Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that can help answer the question.
Query: When was Drake Hogestyn born?
Donald Drake Hogestyn (/ˈhʌdʒstən/ (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.
Hogestyn married his childhood sweetheart Victoria. The couple have four children: three daughters, Whitney, Alexandra and Rachael; and one son, Ben.
As his past was slowly being revealed, John was also dismissed from the ISA (due to refusing long-term assignments), and he opened a private investigation firm with Steve Johnson called Black Patch. In late 2016 and early 2017, as Drake Hogestyn was recovering from injuries he sustained in an on-set accident, John's absence was explained at first with a visit to his native Louisiana, then by a long-term "assignment" or "mission", suggesting that John was either working for a high-level client of Black Patch, or had been reinstated in the ISA. Hogestyn's return to the show in mid-2017 was explained as the latter being true, as John returned from a deep-cover ISA assignment only to join his wife Marlena on a rescue mission to save several younger Salemites, including his son Paul, from a deserted island. John's adventures in 2017 included helping Paul solve the mystery of Deimos Kiriakis's murder, and yet another classic soap opera mistaken-identity caper 
The character was next paired with Yvette DuPrés (Lori Hallier) who is also involved with his rival, Victor Kiriakis. John/Roman keeps Yvette "at arm's length." However Hogestyn considered the romance to be a "relationship of convenience." It provides the opportunity for John/Roman to stick it to Victor "and at the same time have some fun." However, insisted that the romance could never live up to his previous two pairings. Hogestyn was surprised by the abrupt ending of John/Roman's romance with Yvette. He really enjoyed working opposite Lori Hallier. "She was very conscientious about wanting to work... working scenes out. That was so refreshing for me." John's short lived romance with Yvette seems to be a precursor to his next great love story. In early 1990, Hogestyn was informed that his character's next great love story was in the works. John/Roman was next paired with Isabella Toscano (Staci Greason) -- the illegitimate daughter of Victor Kiriakis. Hogestyn enjoyed working opposite the newcomer. "She reminds me of me when I first started on the show... I had no soap opera experience, and my energy was boundless."
Hogestyn began his acting career by entering a Columbia Pictures talent search that included 75,000 people. Hogestyn was among the 30 selected, and his first starring role was on the prime time series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. After a few minor roles (one as Kort, leader of the Micro Workers in the episode 'Princess Metra', on the 80s television series Otherworld (TV series)), Hogestyn joined the cast of Days of our Lives in 1986. He initially played a mystery man referred to simply as "The Pawn," however, it was soon revealed The Pawn was the presumed dead Roman Brady. Hogestyn quickly became a fan favorite and enjoyed many popular pairings, the most popular of which was the legendary one he shared with longtime co-star Deidre Hall. In 1998, while starring on Days, Shelley Long wanted Drake to join her for an upcoming series, Kelly, Kelly. He was set to star in both until the filming of the pilot episode of Kelly, Kelly conflicted with his schedule on Days and the role went to Robert Hays.[2]
Hogestyn always hoped his character would be paired with Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) -- even when his character's identity is in question. Even viewers began to echo his sentiments—no matter who John Black turned out to be, he and Marlena were meant to be. When Deidre Hall left the series in 1987 and Marlena is killed off, it took quite some for the producers to pair John with another woman. "I get the impression they're trying to keep a low profile because of Deidre's departure." Hogestyn was warned that he wouldn't be getting much story. "I was told I was going to be virtually non-existent" at least until Roman could grieve properly. Though it was difficult wait, Hogestyn understood why the writers chose to put his character in the background. "You can't rush from one love story right into the next" he said. "Soap Opera Stars" magazine later reported that the show runners weren't sure if Hogestyn would work without Hall and there were plans to write his character out. "Roman's big goodbye scene was nearly in the works." However, after losing several high-profile stars after including Hall, and Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso as supercouple Bo and Hope, the network knew they couldn't afford to lose Hogestyn as well. Hogestyn viewed John and Marlena's relationship as a "classic love." It is "the perfect relationship" he said. Hogestyn appreciated that the relationship showed viewers that such a love is possible. When asked about a recast of Marlena instead of a new love interest, Hogestyn admitted that he didn't think viewers would accept it.
