‘The Young and the Restless’ Taps Ray Wise as Terrifying Cult Leader from Nikki’s Past

Nikki Newman’s worst nightmare is about to show his face in Genoa City! TVLine.com broke exclusively yesterday morning that The Young and the Restless has cast Twin Peaks alum Ray Wise in the recurring role of former cult leader Ian Ward.

Wise will report to set Fri, Dec. 13 and will first air Thu, Jan, 23, 2014. Reports TVLine, Wise’s character will “play an integral role in the lives of several Genoa City residents.”

After the death of Nikki’s (Melody Thomas Scott) best friend and maternal figure, the great Katherine Chancellor, she embarked on a journey that would revisit a dark time in her past. The soap revealed (thanks to a retcon) that during Nikki’s time with the New World Commune cult, she began pregnant by their leader Ian. Not ready to be a parent, Nikki gave up the child and never heard from him again. In Katherine’s last words to Nikki, she encouraged her longtime friend to seek out her long-lost child. With some help from Paul (Doug Davidson), she learned that the child she gave up all those years ago was actually Dylan McAvoy (Steve Burton)!

As Dylan looks more into his past, what kind of answers will he seek? How will Ian’s presence affect Nikki and her family?

Wise, a veteran of television and film, recently TV credits include guest appearances on 90210, NCIS, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds, Mad Men, How I Met Your Mother and Perception. This isn’t the actor’s first foray into daytime. Wise was a cast member on the CBS soap opera Love of Life.