Starting in 1997, Steve Blackwood played lovable bad guy Bart Beiderbecke on Days of Our Lives, a role he relished because the soap opera's writers let him have fun with his character. In 2007, Beiderbecke died after getting caught in the middle of a bloody sword fight, leaving Blackwood without a steady job.
But coming home to Michigan has paid off. He auditions more regularly than ever before, and he also is able to help his parents, now in their early 80s. In turn, they are getting to know their granddaughter, 12-year-old Nicole. And he's booked four films (Cedar Rapids, Machine Gun Preacher, Mooz-lum, and Oogieloves) as well.
After all that time in the California heat and sun, Blackwood welcomes winter and the change of seasons. "I love shoveling snow," he says.