabi Hernandez on the soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' from October 4, 2010, to June 12, 2014; Banus returned for brief appearances on December 22 and 29, ...
) and later his younger brother Dario (
Jordi Vilasuso
Jordi Alejandro Vilasuso (; born June 15, 1981 in Miami, Florida) is a Cuban-American actor best known for originating the role of Tony Santos on the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1 ...
). Rafe is very protective of his siblings having helped raise them when their father abandoned the family. Rafe also has an affair with
Kate Roberts (
Lauren Koslow
Lauren Alice Koslow (born March 9, 1953) is an American actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Kate Roberts (Days of Our Lives), Kate Roberts on the NBC dramatic serial ''Days of Our Lives'', which she has played continuously since ...
) putting him at odds with Stefano, Kate's ex-husband. He later falls in love with physical therapist
Jordan Ridgeway
Jordan Ridgeway is a fictional character on ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network. Introduced by Ken Corday, Lisa de Cazotte and Greg Meng, and created by Gary Tomlin and Christopher Whitesell, the character is portray ...
(
Chrishell Stause
Terrina Chrishell Stause (born July 21, 1981)"Rest Stop". ''Soap Opera Digest''. June 28, 2016. pg. 38. is an American actress and real estate agent. She is known for her role on the Netflix reality show ''Selling Sunset'', along with previous t ...
) whom he tries to help overcome her own dark past. In 2015, Rafe is forced to confront his past when his estranged father Eduardo (
A Martinez
Adolfo Larrue Martínez III (born September 27, 1948) is an American actor and singer with roles in the daytime soap operas '' Santa Barbara'', ''General Hospital'', ''One Life to Live'', ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', and ''Days of Our Lives' ...
) resurfaces. Rafe later falls in love with his longtime colleague
Hope Brady
Hope Williams Brady is a fictional character from '' Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by writer William J. Bell, she was portrayed by Kristian Alfonso on and off from April 1983 to October 2020. Hope is a mem ...
(
Kristian Alfonso
Kristian-Joy Alfonso (born September 5, 1963) is an American actress, former figure skater and fashion model. She is recognized for her portrayal of Hope Williams Brady on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''.
Early life
Alfonso was bor ...
) and supports her when she loses her true love to a brain tumor. When a grief-stricken Hope murders Stefano, Rafe helps her cover it up. Later storylines include raising Jordan's son, David, and his devastation when David's aunt gains custody of him, and developing a relationship with
Ava Vitali
Ava Vitali is a fictional character and former antagonist from ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created by and introduced by then-executive producers Ken Corday and Edward J. Scott, the role is portrayed by Tamara ...
(
Tamara Braun
Tamara Braun (born April 18, 1971) is an American actress known for her work on daytime television. She portrayed the role of Carly Corinthos on ''General Hospital'' from 2001–2005 and Reese Williams on ''All My Children'' from 2008 to 2009. I ...
).
Storylines
In October 2008, Federal Agent Rafe arrived in Salem to relay information to
Sami Brady
Sami Brady is a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network, portrayed by Alison Sweeney since 1993. The character is first seen as a newborn baby in the episode of October 16, 1984, in which mom Marle ...
and her guard, who had been assigned to her as part of the witness protection program. As Sami had become increasingly agitated by her isolation, she had slipped sleeping pills to her guard and knocking her unconscious. As a result, Rafe was permanently assigned to guard Sami, with whom he initially had a combative relationship. As time went on, however, Rafe and Sami began to form a friendship. While Rafe kept fairly quiet about his personal life, he did tell Sami that as a young child, he frequented a local convent due to his troubling behavior. Rafe became one of the very few people to learn that Sami was pregnant with the child of
E.J. DiMera (
James Scott), and agreed to help her conceal this fact. As time went on, Rafe began to develop feelings for Sami and after her stint in Witness Protection ended, he pursued a position within the Salem Police Department so he might remain close to Sami and her baby. Rafe also began to reconnect with his younger sister,
Arianna (then Felisha Terrell), who had concerns over his involvement with Sami. Despite Arianna's disapproval, Rafe continued to pursue Sami and asked her if he could legally adopt her baby, who they had named Grace. Tragically, several months later, Grace died from complications due to bacterial meningitis, leaving Sami and Rafe utterly devastated.
