Stefano DiMera is played by
Joseph Mascolo on the NBC soap Days of our Lives. Stefano is by far the series’ most notorious and seemingly invincible villain, dying a total of ten times throughout the series’ history, and coming back each time to haunt the citizens of Salem, the fictional Midwestern setting of the soap. As an organized crime kingpin from a rich and powerful clan, Stefano almost mystically believes that he will never die. According to a 300-year-old DiMera family legend, he is the seventh son of a seventh son, and as such, he is immortal.
As the oldest member of the DiMera clan, he holds the key regarding the origin of the long-standing feud between the Dimera’s and the Brady’s. He revealed that it began when his father, Santo, had Colleen Brady taken away from him, refuting earlier revelations that the feud began when Roman Brady pursued Stefano for his criminal activities. He said the only way to end the feud would be for Sami to marry his son, EJ, and raise the child as a DiMera. EJ, however, was determined to break away from Stefano for the sake of his son and his future.
Stefano was soon imprisoned for imprisoning John Black and holding him hostage. After such, EJ feared that Stefano will come back with a vengeance and tries to convince his wife to leave Salem. Stefano then was injected with a drug to induce him to reveal the details of the mission which he brainwashed John to carry out, while Tony, E.J. and Lexie made the touch decision regarding Stefano’s future. It was also revealed later on that John and Stefano were half-brothers, after all.