| Theo Carver | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Days of Our Lives character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by |
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| Duration |
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| First appearance | May 29, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | August 1, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; recurring | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Dena Higley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Ken Corday and Stephen Wyman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Kyler Pettis as Theo Carver | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Terrell Ransom Jr. as Theo Carver | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Theo Carver is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. Created under head writer Dena Higley, Theo was born onscreen in 2003. The character was portrayed by two sets of twins and three child actors, Chase and Tyler Johnson (2003–2004), Kavi Faquir (2006–2007), Amyrh Harris (2007), Terrell Ransom Jr. from (2008-2015), Kyler Pettis (2015–2018), Cameron Johnson (2020–present). Along with several other child characters, Theo was rapidly aged in November 2015 and Pettis stepped into the role. Pettis announced his departure from the series in 2017 and he vacated the role in 2018. After a two-year absence, Theo was recast when Johnson took over the role in 2020.
Theo is the only child of Salem's mayor Abe Carver (James Reynolds) and Doctor Lexie Carver (Renée Jones). At the time of his birth, Lexie had been having an affair with her stepson Brandon Walker (Matt Cedeño) and his paternity is in question. DNA testing ultimately confirms Abe as Theo's father and he is named after Abe's late brother Theo and Brandon. In 2008, the three-year-old Theo is diagnosed with Autism when the network partners with Autism Speaks. As a teenager, Theo struggles to accept Abe's first attempt at romance after Lexie's 2012 passing with Valerie Grant (Vanessa Williams) and he is romantically linked to his childhood best friend Ciara Brady (Vivian Jovanni) and later her niece Claire (Olivia Rose Keegan). In 2017, the unarmed Theo is shot by rookie police officer JJ Deveraux (Casey Moss) which leaves him paralyzed and leads to him being written out of the series when he relocates to South Africa for treatment.
Theo's autism diagnosis proved to be the character's most significant storyline as well as his close friendship with Ciara Brady. Ransom was beloved by fans and critics and also earned two Young Artist Award nominations for his portrayal of Theo. Pettis also became quite popular with viewers and critics for his portrayal of the autistic character. While the writing for Theo's shooting was polarizing, Pettis won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Theo in 2019.