Drake's John Black character was "killed off" the week of October 15, 2007. It was rumored the character was officially dead and would not be back, but Days has a reputation for "killing" many characters and eventually bringing them back. In fact it turned out that John was not really dead at all, but had been abducted by long-time nemesis Stefano DiMera. As of January 8, 2008, Drake was back on Days of our Lives in the role he created. Confirmed on November 17, 2008, Drake, along with his long-time co-star, Deidre Hall, were let go from Days of our Lives due to budget cuts. Days of Our Lives brought back the characters of John and Marlena starting September 26, 2011.
In 1991, Wayne Northrop agreed to return to Days to reprise his role of Roman. In order to keep both actors on the show, Drake's story was retconned and his past rewritten. Despite this change, Hogestyn remained one of the show's most popular actors. The pairing of John Black and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) is one of the show's enduring supercouples.
Finally trusting that Hogestyn was popular enough to hold his own, the writers introduced a new love interest for him. John/Roman was next paired with Diana Colville played by "General Hospital" superstar, Genie Francis. Hogestyn revealed that the writers had given the duo much more creative input to establish a more fun dynamic. There weren't any plans to pair Roman/John with Diana but their interactions helped the story write itself. The character of Diana also had a romance with Mike Horton (Michael T. Weiss) and a failed engagement to Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston) and was even considered as a love interest for the returning Bo Brady (Reckell). However, Hogestyn's chemistry with Francis "just couldn't be denied." It is actually John who kidnaps Diana before she marries Victor. While there was initial backlash from staunch Marlena fans fearing John and Diana had developed too soon, majority of viewers quickly became fans of the new pairing not long after their first few scenes together. The duo had really strong scenes from the very beginning. "That was an accident" Hogestyn said. Despite it being seeming too soon, the network ordered the producers to capitalize on the fan reaction. "Genie and I worked hard from day one to make Diana and Roman work" Hogestyn explained. The duo also injected humor into their scenes whenever they could. "That added a nice, little touch to our romance." John/Roman initially tries to keep Diana at arms length because he fears getting so close to another woman, the way he got with Marlena. However, Diana's near death experience is a "turning point in their relationship." Diana and John/Roman are recognized as a supercouple in their own right. When Francis leaves the series in 1989, Hogestyn finds himself on the back burner once again.
Hogestyn is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
John Black is a fictional character from "Days of Our Lives", an American soap opera on the NBC network. He has been played by actor Drake Hogestyn since 1986, with a break in between from January 2009 to September 2011. John was created by script writers Sheri Anderson, Thom Racina and Leah Laiman as The Pawn in 1985 and introduced by executive producers Betty Corday and Al Rabin. John becomes one of the series' most popular characters when he is revealed to be the presumed dead Roman Brady (Wayne Northrop) with plastic surgery and amnesia. However, Northrop's return in 1991 led to Hogestyn's Roman being retconned into the entirely separate character of John Black, which also establishes the supercouple pairing of John and Marlena, due to John's affair with Roman's wife, Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall). Hogestyn was attributed with helping the series out of its ratings slump in the 1980s. He was often featured in soap opera magazines such as "Soap Opera Digest" and "Soap Opera Weekly".
Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn were nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award for "Hottest Romance" in 1998 and won a Soap Opera Digest award for "Favorite Couple" in 2005 for their portrayal of Marlena and John.
