Abe Carver is a fictional character on the long-running American

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

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 aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

''. Actor James Reynolds has played the character since he originated it on the series in 1981, and is currently the fifth longest serving actor on the show. The role is one of the longest-running

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

characters in American soap operas. The character was created by head writer

Pat Falken Smith Pat Falken Smith (January 21, 1926 – May 19, 2001) was a television writer, best known for her being head writer of several soap operas, including ''General Hospital'' and ''Days of Our Lives''. Positions held ''Where the Heart Is (America ...

. Abe is the widowed husband of

Lexie Carver Lexie Carver is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera, ''Days of Our Lives'', created by head writer Leah Laiman. The role has been played most notably by actress Renée Jones, who appeared in the role from 1993 until departing in 2012. She i ...

, daughter of international crime lord,

Stefano DiMera Stefano DiMera is a fictional character from the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', played by Joseph Mascolo. Created by Pat Falken Smith, Stefano was introduced on January 18, 1982 as the father of Tony DiMera (Thaao Penghlis) looking to exp ...

. He is the father of Brandon Walker and

Theo Carver Theo Carver is a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created under head writer Dena Higley, Theo was born onscreen in 2003. The character was portrayed by two sets of twins and three child ac ...

and the adoptive father of

Lani Price Lani Price is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', played by Sal Stowers. On September 25, 2015, Lani was introduced by co-head writers Josh Griffith and Dena Higley as a rookie police officer, who is revealed to be th ...

Storylines

Abe grows up in Salem with his siblings, Theo, Jonah and Karen. His passion for justice starts young, but amplifies after Theo is killed by a crooked police officer. Abe joins the Salem Police Department determined to rid the city of filth, including international crime lord,

. Abe is also the police officer who investigates Anna Brady's claim that she was sold into white slavery. She reports the existence of her secret Swiss bank account to her husband,

Roman Brady Roman Brady is a fictional character from the NBC/Peacock (streaming service), Peacock soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. The role was originated in 1981 by Wayne Northrop, who played the role until 1984 and from 1991 to 1994, and is currently bein ...

. Abe starts a relationship with Nikki Wade, but this is cut short after he stands her up at a débutante ball in favor of heading up a drug bust. He is also in two short-lived relationships with Dr.

Valerie Grant Valerie Grant is a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'', an American soap opera on the NBC network. The character was created by Pat Falken Smith and introduced as the African American, black love interest for white American, white chara ...

and singer Tamara Price. Before Abe's promotion to police chief, he meets and marries Lexie Brooks. Over the years, their marriage gets compromised due to Lexie being the daughter of Stefano. His next major storyline involves the Aremid wedding of Peter Blake and

Jennifer Horton Jennifer Horton is a fictional character from the Peacock (streaming service), Peacock soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', played by actress Melissa Reeves. Jennifer was created by scriptwriter Pat Falken Smith, and executive producer Betty Corday ...

. Abe is caught up in the investigation of

Tony DiMera Tony DiMera is a fictional character from the Peacock (streaming service), Peacock American soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', played by actor Thaao Penghlis on and off from November 6, 1981, until October 24, 1985, and from July 19, 2007, until Ap ...

's murder. Abe and Lexi go to Paris to find

Marlena Evans Marlena Evans is a fictional character on the NBC/Peacock soap opera '' Days of Our Lives'', a long-running serial about working life in the fictional town of Salem. She has been played by actress Deidre Hall since 1976, but the character was ab ...

when Stefano kidnapped her. They end up finding and saving Marlena and catching Stefano but are unable to prosecute him, because only Stefano has a drug that can save Roman's life. Abe, Lexi, and John Black help break Stefano out of jail and later he is pardoned for his crimes after returning to Salem with the drug Roman needed. Later, Abe and Lexie adopt baby Isaac, thinking he is the child of DiMera henchman Wilhelm Rolf. Isaac is actually the son of

Bo Brady 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 under head-writer Margare ...

and

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 the present day, most recent ...

