Daytime newcomer Alex Cheeks has been cast in the recurring role of Donnell McBride, the son of Vanessa (Lauren Buglioli) and Douglas McBride (Jason Graham).
Cheeks, who graduated from Atlanta International School last year, will make his first appearance in Fairmont Crest on the Wednesday, October 1 episode of the daytime drama series when Donnell shows up and demands answers about what happened to his father, who died off-screen in a car accident as revealed in the Thursday, September 25 episode.
In future episodes, look for Donnell to have an encounter with Joey Armstrong (Jon Lindstrom), his mother’s secret lover, during an intense fact-finding mission.
“My family is filing a wrongful suit against you, the bartender and the whole casino, and we’re not stopping until we shut you guys down,” Donnell tells Joey in a preview clip highlighting what to expect during the week of September 29-October 3, 2025.
In addition to “Beyond the Gates,” Cheeks recently celebrated the New York premiere of the film “Saffron Kingdom,” which follows the story of a mother, Masrat (Diana Aras), who flees with her son, Rizwan (Cheeks), after her husband is abducted, and how the family deals with trauma in the aftermath of the Kashmir conflict.
Represented by the Atlanta-based Houghton Talent Agency, Cheeks previously had a supporting role in the 2018 Hallmark original movie, “Christmas Camp,” part of the network’s annual Countdown to Christmas programming lineup.
Watch a preview of what’s coming up on “Beyond the Gates” below.