John Black and Marlena Evans Supercouple
Hogestyn was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he graduated from North Side High School. He attended the University of South Florida in Tampa on a baseball scholarship, majoring in pre-dentistry. He graduated with a double major in microbiology and applied sciences. He was then drafted by two professional baseball organizations: the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees. Hogestyn signed with the Yankees and played third base for one of their farm teams until he was injured in 1978.[1]
John Black and Marlena Evans are fictional characters and a supercouple from the American daytime drama "Days of Our Lives". John is portrayed by Drake Hogestyn and Marlena is portrayed by Deidre Hall. In magazines and in advertising, as well as on Internet message boards, the couple is often referred to by the portmanteau "Jarlena" (for John and Marlena) or "Jolena" (for John and Marlena).
Drake Hogestyn was fired in 2007 as a way to shrink down the budget. Later, in an attempt to stabilize ratings, he was brought back in 2008. As a result, it provided many storyline opportunities for the couple. However, with a vastly shrinking budget things didn't pan out as planned. "Days of Our Lives" was renewed in 2008, but the budget was slashed severely by 40%. To make do with the new restrictions, executive producer Ken Corday was forced to fire his two highest paid actors, Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. Critics slammed the show for their firings, with TV Guide's Nelson Branco saying in an interview, "The show became uglier after Hall and Hogestyn left the airwaves. Many claim it was the beginning of the end for our industry. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would disagree with that statement." Matt Mitovich said their exit was, "Truly the end of an era, as daytime television says goodbye to 'Days of Our Lives' John Black and Dr. Marlena Evans on Friday, Jan. 23. Drake Hogestyn and Deidre Hall, aka John and "Doc," have nearly 12,000 Days appearances between them over the past 32 years. As such, they will leave behind many memories for fans of NBC's long-running (and now only) sudser. The iconic couple will create another magical moment when they say goodbye to Salem and loved ones following this week's hospital bedside wedding ceremony."
Soap Opera Digest awards and nominations: Winner, Hottest Male Star (1994)[3] Winner, Hottest Male Star (1995)[4] Nominated, Hottest Male Star (1997) Nominated, Hottest Male Star (1998) Nominated, Hottest Romance (1998) shared with Deidre Hall Nominated, Favorite Couple (1999) shared with Deidre Hall Winner, Favorite Couple (2005) shared with Deidre Hall[5]
John and Marlena became a supercouple in 1986 on the American soap opera "Days of our Lives". Drake Hogestyn (John Black) joined the show that year and his chemistry with Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans) was undeniable. At the time, Hogestyn's character was an amnesiac named John Black. However, information (later proved false) suggested that he was really Roman Brady, Marlena's husband who was presumed dead, with extensive plastic surgery to explain the difference in appearance between the old Roman and John Black. John (as Roman) and Marlena were then married until she "died" in a plane crash in 1987.
The role was originated on December 8, 1981, by Wayne Northrop. Northrop departed from the series on November 26, 1984, and the character was killed off during a battle with his arch-nemesis, international organized crime leader Stefano DiMera. On November 27, 1985, the series introduced a character known as The Pawn. The role was portrayed by Robert Poynton until January 20, 1986, though the character's face is wrapped in bandages. On January 23, 1986, The Pawn's bandages were finally removed as Drake Hogestyn made his first appearance as John Black, a character with no memory of his past or knowledge of his real identity. In May 1986, Hogestyn's character of John is revealed to be Roman with extensive plastic surgery and Hogestyn played the role written as Roman until 1991. When Northrop returned as Roman on August 30, 1991, the character that Hogestyn had been portraying for five years was retconned to be an entirely separate character that had been brainwashed to believe he was Roman Brady. Northrop once again departed from the series on August 2, 1994. On July 18, 1997, Josh Taylor appeared in the role as a recast of Roman Brady. The casting was met with criticism due to Taylor's previous portrayal of Chris Kositchek, one of Roman and Marlena's closest friends. Northrop was later recast as another new character, Dr. Alex North, and scenes from Northrop's time playing Roman were edited to create the new character's backstory.
