When Beyond the Gates finally makes its long-awaited debut in February, we will be introduced to a plethora of diverse new soap opera characters on a groundbreaking new daytime drama with a Black core family at the center of it all.
One member of that family, Martin Richardson (Brandon Clayton), is a congressman married to a former political reporter played by Emmy winner and Days of our Lives alum Mike Manning.
Mike Manning brings Bradley Smith to Beyond the Gates
Manning's Bradley Smith is itching to resume his career but is unsure he should tell his husband how he has been feeling. Bradley and Martin have been living a peaceful life with their teenagers, Tyrell and Samantha, with Bradley playing the role of househusband.
However, with the kids not needing him at home full-time as much, Bradley wants to become a reporter again. He knows Martin is satisfied with their easy home life but also knows his professional desires need to be met.
The deets on Mike Manning
Manning, a native of Colorado, found a love for performing at a young age and has appeared in a variety of movies and TV series. According to IMDb, you've seen Manning on primetime shows such as Hawaii Five-O, Teen Wolf, This Is Us, and Welcome to Eden.
However, Manning began his TV career on the famed reality show The Real World: DC in 2009. That's when he came out as bisexual and started working with DC officials for LGBTQ + rights. The experience on The Real World helped Manning decide on an acting career.
"Before The Real World, I was preparing to graduate with a business degree, and I was going to get a job in downtown Denver with a financial firm. Now that I’ve been to D.C., I’m determined not to work at a desk job," Manning told the Washington Blade in 2010. "I can’t be stuck in a cubicle so I’m moving to California in two months to pursue acting. I acted a lot in high school, in theater, but I gave it up in college because I didn’t want to be a starving actor. Being on The Real World made me rethink a lot of things and opened doors and helped me make some connections that will allow me to act and be successful."
Manning has certainly found success on soaps, having won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2021 for playing Caleb McKinnon on the digital soap The Bay.
A chilling Days of our Lives villain
In 2020, Manning made his DAYS debut as alleged mild-mannered good guy Charlie Dale. He took an immediate liking to Claire Brady (Isabel Durant), who thought she had finally found the perfect nice boy after falling for so many duds. Of course, Claire had her own issues after just completing a stint in Bayview after trying to set Ciara (Victoria Konefal) on fire.
Sadly for Claire, Charlie turned out to be very different from his outward persona. When he took his glasses off, Manning showed us a signature sadistic look in Charlie's eyes. We eventually learned that he had raped Allie Horton (Lindsay Arnold) one night after they met at a dance club in Europe. The result of the assault was Allie's son, Henry.
Charlie was also revealed to be Ava Vitali's (Tamara Braun) son. Ava and Charlie had a fraught relationship because she had often left him to be raised by his unnamed father. Charlie even tried to kill Ava before Jan Spears (Heather Lindell) killed him.
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Despite Charlie not being around long in the regular Salem world, Manning brought Charlie back in 2022 as a member of the underworld during DAYS' second devil possession story. Now, Manning is set to wow soap fans as a completely different character who is hopefully a little less insane and sadistic.
Beyond the Gates will premiere on February 24, 2025.
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