Ivan on DAYS OF OUR LIVES — Everything You Need to Know
Ivan was only on DAYS OF OUR LIVES as a recurring cast member, but he was on for years, so he got mixed up in plenty of drama! The character was played by Ivan G’Vera from 1992 until 2000, though he made a brief return in 2011 and is back on DAYS again in 2020.
Although originally Lawrence Alamain’s manservant, Ivan Marais’ true loyalties lay with his Madame, Vivian Alamain, with whom he was secretly in love. In 1992, he helped the Alamains cover up Lisanne Gardner’s murder by staging a fake car accident. The following year, he assisted Vivian with her crazy scheme to kill Carly’s patients and bury her alive. Then he helped rescue Vivian and Laura Horton from the mental institution Pinehaven. In 1996, Stefano DiMera forced Vivian and Ivan to help him flee Salem which led to them also having to escape to Paris when the cops came after them. Although they were jailed for a bit, Vivian and Ivan eventually got out.
Ivan also found himself caught up in the drama when Susan Banks and Kristen DiMera were impersonating each other. Things got even more complicated when Vivian and Ivan ran into another doppelganger, Sister Mary! They were forced by Susan to participate in her Vegas-themed wedding to John, and when the truth was finally exposed, Ivan and Vivian landed behind bars again. After Vivian lost everything getting them free, Ivan stayed by her side as she struggled to rebuild her life, eventually marrying the wealthy Jonesy. And when he died and left her his fortune, Vivan moved into his home in Salem with Ivan.
Vivian launched a new company, Alamain International, and Ivan was there to help every step of the way. After another incident where Stefano tried to destroy Vivian, they came into a lot of money and Ivan left the country with his Madame. Over the years, they drifted apart, and Vivian returned to Salem alone. In 2011, however, Ivan made a visit where he revealed he’d become quite wealthy producing Bollywood movies and offered Vivian a starring role in his next film.
Vivian happily left town to start a new life, but of course, she eventually returned to Salem and got arrested for trying to kill Lani. Ivan showed up at the police station posing as her lawyer and was stunned to hear her say that her son, Stefan DiMera, was still alive. He eventually revealed the shocking truth that Jake Lambert wasn’t actually Stefan with amnesia, he was Stefan’s previously-unknown twin brother! Stay tuned to see what happens next!
