DAYS OF OUR LIVES Stars Pay Tribute to John Aniston on His Anniversary (EXCLUSIVE)

"John Aniston, I love you. I love seeing you walk through that door every morning and jumping out of my chair to give you a big hug and kiss. Your heart is so warm, your jokes make me laugh — thank you! — and you give good advice.”

“I love him. We all love him. He is such a patriarch for us. And if you see old clips of him, gosh darn, he was so suave, you know? But he’s hilarious. He’s always got some dry one-liners. I just love him and love seeing him when he’s there. And I love working with him. In the old days, they used to do cue cards. In one of the first scenes I did with him, we were in a restaurant and I’d be doing my line and he’d be getting his cue card information. And he was such a pro at it. You’d never know he read a cue card. And now he doesn’t. No one does cue cards anymore. But tons of people on the show used to.”

“John Aniston’s character is like, the through-line. I mean, 35 years, right? So he’s been there through good times and bad and he’s always been a powerful, driving presence on the show both his character and as an actor. So I guess I want to say congratulations. Well done! And here’s to another 35!”

“John Aniston is the most caring and committed co-star I’ve had on the show because he taught me not only how to be a better actor but to be a better woman on the show as far as acting. I was so young when my character was married to him and seducing him that I literally didn’t know what to do. He was this unbelievably seasoned actor and I was shaking in my boots at 24 or 25 whenever I had to work with him. But he just made me laugh and made me so comfortable. I hope that I’ve been able to pay that forward to other young actors. I definitely attribute my soulfulness to him. He’s wonderful. And I always sing that little ditty… ‘Mr. Aniston, doobiedoo’ every time I see him.”

“John means everything to me. He was such an important role model as a professional and just as a father figure. I feel so lucky that he’s still at the studio and he’s still here and rocking it.”

“John means a lot to me. We’ve been friends almost since John came on the show. I owned a place in San Diego and John was one of the people that would come down and share the weekends with us. And you know, John is a really, really pleasant guy. He’s as opposite from Victor as you can possibly be. And there’s a wonderful feeling about him when you see him on screen. I mean, that’s as an actor. I love working with John. I love the scenes. I love matching up with him.” Thaao Penghlis (Tony) “What do I like about John? Well firstly, he’s Greek. We had that as a foundation, and we speak Greek to each other. John and I always had a good relationship. He’s got a lovely, dry sense of humor and I think he’s as mischievous as ever. He’ll ask me questions like: ‘Are they killing you again?’”

“John’s a mentor in many ways for me. When I first started on the show and things got heavy and dark with Steve and Kayla, John leaned over to me and he said, 'Don’t twirl the mustache. Just play it straight and let the music do it.' I said, 'The music?' And he said, 'You know they’ll lay in music. You should hear that.' And it really helped me to just ground myself and find myself and what I wanted to say in the scene and not worry about pushing whatever’s there on the page. It’s there. And he helped me because he’s a villain, but he’s a very charming villain who has his own wants and needs. So he was kind enough to share that with me. So I didn’t do that. That was from him to me all those years ago.”

“We don’t get a lot of opportunities to work together, but when we do, I’m always watching and taking notes. I’m so impressed with his achievement on the show. Being on for 35 years is a testament in and of itself, but his craft, his ability… I’m a huge fan! I wish I had more scenes with him. I’m always jealous of Eric Martsolf (Brady) and Paul Telfer (Xander) because they really get to spend a lot of time with him. He’s one of the greatest of this medium and he’s got a plane, I heard... and he’s Greek and I’m Greek, so I’m like, maybe we can go to Greece together?”

“John, congratulations on 35 years! That’s just incredible. I remember when I first came on the show and I asked you why you still did the show after all this time. And you said, 'Well, it beats working for a living!' And it’s always stuck with me that what’s so wonderful about a job like ours is that when everything’s going the way it should, it just doesn’t feel like work. And we’re so fortunate to have it. You’re a constant source of inspiration to me every day when I come in. I really hope that I can bring as much joy and quality to the work that I do the rest of my career, the way you do every day at our job.’

“I love him so much! He has been a father figure in the sense where he’s sort of like, this is what you should do with your money. Like be smart, save, invest. Just a father figure in that sense. And then every day he comes into the makeup room with a joke. He’s just a presence on our show.”

“John Aniston. For a man who always keeps his feelings close to his vest, he is probably more beloved in those hallways than he will ever know. He has always been the ultimate professional, in every aspect of the word, and I couldn’t admire him more not only as an actor, but also as a man. He makes me laugh without breaking a sweat. I’ve never seen someone be so effortless. And yet you get the feeling that no one else can do what he does. I don’t know anybody who can deliver a line like John Aniston. It’s to the point that everyone is under the impression that he has his own team of writers. But the truth is that he doesn’t. He’s just that damn good at what he does. So I say happy anniversary, my TV grandfather, and here’s to 20 more years of being on DAYS. I’m just glad to know him.”

“John is incredible. He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. He’s a man of few words, but when he speaks, it’s always funny. He improvs, and it’s just a really good time. I’m just glad that I got to know him because we work together often. A lot of the characters, you don’t really cross paths with, but John I get to work with probably once a month and he’s just been amazing. He’s just really funny and super kind. Thirty-five years is incredible.”

“John, it has been a lovely pleasure just to know you over the years. I guess I’ve beat you — I’ve been around 37 years! It’s a lovely thing that you have come into people’s homes for all these years and made a difference to women who’ve been at home, taking care of their homes and to the husbands that sit beside them and watch at the end of the day now because they tape it. That’s who I hear from.”

“Happy anniversary, John! Massive congratulations on 35 years! That’s incredible. I personally am just so grateful that you let me harass you every day. I come in and give him the biggest kiss on the cheek ever and he ribs me. You make me so happy that you always tease me and give me a tough time. I just adore working with you and I’m so grateful that I get to.”

"John is one of the most intriguing actors to work with. Every time I see that Ciara has a scene with her granddad, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Just because he practices a stillness that is enticing. He doesn’t have to move much at all. He doesn’t have to raise his voice. But you lean in and you feel a pull. He has this magnetic energy about him and everything he does looks so effortless, and it’s not. He’s inspiring to work with. He’s an absolute madman and I love him for it. In reality, he’s also the sweetest person I’ve ever met, so I feel very blessed and honored to share the screen with someone of his stature.”

“When they asked me who I wanted to work with, out of anyone that was there constantly, I said I think John Aniston would be great. Fast forward 6 months from when I said that, and it happened. And look what it did! It was awesome. He’s a genius. He’s amazing. He sits there dead still and just delivers the lines in a way that gets me going. It was awesome! He’s brilliant, he is witty, he is the man, and I love him to death.”