Following Grace's death, Sami began to observe an emotional distance in Rafe and came to discover him at the graveside of a woman named Emily Hudson. Rafe revealed to Sami that he was once engaged to marry Emily, but she died on the day of their wedding in a tragic accident. When Sami began to investigate Rafe's past, which he would not elaborate upon, she turned up very little. Shortly afterwards, Emily's vengeful sister Meredith arrived in Salem, and after kidnapping Rafe, she attempted to kill him as she held him responsible for Emily's death. Rafe was rescued by
Carly Manning
Carly Manning is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera '' Days of Our Lives''. Crystal Chappell portrayed the character from June 12, 1990, to October 18, 1993. After a sixteen-year absence, she reprised the role on October 2, 2009, to Septe ...
(
Crystal Chappell
Crystal Elizabeth Chappell (born August 4, 1965) is an American actress who played Carly Manning on ''Days of Our Lives'' from 1990 to 1993, Maggie Carpenter on ''One Life to Live'' from 1995–97 and Olivia Spencer on ''Guiding Light'' from ...
), who had recently returned to Salem following over fifteen years away. Following his recovery, Rafe began to investigate
Nicole Walker
Nicole Walker is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', a long-running series about working-class life in the fictional town of Salem. She was introduced in 1998 by head writer Sally Sussman Morina, and executive pr ...
(
Arianne Zuker), as he developed a theory that she had switched Grace with Sami's biological child. After collecting DNA samples from Sami, and the child, Sydney, Rafe was able to perform a DNA test and confirm that Sydney was in fact Sami's daughter. With Nicole's scheme exposed, she responded by abducting Sydney and leaving Salem. While she was on the run, Nicole encountered
Anna Fredericks
Anna DiMera is a fictional character on the NBC daytime drama, '' Days of Our Lives''. She was introduced as the estranged wife of Roman Brady and the biological mother of his daughter, Carrie Brady. Created by head writers, Margaret DePriest and ...
(
Leann Hunley
Leann Hunley (born February 25, 1955) is an American television actress. Although she has worked in numerous productions, she is perhaps best known for portraying Anna DiMera on NBC's ''Days of Our Lives'' and Dana Waring on the ABC primetime s ...
), who in turn kidnapped Sydney from Nicole. Anna began sending ransom notes to Sami, threatening her not involve the police. As a result, Sami began confiding in E.J. and leaving Rafe in the dark, resulting in Rafe ending their relationship.
Despite the end of his relationship with Sami, Rafe continued to investigate Sydney's abduction and became convinced that Anna was working alongside E.J. Despite his efforts to convince Anna to turn on E.J., Rafe was unsuccessful. By chance, Rafe observed a suspicious conversation between E.J. and Nicole on the Salem Pier that seemed to strengthen his theory. Rafe became convinced that E.J. had confessed his involvement in the abduction to Nicole and could somehow persuade her to reveal his involvement. In an effort to gain her confession, Rafe attempted to convince Nicole he was interested in her. After a few drinks at The Cheatin' Heart, Nicole and Rafe headed back to her apartment, and stopped short of sleeping together. He remained the night anyway, and used this time to search Nicole's apartment for evidence to incriminate E.J. in Sydney's abduction, eventually stumbling upon a recording of E.J. admitting to paying Anna to kidnap Sydney. Rafe confronted Nicole with the recording, and assured her immunity from prosecution should she authenticate the recording.
During Rafe's investigation into Sydney's kidnapping, E.J. and Sami had reconnected and were engaged to be married. On their wedding day, Rafe aired the recording of E.J.'s confession at their ceremony, resulting in Sami leaving E.J. Rafe and Sami reunited, resulting in him proposing to her. As they spent the night together, Sami snuck out intent on confronting E.J., whom she found unconscious and holding a gun. Sami used the gun to shoot E.J. in the head, and then proceeded to toss it into the river. When Sami's uncle,
Bo Brady
Beauregard Aurelius "Bo" Brady is a fictional character from the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. The role has been most notably portrayed by Peter Reckell, who originated the role on May 3, 1983.