who was switched at birth by Stefano. Abe is later appalled to learn that Lexie knew of the switch, but hides the truth from him. Abe files for divorce but after Lexie helps Hope, Brady and her son Zack, Lexie and Abe reconcile. Brandon Walker comes to Salem with a deep hatred of Abe. Lexie sleeps with Brandon in a weak moment and becomes pregnant, unsure if Abe or Brandon is the father. It is revealed Abe is the father and Lexie and Abe reconcile for good. Brandon's presence causes issues for Abe until it is revealed that Brandon is Abe's illegitimate son with Fay Walker. After some time, Abe and Brandon embrace each other as family, and have since had a good relationship. In 2003, Abe is supposedly dead on the day of Theo's christening, becoming the first victim of the Salem Stalker serial killer. Months later, he is revealed to be alive – his death having been faked – on a remote tropical island, Melaswen, which is a complete replica of Salem. He works together with Roman and the others to escape the island. Abe is reunited with Lexie and Theo but goes blind as a result of an injury he got while escaping Melaswen and learns that he is impotent. His anger shines through and he becomes paranoid that Lexie is cheating. Eventually, Abe's eyesight is restored but an anonymous note leads him to a motel where he finds Lexie having sex with his protege, Salem police officer Tek Kramer. Their marriage is in turmoil for a while until Abe uses Lexie in the investigation of her half-brother,

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 ...

, and Abe falls back in love with her. They stay together until Lexie disappears on December 29, 2006. Abe's eyesight starts to deteriorate again and he undergoes a second retina transplant. At the same time, Lexie is found in the tunnels under Doug's Place and the DiMera mansion, where

André DiMera André DiMera is a fictional character from the NBC Daytime soap opera, ''Days of Our Lives''. The role was originated in 1983 by Thaao Penghlis when André was introduced as the nephew of Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo). Having undergone plastic ...

has kept her against her will for months. The transplant is successful and Abe returns to work as the Commissioner of the Salem Police Department. In the fall of 2010, Abe returned full-time to the screen. He began investigating the murders of the people of Salem, because he did not want anyone going through what he already had. However, the tables may turn on him when Stefano decided that he was going to frame Abe for the murders. In June 2012, Lexie, who has cancer, died peacefully in Abe's arms. In 2015, Abe finds out that he has a daughter,

, that he fathered with Tamara. In 2021, it was revealed that Lani wasn't his daughter but actually the daughter of Tamara's sister Paulina, and that Tamara had raised Lani as her own child. However, that did not impact their relationship and eventually Abe legally adopted Lani.

Cultural impact and reception

James Reynolds' portrayal of Abe Carver since 1981 has made Abe the longest-running African American character in American

history. Having logged more hours on television than most actors, Reynolds is also a humanitarian and his work on ''Days of our Lives'' helps continue his work. For his role as Abe Carver, James Reynolds earned a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2004, and won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2018. In 2020, Charlie Mason from ''

Soaps She Knows There are multiple media outlets which focus primarily on television soap operas and telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") ...

'' placed Abe 31st on their list of the 35 most memorable characters from ''Days of Our Lives'', saying that "For going on four decades, James Reynolds’ stand-up character has had the thankless job of being Salem’s voice of reason. None of your wackadoo neighbors may listen, Abe, but ''we'' hear you, loud and clear." That same year, Mason and Candace Young from ''Soaps She Knows'' put Abe on their list of ''Daytime's Most Important African-American Characters'', commenting that "Since 1981, James Reynolds' top cop has provided the (rarely heeded) voice of reason in Salem as well as a counterpoint to the madness that's forever swirling around him. Don't get sucked in, Abe! Don't!"

References

External links

Abe Carver profile - SoapCentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carver, Abe Days of Our Lives characters Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem characters African-American characters in television Fictional mayors Fictional American police officers Fictional police commissioners Television characters introduced in 1981 American male characters in soap operas Fictional characters incorrectly presumed dead Fictional characters with amnesia Fictional police officers in soap operas