Macdonald Carey
Encyclopedia
Edward Macdonald Carey was an American
actor
, best known for his role as the patriarch
Dr. Tom Horton
on NBC
's soap opera
Days of our Lives
. For almost three decades, he was the show's central cast member.
, Carey graduated from the University of Iowa
in Iowa City
with a bachelor's degree in 1935, after attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison
for a year where he was a member of Alpha Delta Phi
. He first made his career starring in various B-movies of the 1940s, '50s and '60s. He was known in many Hollywood circles as "King of the Bs", sharing the throne with his "queen", Lucille Ball
.
and the 1942 film Wake Island
, Carey appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's 1943 movie Shadow of a Doubt
, filmed in Santa Rosa, California
. That year he joined the Marines; he stayed on active duty until 1947.
In 1947, Carey returned to Paramount in Suddenly, It's Spring
. He continued with Paramount into the 1950s; by this time he had slipped into more noticeable character roles and transitioned to westerns
for a time, such as
Copper Canyon
(1950), The Great Missouri Raid (1951), Outlaw Territory (1953) and Man or Gun (1958). Carey played patriot Patrick Henry
in John Paul Jones
(1959). He appeared in Blue Denim
(1959), The Damned
(known as These Are the Damned in the US) (1963), Tammy and the Doctor (1963), and End of the World
(1977). Carey appeared in CBS
's Appointment with Adventure
and later portrayed Brother Ben in "The Incident of the Golden Calf" episdode of CBS's Rawhide
. He also guest starred in the 1964-1965 sitcom The Bing Crosby Show
on ABC
.
In 1956 Carey took over the role of the kindly small-town physician Dr. Christian, a character created in the late 1930s by the Danish-American actor Jean Hersholt
, who had performed the part on radio and in films and had co-written a Dr. Christian novel. Carey portrayed Dr. Christian on television for one season. Carey also played the starring role of crusading Herb Maris in the 1950s syndicated
series Lock-Up. A total of 78 episode
s (then considered to be only two full seasons) were made 1959–61, but apparently Carey did not appear in all of them.
from lung cancer
in 1994. During this time, Carey suffered from a drinking problem, and eventually joined Alcoholics Anonymous
in 1982. A longtime pipe smoker, he was seen in many films and early episodes of Days of our Lives with it. He was ordered by his doctor to quit in September 1991 after having to take a leave of absence from Days in order to remove a cancerous tumor from one of his lungs. He returned to the show in November of that year.
He is most recognized today as the voice who recites the epigraph
each day before the program begins: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of our Lives". From 1966 to 1994, he would also intone, "This is Macdonald Carey, and these are the Days of our Lives." (After Carey's passing, the producers, out of respect for Carey's family, decided not to use the second part of the opening tagline.) At each intermission, his voice also says "We will return for the second half of Days of our Lives in just a moment". Since the Horton family is still regarded as the core of Days of our Lives, his memory has been allowed to remain imprinted on the show by leaving the voice-overs intact. He also served as voice-over for the very first PBS
ident, in which he said "This is PBS ... the Public Broadcasting Service."
Macdonald Carey wrote several books of poetry and a 1991 autobiography, The Days of My Life. For his contribution to television, Carey has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
, at 6536 Hollywood Boulevard
.
Carey's six children are: Lynn, Theresa, Lisa, Steven, Edward Macdonald Jr., and Paul. Theresa is the mother of Survivor: Panama Exile Island winner Aras Baskauskas
. Lynn Carey
was a 1970s Penthouse
Pet and well respected singer, providing music for Russ Meyer
's legendary cult
classic film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
. He has a godson, Maurice Heckscher.
He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery
in Culver City, California
, alongside a space already set aside for his daughter Lisa.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known for his role as the patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
Dr. Tom Horton
Tom Horton
Dr. Thomas "Tom" Horton, Sr. is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives. He was played by Macdonald Carey from 1965 until his death in 1994.-Storylines:...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
. For almost three decades, he was the show's central cast member.
Early life and career
Born in Sioux City, IowaSioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
, Carey graduated from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in Iowa City
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
with a bachelor's degree in 1935, after attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
for a year where he was a member of Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Delta Phi is a Greek-letter social college fraternity and the fourth-oldest continuous Greek-letter fraternity in the United States and Canada. Alpha Delta Phi was founded on October 29, 1832 by Samuel Eells at Hamilton College and includes former U.S. Presidents, Chief Justices of the U.S....