Creation and Casting
Created unde ...
(
Peter Reckell
Peter Paul Reckell (born May 7, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Bo Brady, a role he originated in 1983 on the NBC drama ''Days of Our Lives''.
Reckell has played Bo Brady on ''Days of Our Lives'' from 1983 to 1987, 19 ...
) questioned her about E.J.'s shooting, Rafe insisted that Sami was with him at the time of the shooting. Sami confessed her involvement in E.J.'s shooting to Rafe, and despite his dedication to the law, Rafe handed in his resignation to the FBI and swore to protect Sami at all costs. E.J. soon discovered Sami's guilt in his shooting, and began blackmailing her for sole custody of their two children, Johnny and Sydney. If she refused his demands, he would turn her, as well as Rafe and her eldest son,
Will Horton
Will Horton is a fictional character from the American daytime TV soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', known for a highly praised coming out story, award-winning performances by actor Chandler Massey, and as one half of US daytime drama's first male ...
(then
Chandler Massey
Chandler Abit Massey (born September 10, 1990)"Will & Grace". ''Soap Opera Digest''. October 30, 2017. pg. 44. is an American actor and singer, best known for his portrayal of Will Horton on the daytime soap opera '' Days of Our Lives''.
Massey ...
) in as accessories to attempted murder. With her back against the wall, a devastated Sami agreed to E.J.'s demands. Rafe assured Sami that he would do whatever he had to help her regain custody of the children, and in order to have one last happy memory before the hard times to follow, suggested they have the wedding that night. Sami agreed, and she and Rafe were married in November 2010.
Following their wedding, Rafe joined the Salem Police Department and began investigating E.J, hoping to uncover evidence against him and send him to prison. Rafe's investigation was quickly stalled, when it was discovered that Johnny had cancer. Rafe stood by Sami throughout the cancer ordeal, especially when Johnny needed to have one of his eyes removed. Johnny's cancer was discovered to have spread to his remaining eye, but as the doctors had caught it in time, they were able to treat it and spare his vision. With Johnny's crisis averted, E.J. began to allow Sami back into her children's lives. However, Rafe continued to remain in E.J.'s crosshairs.
Development
Casting and creation
In late August 2008, rumors circulated that former ''
Passions
''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and pro ...
'' star Galen Gering, known for his role of
Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald
Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera ''Passions'', portrayed from 1999 to 2008 by original cast member Galen Gering. Debuting in the series' premiere episode, Luis is introduced as an honest, hard-working ...
was in-talks to join the cast of ''Days''.
However, news of Gering's casting was not formally announced until late September 2008. Gering would take on the newly-created role of FBI agent Rafael. Gering made his first appearance on October 31, 2008.
[ "It took longer that I had anticipated," Gering said of the casting process.] Forbes March
Forbes March (born May 12, 1973) is a British-born Canadian actor. Although born in Bristol, England, he was raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Biography
Forbes March, the son of Dr. Peter March, a former philosophy professor at Saint Mary's Univ ...
, known for his role as Nash Brennan
Nash Brennan is a fictional character on the American daytime drama ''One Life to Live'', played by Forbes March from July 7, 2005 to July 16, 2008.
Storylines
Nash, an aspiring vineyard owner, comes to Llanview after falling for a woman named Te ...
on ''One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
'', and Wes Ramsey
Wesley Albert Ramsey (born October 6, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his performance in the romantic drama film ''Latter Days'', and for playing Sam Spencer on the CBS daytime soap opera ''Guiding Light'' and for his recurring rol ...
also auditioned for the role. Gering signed onto the series a few months after shooting his final episode of ''Passions''. While Gering comes from both Jewish and Spanish heritage, he is usually cast in Latino roles. Gering said he didn't not mind being typecast. "It's paying the bills!" Executive producer Ken Corday
Kenneth Robert Corday (born June 16, 1950) is an American television soap opera producer and music composer. He is the son of Ted Corday and Betty Corday, the co-creators of ''Days of Our Lives''. His production company Corday Productions owns 1 ...
was unfamiliar with Gering's work so he had to audition for the role but co-executive producer, Gary Tomlin Gary Tomlin is an American soap opera actor, writer, producer and director.
