Which role did Judi Evans play on Days of Our Lives? Character explored

Actress Judi Evans is known for her role on the show Days of Our Lives, where she played Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis. She portrayed the role from 1986 to 1991, after which her character did not feature on the show. However, she returned in 2003 to play a different character, Bonnie Lockhart, till early 2007. After that, she returned the same year to reprise her role as Adrienne.

Adrienne's character started as a troubled teenager who ran away from home to go to Salem. During her story, Adrienne got married, divorced, had a son, remarried, and then passed away in a car crash.

On the other hand, the role of Bonnie was introduced as Maureen Lockhart with previous actress Kathy Connell. The character was revamped as Bonnie Lockhart when Judi Evans took on the role, and she played the character for the longest time as compared to her predecessors.

---

Judi Evans as Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives

Judi Evans as Adrienne with co-actor Wally Kurth on the show (Image via IMDb)

Adrienne Johnson, played by both Judi Evans and Alison Sweeney, starts her journey on Days of Our Lives as a teenager who is ill-treated in her home. She runs away to Salem, only for her stepfather to come looking for her and physically overpower her. Adrienne shoots him with a gun and confesses her crime but does not go to jail.

Afterwards, Adrienne gets married to Justin Kiriakis and has a son Jackson 'Sonny' Kiriakis with him. She and her family remain off-screen on the show for a few years. This corresponds with the time Judi Evans took a break from Days of Our Lives from 1991 to 2003.

On her return in 2007, Adrienne's relationship with her husband goes through many ups and downs. The couple get divorced and then marry again when they find their way back to each other. After this time, Sonny comes out as gay, and his parents support him during his coming out.

After some time, Adrienne dies in a car accident. Many theories are circulated about the car crash, but the truth finally comes to light. The accident was orchestrated by another character Orpheus, and he was responsible for the deaths.

---

Judi Evans as Bonnie Lockhart on Days of Our Lives

Judi Evans as Bonnie with Farah Fath on the show (Image via IMDb)

Bonnie Lockhart is a character played by three actresses, Robin Riker, and Cathy Conell, and finally her most iconic portrayal by Judi Evans. She was introduced as Maureen Lockhart, a woman who handled her family's homelessness and her husband's unemployment. However, with Evans' portrayal, her character was revamped as a scheming gold-digger.

After her husband abandons her family, Bonnie resents the established and privileged families in Salem. She often pokes around in her daughter Mimi's life too. Later, Bonnie marries a widower named Mickey Horton. She reopens Mickey's former wife Maggie's restaurant after renaming it 'Alice' after her new mother-in-law. But then, Mickey ends his marriage with Bonnie when Maggie is found alive.

As the story progresses, it is revealed that Mimi killed her father and hid his body. To protect her daughter, Bonnie takes the blame and goes to jail. A few years later, she escapes from prison, impersonating Adrienne. This is the first time Days of Our Lives alludes to how the two characters look the same. Bonnie is forced to flee Salem after her attempt at revenge on Maggie goes wrong.

After a year, Bonnie returns with a baby, who is also named Bonnie. She tries to prove that Bonnie is her child but turns out to be Mimi's baby. After this Bonnie returns to prison to complete her sentence. She does not appear on screen after this but it is revealed that she wrote a memoir that features in the show.

---

Apart from Days of Our Lives, Judi Evans has also worked on shows such as Guiding Light (1952) and Another World (1964).