Drake Hogestyn joined the cast of "Days of Our Lives" as the heroic John Black in January 1986. In 1994, he won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Male Star. 

Hogestyn's first career goal was to become a dentist. He attended the University of South Florida in Tampa on a baseball scholarship and majored in pre-dentistry. After graduation, he was drafted by the New York Yankees and he played third base for their farm team until he was injured in 1978. He began his acting career by taking part in a Columbia Pictures national talent search that included 75,000 hopefuls. Hogestyn was among the 30 selected, and his first starring role was on the primetime series "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". 

Hogestyn was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has been married to his childhood sweetheart, Victoria, for 11 years, and they have one son and three daughters. Hogestyn's birthday is September 29.