. He first made his career starring in various B-movies of the 1940s, '50s and '60s. He was known in many Hollywood circles as "King of the Bs", sharing the throne with his "queen", Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
.
World War II and after
A successful radio actor and stage performer whose credits included the hit Broadway show Lady in the DarkLady in the Dark
Lady in the Dark is a musical with music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book and direction by Moss Hart. It was produced by Sam Harris. The protagonist, Liza Elliott, is the unhappy female editor of a fashion magazine, Allure, who is undergoing psychoanalysis...
and the 1942 film Wake Island
Wake Island (1942 film)
Wake Island is a 1942 American film written by W. R. Burnett and Frank Butler, and directed by John Farrow. The film tells the story of the United States military garrison on Wake Island and the onslaught by the Japanese following the attack on Pearl Harbor...
, Carey appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's 1943 movie Shadow of a Doubt
Shadow of a Doubt
Shadow of a Doubt is a 1943 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Written by Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story for Gordon McDonell...
, filmed in Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
. That year he joined the Marines; he stayed on active duty until 1947.
In 1947, Carey returned to Paramount in Suddenly, It's Spring
Suddenly, It's Spring
Suddenly, It's Spring is a 1947 comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen. It stars Paulette Goddard and Fred MacMurray.-Cast:*Paulette Goddard as Mary Morely*Fred MacMurray as Peter Morely*Macdonald Carey as Jack Lindsay*Arleen Whelan as Gloria Fay...
. He continued with Paramount into the 1950s; by this time he had slipped into more noticeable character roles and transitioned to westerns
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
for a time, such as
Copper Canyon
Copper Canyon (film)
Copper Canyon is a 1950 film directed by John Farrow. It stars Ray Milland and Hedy Lamarr.-Cast:*Ray Milland as Johnny Carter*Hedy Lamarr as Lisa Roselle*Macdonald Carey as Deputy Lane Travis*Mona Freeman as Caroline Desmond...
(1950), The Great Missouri Raid (1951), Outlaw Territory (1953) and Man or Gun (1958). Carey played patriot Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
in John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (film)
John Paul Jones is a 1959 biographical epic film about John Paul Jones. The film was made by Samuel Bronston Productions and released by Warner Bros. It was directed by John Farrow and produced by Samuel Bronston from a screenplay by John Farrow, Ben Hecht, Jesse Lasky Jr. from the story Nor'wester...
(1959). He appeared in Blue Denim
Blue Denim
Blue Denim was a successful Broadway play by writer James Leo Herlihy, the author of the novels All Fall Down and Midnight Cowboy . It starred Carol Lynley, Warren Berlinger and newcomer Burt Brinckerhoff in the lead male role...
(1959), The Damned
The Damned (1963 film)
The Damned is a 1963 British science fiction film starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field and Oliver Reed. It was a Hammer Film production directed by Joseph Losey and based on H.L...
(known as These Are the Damned in the US) (1963), Tammy and the Doctor (1963), and End of the World
End of the World (1977 film)
End of the World is a 1977 American film directed by John Hayes.- Plot:Prof. Andrew Boran is a research scientist who discovers strange radio signals coming from outer space that appear to originate from earth. These strange signals seem to predict natural disasters that are occurring around the...
(1977). Carey appeared in CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's Appointment with Adventure
Appointment with Adventure
Appointment with Adventure is a half-hour adventure/dramatic anthology television series broadcast live on CBS from 1955-1956. The program has no host. It aired at 10 p.m...
and later portrayed Brother Ben in "The Incident of the Golden Calf" episdode of CBS's Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
. He also guest starred in the 1964-1965 sitcom The Bing Crosby Show
The Bing Crosby Show
The Bing Crosby Show is a 28-episode situation comedy television program starring crooner, film star, iconic phenomenon, and businessman Bing Crosby and actress Beverly Garland as a middle-aged couple, Bing and Ellie Collins, rearing two teenaged daughters during the early 1960s...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
In 1956 Carey took over the role of the kindly small-town physician Dr. Christian, a character created in the late 1930s by the Danish-American actor Jean Hersholt
Jean Hersholt
Jean Pierre Hersholt was a Danish-born actor who lived in the United States, where he was a leading film and radio talent, best known for his 17 years starring on radio in Dr. Christian and for playing Shirley Temple's grandfather in Heidi...