Career
Tomlin's career on daytime serials began in 1973 when he was cast on CBS's ''Search for Tomorrow'' as Bruce Carson. He also made a guest appearance on "The Nightwal ...
"championed" his casting.[ Gering and Tomlin worked together on ''Passions'' when Tomlin for the series.] The actor admitted that he didn't know much about Rafe, but had a meeting Tomlin who assured him that his potential storyline would be a "great" one. Gering said of his casting, "When I joined the soap, it was a weird time at ''DAYS''" as the series had just fired their biggest stars in Deidre Hall
Deidre Ann Hall is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Marlena Evans on NBC's daytime drama ''Days of Our Lives'', whom she has played for over 45 years.
Hall has won many awards for her portrayal of Marlena, including ...
and Drake Hogestyn
Donald Drake Hogestyn () (born September 29, 1953) is an American actor best known for his long running role as John Black on the American soap opera '' Days of Our Lives''.
Early life
Hogestyn was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he gradua ...
. They were also unsure of if they'd even still be on the air. Gering noted the irony in returning to the set because he had auditioned for ''Passions'' on the set of ''Days of Our Lives''.[ Gering said of his initial plans for the character, "I didn't want Rafe to be this one-note FBI guy. I wanted him to be quirky." However, he didn't have time to have much input because of how fast the swift production style. He described the character as a "great marriage of acting and writing."][ In contrast to ''Passions'', Gering said, "It’s clear and concise and well driven and well written, but I really like this character, Rafe."]
Relationships
The character of Rafe was first paired with Sweeney's Sami Brady. Gering appreciated the slow burn pacing of the romance. "I think they did a great job allowing the audience to see Sami and Rafe fall in love."[ "I always liked her personality and her spunky fire, so I'm really excited to be working with her" Gering said of his costar.][ Rafe is forced to be Sami's new bodyguard in witness protection after she sabotages the first two. However, Sami's usual scheming behavior does not fly with Rafe. Gering said "Sami's definitely met her match."] Their contentious relationship eventually blossoms into romance, and the duo eventually marries in November 2010. Gering said "I think they are soul-mates." Rafe and Sami " each other very well and support one another." He continued, "I think they definitely have what it takes to last long-term." However, most of their relationship is plagued by Sami's longstanding romance with EJ DiMera (James Scott), the kidnapping and presumed deaths of two of her children, and when EJ's father, Stefano
Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...
(Joseph Mascolo
Joseph Peter Mascolo (March 13, 1929 – December 8, 2016) was an American musician and dramatic actor. During his long career, he acted in numerous motion pictures and television series. He played villain Stefano DiMera on NBC's soap opera ''D ...
) replaces Rafe with a doppelganger.[ Sami and Rafe eventually break up over a disagreement with Nick and Gabi raising Will's baby, causing her to run to EJ.
]
Reception
Dan J. Kroll said Gering's introduction would provide comfort for fans of the cancelled ''Passions''.[ Gering's debut was mostly well received by viewers.] Nelson Branco was "worried" when Gering joined the cast but Rafe soon become one of his favorite characters. Branco likened the character to Peter Reckell
Peter Paul Reckell (born May 7, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Bo Brady, a role he originated in 1983 on the NBC drama ''Days of Our Lives''.
Reckell has played Bo Brady on ''Days of Our Lives'' from 1983 to 1987, 19 ...
's legendary Bo Brady
Beauregard Aurelius "Bo" Brady is a fictional character from the NBC daytime soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. The role has been most notably portrayed by Peter Reckell, who originated the role on May 3, 1983.
Creation and Casting
Created unde ...
as the resident hero of the series.[ By 2011, Gering had solidified his place as a "fan favorite." Hayley Farb said "Galen Gering has portrayed every woman's prince charming." Farb also praised Gering's portrayal of Rafe's doppelgänger. "His underestimated talent reached new heights through his dual role."][
]
References
External links
Rafe at soapcentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Rafe
Days of Our Lives characters
Fictional Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel
Fictional American police officers
Television characters introduced in 2008
Male characters in television
Fictional Hispanic and Latino American people