John Aniston on Working With Daughter Jennifer Aniston and His Favorite Days of our Lives Memories

Legendary actor John Aniston passed away at the age of 89 on Friday, November 11, 2022. In honor of him, we’re resharing this 2015 interview from the set of Days of our Lives in which he opened up about his life in front of and behind the camera.

At 82 years young, John Aniston has an extra skip in his step. Thanks to powerful story lines and snappy writing, Days of Our Lives’ Victor Kiriakis has never been more fun to watch, whether he’s hurling insults at Theresa or coming to the aid of Caroline. Now, the acting vet (who has starred in 40 Broadway, Off-Broadway, and other theater productions) is celebrating 30 years as the powerful Kiriakis patriarch on the NBC daytime drama—not including the handful of appearances he made as Eric Richards on the show in the early ’70s.

In person, the Greek-born actor (and Penn State graduate) has Victor’s commanding presence and whip-smart quips, but he is also a master storyteller who has a soft-spot for all the actors on the show. Over the course of an hour, we sat down with Aniston in his dressing room to talk about his famous mustache, location shoots gone awry, and whether daughter Jennifer will ever make a cameo in Salem.

Glamour: Who was your first scene with on Days of Our Lives?

John Aniston: Everybody. It was a big fundraising affair at the country club, and they had an auction. There was a photograph, and they started bidding on it. From the back of the room, you hear a voice, and it’s Victor saying, “One million dollars.” That was my entrance.

Who do you remember working with most in the beginning?

You’re really pressing me. [Laughs] I think Peggy McCay because one of the first stories we did was when I found out Bo was my son. I had a lot of scenes with her and Peter Reckell. Peter and I got along famously, and Peggy and I had been on Love of Life together in New York. She was the original leading lady on that show, so we had a lot to talk about.