, who had performed the part on radio and in films and had co-written a Dr. Christian novel. Carey portrayed Dr. Christian on television for one season. Carey also played the starring role of crusading Herb Maris in the 1950s syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
series Lock-Up. A total of 78 episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
s (then considered to be only two full seasons) were made 1959–61, but apparently Carey did not appear in all of them.
Days of our Lives
For the remainder of his career, he played Tom Horton on Days of our Lives, from 1965 until his death in Beverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in 1994. During this time, Carey suffered from a drinking problem, and eventually joined Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
in 1982. A longtime pipe smoker, he was seen in many films and early episodes of Days of our Lives with it. He was ordered by his doctor to quit in September 1991 after having to take a leave of absence from Days in order to remove a cancerous tumor from one of his lungs. He returned to the show in November of that year.
He is most recognized today as the voice who recites the epigraph
Epigraph (literature)
In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...
each day before the program begins: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of our Lives". From 1966 to 1994, he would also intone, "This is Macdonald Carey, and these are the Days of our Lives." (After Carey's passing, the producers, out of respect for Carey's family, decided not to use the second part of the opening tagline.) At each intermission, his voice also says "We will return for the second half of Days of our Lives in just a moment". Since the Horton family is still regarded as the core of Days of our Lives, his memory has been allowed to remain imprinted on the show by leaving the voice-overs intact. He also served as voice-over for the very first PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
ident, in which he said "This is PBS ... the Public Broadcasting Service."
Macdonald Carey wrote several books of poetry and a 1991 autobiography, The Days of My Life. For his contribution to television, Carey has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, at 6536 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
.
Personal life
He was married to Elizabeth Heckscher from 1943 until their divorce in 1969. They had six children. Later, he dated Lois Kraines. The couple remained together from 1973 until Carey's death.Carey's six children are: Lynn, Theresa, Lisa, Steven, Edward Macdonald Jr., and Paul. Theresa is the mother of Survivor: Panama Exile Island winner Aras Baskauskas
Aras Baskauskas
Aras Baskauskas is the winner of Survivor: Panama. He is of Lithuanian descent, holding Lithuanian and American citizenship....
. Lynn Carey
Lynn Carey
Lynn Carey is an American singer, songwriter, model, and actress best known as the lead vocalist in the band Mama Lion. She is also the daughter of actor Macdonald Carey.-Biography:...
was a 1970s Penthouse
Penthouse (magazine)
Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
Pet and well respected singer, providing music for Russ Meyer
Russ Meyer
Russell Albion "Russ" Meyer was a U.S. motion picture director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, actor and photographer....
's legendary cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
classic film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 American schlock melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett and David Gurian...
. He has a godson, Maurice Heckscher.
He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Holy Cross Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles....
in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
, alongside a space already set aside for his daughter Lisa.
Selected filmography
- The LawlessThe LawlessThe Lawless is a 1950 American drama film directed by Joseph Losey and starring Macdonald Carey, Gail Russell and Johnny Sands. A newspaper editor in California becomes concerned about the plight of the state's fruit pickers, mostly illegal immigrants from Mexico...
(1950) - Count the HoursCount the Hours-Cast:*Macdonald Carey as Doug Madison* Teresa Wright as Ellen Braden*John Craven as George Braden*Jack Elam as Max Vern*Edgar Barrier as D.A Jim Gillespie...
[1953] - The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie FordThe Ford ShowThe Ford Show is a half-hour comedy/variety program, starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, which aired in color on NBC television on Thursday evenings from October 4, 1956 to June 29, 1961....
(December 26, 1957)
Awards
- Daytime Emmy Awards
- (1974) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
- (1975) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
- (1974) Daytime Emmy Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for Days of our Lives
- Soap Opera Digest AwardsSoap Opera Digest AwardsThe Soap Opera Digest Awards were an awards show held by the daytime television magazine Soap Opera Digest. The awards were founded in 1984 to replace the less-lavish Soapy Award; those awards shows had run since 1977. The Soap Opera Digest Awards are meant to promote excellence in the soap opera...
- (1984) Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Actor in a Mature Role in a Daytime Serial1st Soap Opera Digest AwardsThe first annual Soap Opera Digest Awards were held in 1984, with the second being screened on NBC and Days of our Lives winning every award in the daytime categories. For the subsequent 6 years votes were for awards in either daytime soaps, or primetime...
for Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around... - (1985) Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Actor in a Mature Role in a Daytime Serial for Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
- (1990) Soap Opera Digest Editors Choice award
- (1984) Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Actor in a Mature Role in a Daytime Serial