Days of Our Lives Alum Maurice Roëves Passed Away!

Days of Our Lives alum, Maurice Roëves passed away at the age of 83 on July 15, 2020. He was a very successful actor whose career path included his role as David Helpern on Days of Our Lives briefly from 1985 – 1986.


Roëves was born on March 19, 1937, in Sunderland, Tyne-and-Wear, England, UK. Although born in Sunderland, he spent most of his life in Scotland and considered himself a true Scot. As a child, he suffered from asthma and considered his recovery from it was due to playing the bugle in the Boys’ Brigade. 


He was educated in Glasgow and toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher but after national service in the Royal Scots Greys Armoured Corps, he was persuaded to follow his father working in flour mills and by the age of 24 had become a sales manager. In his spare time, Roëves worked with amateur drama groups which led him to decide on a change in his career direction. After training at Glasgow College of Dramatic Art, he became assistant stage manager at Glasgow’s Citizen Theatre and within three months was playing lead roles including Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice and the Gentleman Caller in The Glass Menagerie. 


His first wife was Scottish actress Jan Wilson by whom he has a daughter Sarah-Anne. He was also married to Vanessa Rawlings-Jackson since September 1, 2001. His most recent roles include in Justin Kurzel’s feature film adaptation of Macbeth and in the 2020 BBC drama The Nest, which shot in Scotland.


We send our thoughts and prayers to the family during this difficult time.