25 Facts About Peter Reckell

Peter Reckell’s Twitter page sums him up in a neat little nutshell: Loden's dad, Kelly Moneymaker's hubby, treading lightly on Mother Earth, and Bo on Days of Our Lives. But there’s a lot more than meets the eye to the actor, who became a daytime sensation when he rode into Salem on his motorcycle 28 years ago. What prepared him for real-life fatherhood? Who was his first celebrity crush? What was his most embarrassing moment on set? Find out the answer to those questions and more by reading 25 facts about him.

1. Reckell stands 5 feet 10 inches tall; he has brown hair and brown eyes.

2. His first celebrity crush was Lesley Ann Warren. “I saw her in Cinderella and fell in love,” he says.

3. An avid carpenter, Reckell began building theater sets in junior high school. Over the years, he’s built a lot of his own furniture, including porch swings, benches, a loft bed and a hope chest.

4. Reckell, who graduated from the Boston Conservatory with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater, worked his way through school as a singing waiter.

5. He got his ear pierced as part of Bo’s look, upon joining Days. At first, the powers-that-be wouldn’t let him wear an earring onscreen, but, eventually, they relented.

6. When Reckell began playing Bo, he donned most of his own clothes on the show. That is, until the wardrobe department “got hold of what I wanted to wear,” he says. “They’d give me sweat shirts to wear, and I’d rip off the sleeves.”

7. Back in the 1980s, Reckell used to stand in as the aerobic instructor during the cast’s lunch hour exercise class. These days, he’s a certified spinning instructor. In fact, he used to lead classes at the Evolve Indoor Training Center in La Jolla, CA, which he once owned.

8. Reckell’s favorite way to keep in shape is riding his mountain bike. “It’s my meditation, my exercise, and my being a kid again,” he notes.

9. Reckell is trained in Tae Kwon Do.

10. His favorite comfort food is popcorn.

11. As for the Days storyline that was his all-time favorite, Reckell cites Bo and Hope’s adventure in New Orleans. “Oak Alley is always very sentimental to me,” he recounts. “[It was the] first real, true love story that I participated in. Kristian (Alfonso, Hope) and I had so much fun, and the people in New Orleans were so warm and giving.”

12. When asked to name his most memorable moment during his tenure on Days of Our Lives, Reckell responds, “all the moments I spent with Frances Reid (Alice).”

13. Of all of Bo and Hope’s weddings –- the location shoot in London, the Christmas ceremony and the vow renewals –- Reckell ranks the splashy English affair tops. “Riding a horse to the London wedding... what could be better?” asks the actor.

14. Reckell’s most embarrassing moment on the Days set came during Ciara’s kidnaping story. “The kidnapper was in [Bo and Hope’s] house and I came running in to save the day and fell flat on my face,” recounts Reckell.

15. Reckell has a connection to two Desperate Housewives. In 1981 he played Eric to Dana Delany’s Hayley on As the World Turns. From 1988 to 1989 he played Johnny Rourke opposite Nicollette Sheridan’s Paige on Knots Landing, a stint that earned them TV Guide recognition, when the magazine named them the sexiest couple on a nighttime series.

16. He fell for wife Kelly Moneymaker the moment he heard her voice. “She was singing with Connie Stevens. I noticed her, when she was doing the backup,” he explains. “Then, she came out and sang a couple of Janis Joplin songs on her own and just rocked the place.”

17. Upon marrying Moneymaker in 1998, neither Reckell nor his bride wanted to wear traditional wedding rings. The couple opted for tattooed bands, instead. As a result, he has to don two wedding rings as Bo, which represent both his marriages to Hope, to cover up his tattoo.

18. If Reckell wasn’t an actor, he’d be an environmental consultant.

19. His love of nature and concern for Mother Earth motivated Reckell to build a solar-powered home. He even added a few extra solar panels, so he could sell energy back to the utility company.

20. Although he’d played a dad on Days for years before his own daughter Loden was born, Reckell doesn’t credit that experience with readying him for fatherhood. “I’ve always loved kids,” he insists. “I think what helped was growing up number two of six children. I basically took care of my two younger sisters. I’ve always been very comfortable with babies.”

21. Reckell’s favorite vacation spot is Lake Michigan, where his parents live. “Beautiful sandy beaches, fresh water, and Loden loves playing in the sand,” shares Reckell.

22. He wears a unique watchband, day in and day out, as Bo. “It's a Red Monkey, and I've had it for two decades,” says Reckell.

23. As for a fear he’d like to conquer, Reckell says it’s jumping out of an airplane. “That’s something my wife likes to do, but I can’t do it with her,” he confesses.

24. Reckell’s wife was responsible for Bo and Hope’s last onscreen love theme. She wrote and recorded the ballad, Can’t Live Without Your Love, which was released in 2005. (You can listen to the song here.)

25. It took 26 years, but in 2009 Reckell was finally nominated for his first daytime Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Unfortunately, The Young and the Restless’ Christian LeBlanc (Michael) ended up winning the award.