Beginning with the marital conflict storyline that kicked off in the fall of 2014, commentators thought Will was written as if he had had a sudden "full-on personality transplant"; and in January 2015, in the midst of Will and Sonny's relationship difficulties, Will breaks his marriage vows, and has sex with his interview subject, the star baseball player Paul Narita (Christopher Sean) – who turns out to be Sonny's ex, "and" the son of Will's step-grandpa, John Black (Drake Hogestyn). Sonny leaves Will in August 2015. Will endeavours to fix things with Sonny, and they are on the verge of re-uniting when Will is strangled and written out of the show.
In the summer of 1991, it was reported that Northrop and Deidre Hall were in talks to return to the series and reprise their respective roles as Roman and Marlena, leaving many to wonder what would become of Hogestyn's Roman. It was later revealed that Hogestyn's Roman was actually John Black all along, and Northrop was the "real" Roman. Hogestyn attributed the plot twist to the "producers' own brilliance" despite him suggesting the storyline a year earlier. He also appreciated the decision from a business perspective. When asked about the possibility of being Roman again if/when Northrop inevitably vacated the role—as the return was expected to be short term—Hogestyn said "I think I'd like to stay John Black because I've already been Roman and I wasn't him." Supervising executive producer Al Rabin said "This is a story that we've wanted to tell for a long time." Rabin promised that the plot would not affect Hogestyn's future with "Days" who at the time was locked into a four-year contract. The producer also shot down speculation that the story would take a page from the prime time soap "Dallas" in which Patrick Duffy's Bobby Ewing was killed off in season 8 and revealed to be alive in season 10 discounting all of season 9 as a dream. To avoid confusion during production, the two men were referenced in the script by number—Hogestyn being Roman II (John). Over the course of six months, the story explores all avenues most significantly, the effects on Roman and Marlena's twins Eric and Samantha who had been raised by Roman II for most of their lives. In 2002 Hogestyn commented on the retcon: "This is daytime television, and you never know where the story is going to take you."
In December 2008, "Days of our Lives" announced Deidre Hall (Marlena) and Drake Hogestyn (John) were departing from the series. Soap Opera Digest reported that the news "not only rocked the daytime world, it made headline in the mainstream press." In the week of their departure, the magazine published a collector's edition issue which featured the Hogestyn and Hall on the cover. Inside, the fan responses were printed as well as the story of the actor's dismissal and a time line of the fictional pairing's storylines. Fans of John and Marlena purchased a full-page ad in this issue thanking Hogestyn and Hall for twenty years of portraying the pairing as a couple.
By the time John is revealed to be Roman in May 1986, Drake Hogestyn had grown quite attached to the character of John. He said "One of the things I'm concerned about now is that it's going to be sad to put John Black to bed. I've had a lot of fun and it's been a stretch for me as an actor." He continued, "I had a chance to be very creative and take chances." Then Hogestyn was suddenly forced to take the character in another direction to see how viewers would react. "But I don't think they'll totally close the door on John Black" Hogestyn suspected. A year later, though he was happy with Roman, Hogestyn said he initially wanted to find success in his own role instead of a recast. The actor later admitted that he never thought of himself as a recast "because I played five months as John Black before they told me I was Roman." During an interview in 1990, Hogestyn said he hoped Wayne Northrop – the original Roman – could someday return as Roman. "Then you could start a whole new character out of that complication."
on IMDb Career statistics and player information from
In 2009, after struggling in the ratings for years, "Days of Our Lives" received a two-year pickup. However, the soap's budget was decreased by 40%. To make do with the new restrictions, executive producer Ken Corday was forced to fire Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. Marlena's on screen love interest, Drake Hogestyn, had been fired in early 2007 as a way to clear money in the budget. However, he was brought back in 2008 for storyline purposes and to please fans. The couple were quickly reunited after Drake returned; and then they traveled to Switzerland to treat John's physical disability. Fans were furious with the way the writers wrote John and Marlena out. In an interview with Nelson Branco, Deidre said, "Yes. There was enormous upheaval. I wasn't following a lot of the brouhaha but I was told fans and critics were upset. But it is what it is. Yes, it feels good to hear that fans miss Marlena. People are deeply attached to her."