Victor Alfieri joined the cast of "Days of Our Lives" as the devilishly handsome and mysterious Franco Kelly in June 1996. A native of Rome, Italy, Alfieri was raised as an only child by his mother and grandparents. The pride of his family was his grandmother’s restaurant, and Alfieri was expected to build a career there. But even very early in life, he had other plans.

With a natural talent for writing, Alfieri wrote poems, fables and stories throughout his youth. By the age of 14, he was writing sketch comedy with his other creative friends. He was also something of a class clown in school. "Everyone always thought I was crazy," he says. "In my family, I was the crazy one."

When Alfieri was 18, a photographer invited him to do an advertising shoot. Soon after, Alfieri began to appear in Italian soap-opera magazines, known as "fotoromanzi." He captured several roles on Italian television, but not before being drafted for military service. He spent two years in the service of his choice: the police force. When he was 20, he was in a street fight that left his face scarred by more than 55 stitches. "It changed my life completely," says Alfieri, who had built a career on his handsome looks. "It made me realize that the beauty we carry around on the outside is not important. It’s what’s on the inside that counts." He then turned from modeling to acting.

Long in love with American movies and culture, Alfieri made a trip to Los Angeles in August 1994, and much to the dismay of relatives back in Italy, he moved to California in January 1995. He quickly landed work in several high-profile commercials and television programs, including the TV movies "An Urban Legend" with Kirstie Alley and "Sweet Temptation" with Beverly D’Angelo and Rob Estes. Alfieri also appeared on the series "Ned & Stacey" and "Murder, She Wrote" before capturing the role of Franco on "Days of Our Lives.

His birthday is July 30.