Who is Peter Blake? Everything to know as the character returns to Salem after years of absence on Days of Our Lives

On Days of Our Lives, after a 26-year absence from the screen, the notorious Peter Blake has officially returned to Salem as of Friday, December 19, 2025. Jason Brooks defined the role in the '90s, but Dan Gauthier is playing the character now. With its dramatic stories and memorable characters, Days of Our Lives has won over millions of viewers as one of the most popular and longest-running television soap operas. 

On Days of Our Lives, Peter Blake plays a complex villain and important member of the infamous DiMera family. Peter, who has an evil side and works as a lawyer, was introduced in 1993 as the adopted son of the famous bad guy Stefano DiMera and the brother of Kristen DiMera.

Peter's return isn't just for a social visit; right away, he took back his seat on the DiMera Enterprises board, changing the power dynamic between EJ, Kristen, and Stefan. No one knows how he came back, because he spent the last twenty years "off-grid" after being released from a low-security jail.

Peter Blake’s on-screen role on Days of Our Lives

Peter Blake is a name that makes people in Salem scared and interested. Jason Brooks played the character from 1993 to 1998. He is Stefano DiMera's adopted son and Rachel Blake's biological son. Rachel Blake is famous for being "The Woman in White." Peter came to town at first to help his sister Kristen's life, especially to make sure she married Tony DiMera to make Stefano happy. But Peter quickly became an important person on his own, and he often helped his father with all sorts of terrible plans.

On the exterior, he was the owner of the jazz club The Blue Note and a well-spoken lawyer. But under that surface, he was a high-level drug dealer. Now that actor Dan Gauthier plays him, his return after almost thirty years is a big change for the DiMera family. Peter has only been a background player, occasionally voting on DiMera Enterprises business from afar, after spending years in a fancy prison and then living on parole outside of Salem. Now that he's really back, he's going to take his place in the family tradition, and he's probably going to cause more trouble for those who thought he was gone for good.

Peter Blake's history on Days of Our Lives is full of crime and manipulation. One of his most well-known plots was about how obsessed he was with Jennifer Horton. When Peter's drug ring was found out by Jennifer's mother, Laura Horton, he didn't just stop her; he hired someone to spray her office with toxic chemicals.

Jack Deveraux and John Black often didn't see eye to eye with Peter because he was involved in the DiMera family's plots. In the past, he helped Stefano fake his own death and even charged John Black with a murder that Tony DiMera had set up. Peter's desperation to keep Jennifer with him reached a breaking point when he tried to kidnap her and her daughter, Abby. Jack shot Peter during a fight. Stefano helped his son fake his death to avoid getting caught. During this, Peter was thought to be dead for a long time, and Jack was sent to prison for killing him.

While hiding out on a tropical island, the character got "Jungle Madness." This made his journey even stranger. He had violent and crazy outbursts because of his illness. He finally went after Jack and Jennifer to a circus, where he went totally crazy. He even shot at Jennifer's funeral after she tricked him into thinking she was dead to get him there. In the end, Stefano gave a cure for the madness, and in 1998, Peter was sent to prison. Now that he's back on Days of Our Lives, he brings his dark past back to Salem. He is still a board member of DiMera Enterprises and has a lot of old scores to settle.

Days of Our Lives episodes are available to stream on Peacock.