Wally Kurth

Wally Kurth | Justin Kiriakis

Daytime viewers know Wally from his four-year run on "Days of our Lives," where he played Justin Kiriakis. In August 2009, Kurth will be reprising this role, to the delight of daytime fans.

In 1991, Wallace Kurth joined the cast of "General Hospital" as the charming yet ruthless businessman Ned Ashton. His popularity among "General Hospital" viewers is evidenced by being selected in 1996 as the Most Valuable Player on "General Hospital" by readers of Soap Opera Update magazine, and nominated as Hottest Male Star by Soap Opera Digest magazine, also in 1996.

Born in Billings, Montana, Wally grew up with a strong interest in acting and music. He put this talent to work in musical theater and songwriting. He has appeared on stage in a variety of works from regional theater to the Kennedy Center to Broadway, where he starred as the Pirate King in "The Pirates of Penzance." He has also been active in the Los Angeles Equity waiver theatrical arena, where he has worked as an actor and director. He lent his talents to the musical review "Over the Rainbow: The Music of Harold Arlen," and "Sondheim: Part 3," an annual stage event that benefits AIDS-related services in Los Angeles.

Wally also writes and performs music with Christian Taylor. Their multiple albums have received critical praise from Billboard magazine. The duo recently won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song for "Barefoot Ballet," a single from their album "Freedom," which aired on an episode of General Hospital. They recorded a followup album, "The EP."

Wally has also been very busy producing a documentary entitled "Class C."

Wally spends many weekends each year performing music at charity functions to raise money for the Kurth & Taylor Foundation, donating money to local and national children's charities. More information on the foundation can be found at www.kurthandtaylor.com.

Wally is married and lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife and three children.

Victor's nephew Justin Kiriakis first came to Salem in 1987 after his parents died. He fell in love with Adrienne Johnson, but their relationship didn't sit well with his uncle.

Despite Victor's protests, Justin married Adrienne in Greece. They immediately started fighting due to his continuing ties to his family's shady business. The marriage faced other obstacles, including Justin's affair with Angelica Deveraux and Adrienne's affair with a stable hand, Emilio. Nevertheless, they were able to work through their problems and find their way back to each other.

When Adrienne discovered Justin had fathered a son with Angelica as a result of his affair, she divorced him and started her own construction company to rival his. This brought the ex-spouses closer in both competition and proximity. Eventually they reunited and remarried. After some difficulty conceiving, Adrienne became pregnant, and the happy family moved to Texas to open A.J. Construction. They eventually moved to Dubai for business.

When Justin returned to Salem as a lawyer, he confessed to Bo and Hope that he and Adrienne were done for good. Adrienne eventually returned, as well, after Hope called her back under the pretense that Justin was in trouble. Adrienne bought the Cheatin' Heart.

Justin participated in a mild flirtation with Hope during her separation from Bo, but the relationship went nowhere. In the meantime, Justin threw himself into his work. He and Adrienne struggled with their divorce and eventually found their way back to each other. They went to Vegas and remarried. Soon they welcomed their son Jackson "Sonny" Kiriakis, who is gay, back to town. They supported him when he came out to his Uncle Victor and as he made a home for himself with his new life.