Francisco San Martin, the actor of “The Days of Our Lives”, dies at 39

Francisco San Martin, an actor who appeared on the soap operas “Days of Our Lives” and “The Bold and the Beautiful,” has died in Los Angeles.

The actor, who also guest-starred on the CW telenovela “Jane the Virgin,” was pronounced dead Thursday by the Los Angeles County medical examiner. San Martin died at his Los Angeles residence and his cause of death was ruled suicide by “hanging by ligature,” according to coroner’s records. He was 39 years old.

San Martin was born in Mallorca, Spain, and raised in Montana, Forbes reported. He returned to Spain with his family and modeled as a teenager, appearing on stage, film and television there before returning to the United States.

The actor originated the role of Dario Hernandez — a petty thief who comes to town to investigate an unsolved murder — in “Days of Our Lives,” which aired on Peacock in 2022. San Martin starred Dario for five months in 2011. His arc ended with his character moving to Argentina and the role was recast in 2016.

In 2017, San Martin played Mateo, an employee hired to seduce Quinn Fuller on CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful.” His other credit that year was playing telenovela star Fabian Regalo del Cielo, who courts Gina Rodriguez’s main character in “Jane the Virgin.” Before that, he had a small role in the 2013 Liberace biopic “Behind the Candelabra.”

San Martin’s death is the latest among soap opera actors. In 2023, “The Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital” actor Billy Miller died at age 43 after “surrendering his life” to bipolar depression, his mother said. Last January, Alec Musser of “All My Children” committed suicide at age 50, and Robyn Bernard, who played Terry Brock on “General Hospital” in the 1980s, was found dead in March in an open field in the county of Riverside at 64 years old.

In October, Ron Hale, who played Mike Corbin on “General Hospital” and Dr. Rodger Coleridge on “Ryan’s Hope,” died at age 78. Last week, Leslie Charleson, who long played Monica Quartermaine on “General Hospital,” died at age 79. after apparently suffering a long illness.