Days of our Lives Performer of the Week: Eric Martsolf as Brady Black

Days of our Lives put a lot on the shoulders of Brady Black when Kristen DiMera went off to jail for shooting EJ, as it left Brady alone to raise his and Kristen's daughter, Rachel. Now, having discovered that Rachel tried to kill Sarah with pistachios, Brady's life has gotten even more challenging. For his portrayal as a father forced to deal with his bad seed of a daughter, Soap Central bestows Performer of the Week honors on Eric Martsolf, who plays Brady.

Days of our Lives, Performer of the Week, Eric Martsolf

Martsolf has had to act out many physical challenges over the years as Brady, but this time, Brady needed to do the hardest thing of all -- next to nothing as he stood by Sarah (Lindsey Godfrey) as she struggled to control her breath, and not succumb to her pistachio allergy. Well, he did more than nothing; Brady's use of the EpiPen saved Sarah's life. Using a controlled tone, Martsolf's Brady calmly assured Sarah that she was going to be okay.

Brady quickly put two and two together, as he just knew that Rachel was behind Sarah's predicament. When Rachel asked if Sarah was going to be okay, Brady, barely containing his anger, replied, "I don't know."

"We need to talk about what happened," Brady firmly told Sarah as he took a seat at the hospital so he could meet her at eye level. Brady proved that he is just as savvy a litigator as his sister, Belle (Martha Madison), is when he questioned Rachel about her past and present actions.

After word came down that Sarah would be okay, Brady told his daughter that she was very lucky, as she could have killed Sarah. Martsolf played Brady as both understated and devastated that he was dealing with a daughter who could give Rhoda Permak (Patty McCormack; ex-Monica, General Hospital), who played the title role in the 1955 film The Bad Seed, a run for her money. (Ironically, Rhoda's name was changed to Rachel in a 1985 remake of the film!)

When it rains, it pours

Brady got kicked in the stomach a second time as he was not only dealing with the fact that his daughter tried to kill Sarah, but he felt even worse after Rachel confessed that she, not mommy (Kristen, Stacy Haiduk), had shot "Uncle EJ" (Dan Feuerriegel)!

Throughout the week on Days of our Lives, in his conversations with Belle, Sarah, and Tate (Leo Howard), Martsolf played Brady as both vulnerable and strong as he grappled with the crises involving his family.

Brady continued to have to deal with more as he learned that his stepmother, Marlena (Deidre Hall), needed to have a pacemaker. We saw him confide in his son, Tate, that his sister, Rachel, has had to enter a psychiatric ward.

Trending

Martsolf played Brady in control as he's tackled these challenges, but that's only on the outside. It's quite clear that he's suffering a great deal on the inside. Martsolf has assumed the role of patriarch of the Black family with maturity, strength, and grace. His loved ones are lucky to have him, as we are lucky to have Martsolf on our screens. Bravo to the Daytime Emmy-winning actor for his work on the show!

Catch all-new episodes of Days of our Lives weekdays on Peacock, NBC's streaming service.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback