Birth Name:
Kristian Joy Alfonso
Date of Birth:
September 5, 1964
Birth Place:
Brockton, Massachusetts
Astrological Sign:
Virgo

Portrays:
Hope Williams Brady (1983-1987, 1990, 1994 to present)

Acting Roles:

• Hope, 30 Rock (2009)
• Mary, Day of Redemption (2004)
• Hope, Friends (2000)
• Chelsea, What Happened to Bobby Earl? (1997)
• Jeanna, In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King (1995)
• Chris, Blindfold: Acts of Obsession (1994)
• Lauren, Melrose Place (1993-1994)
• Susan, Burke's Law (1994)
• Debra, Baywatch (1993)
• Rita, Joshua Tree (1993)
• Pilar, Falcon Crest (1988-1990)
• Judge/Robin, Full House (1988-1989)
• Deborah, MacGyver (1988-1989)
• Cassandra, Out of Time (1988)
• Michele, Murder, She Wrote (1988)
• Frankie, Who's the Boss?

(1987)
• Remote Control Man, Amazing Stories (1985)
• Kelly, The Star Maker (1981)

Personal:

Mother, the late Joanne; father, Gino. One older sister, Lisa. Kristian wed Simon Macauley in 1987; they divorced in 1991. She’s been married to Danny Daggenhurst, since October 6, 2001. Kristian has two sons; Gino, born October 2, 1990, from her marriage to Macauley, and Jack, born July 18, 2002, from her marriage to Daggenhurst. She also has a stepson, Spartan, from Daggenhurst’s previous marriage.

Trivia:

• Won a gold medal in the Junior Olympic Figure Skating Championships at age 13.
• Appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine in 1979.
• During her Days of Our Lives screentest, Alfonso fell down the stairs in the Horton house.
• Is a devout fan of the Los Angeles Lakers.
• The white gold and diamond fleur de lis earrings she wears as Hope on Days of Our Lives are from Kristian's jewelry line, Hope Faith Miracles.

Biography:
 
Born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts, Alfonso, whose grandparents hail from Sicily and Calabria, is a full-blooded Italian.

As a young girl, she developed a passion for dancing and figure skating. She became a Junior Olympic Champion, winning the gold medal in figure skating at the age of 13, and was a strong contender for the upcoming Olympic Games. However, a tobogganing accident, which fractured her landing leg, shattered that dream.

When Wilhelmina modelling agency offered her a contract, Alfonso decided to give it a go. Soon, her face was gracing the covers of some 30 international magazines, including Vouge and Bazaar.

An NBC casting director saw her photographs and gave Alfonso her first acting role in the 1981 TV-movie The Star Maker, opposite Rock Hudson. Shortly thereafter, she was asked to audition for the role of Hope Williams on Days of Our Lives, but passed because she wasn’t quite ready to leave home. A year later, Alfonso finally tested for the soap and landed the job.

In 1987, Alfonso decided to leave daytime and pursue other avenues. She landed the role of sexy Pilar Ortega on the nighttime drama Falcon Crest as well as guest spots on primetime hits like Full House and Who's the Boss?

When Days of Our Lives asked Alfonso to return for a 13-week stint in 1990, she agreed. Upon leaving, she went back to primetime, when Aaron Spelling cast her as a high-priced madam, Lauren Etheridge, on Melrose Place. Alfonso also starred in the films Blindfold: Acts of Obsession, with Shannen Doherty, and Army of One, with Dolph Lundgren.

In 1994, Days of Our Lives once again summoned Alfonso back to the fold. This time around she was playing amnesia victim “Gina,” who ultimately turned out to be the presumed-dead Hope, and Princess Gina, a demented look-a-like who eventually met her demise.

Aside from her successful acting career, Alfonso has also branched out into the business world. In 2006, she launched her first of two jewelry lines, Hope Faith Miracles, which she followed up withe Believe. She also launched the clothing line, Hope by Kristian Alfonso.

Happily married to Danny Daggenhurst since 2001, Alfonso and her husband reside in Los Angeles with their sons, Gino, Spartan and Jack.