Antony Alda, who played
Johnny Corelli on "Days of Our Lives" from 1990-1991, has died. Alda passed away
on July 3, 2009. He was 52. Alda was born as Antonio D'Abruzzo on December
9, 1956 in Saint-Julien, France. His father was actor Robert Alda (who had also
appeared on "Days" as Stuart Whyland from 1981-1982). The senior D'Abruzzo had
changed the family's last name to Alda upon becoming an
actor.
Antony Alda
(Johnny
Corelli, 1990-1991)
December
9, 1956-July 3, 2009
When Alda arrived in Los Angeles in 1977, his
father suggested he get back into acting. The only big advantage to having
Robert Alda as his father was that it helped him get an agent. Alda would appear
on "Switch", "Columbo", "Chips", "Quincy", "Knots Landing", "Throb", "Too Close
for Comfort", "Hunter", as well as an episode of "M*A*S*H", featuring both
himself, his father and his half-brother ("M*A*S*H" star Alan
Alda).
As for his "Days" character, Johnny Corelli,
Alda was quite pleased with his role. He stated that "I couldn't have drawn a
better character myself. I've played a lot of outsider roles over the
years...people who are always just a little off-center. With Johnny, you never
know what the hell he can get into. He likes the challenge of what he does. He
enjoys playing with people's heads. It's almost like the reason you become an
actor: You could do something else, but this is more fun. He likes the sense of
adventure. So do I."
In a 1990 People article, Alan
Alda had this to say about his half-brother: "My father [Robert] was one of
the most charming actors of his generation, and there's some of that natural
charm and charisma in Tony. Plus, Tony's basic honesty adds to that, which makes
him an appealing person to watch." Alda did not act much after leaving "Days" in
April 1991. His final acting appearance was as a security guard in the
2004 film "National Treasure." Alda leaves behind two sons, Ian and
Alexander.
Robert Alda
(Stuart
Whyland, 1981-1982)
February 26, 1914-May 3, 1986
(New York Times, May 5,
1986)
Patricia Barry
(Addie Williams, 1971-1974)
November 16,
1922-October 11, 2016
Patricia Barry, an actress with hundreds of TV credits who was best known for her roles on soaps including “Days of Our Lives” and “All My Children,” died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 93.
Barry logged stints on several daytime serials and dozens of roles on TV series from the 1960s through the 1990s. She was also a philanthropist and businesswoman who was successful in fielding rental properties to actors and directors who needed temporary homes while working on location in New York and Los Angeles. She was married for decades to Philip Barry Jr., son of the playwright behind “The Philadelphia Story” and “High Society.”
Barry’s long list of credits include appearances on “Perry Mason,” “Gunsmoke,” “My Three Sons,” “77 Sunset Strip,” “The Untouchables,” “Dr. Kildare,” “Rawhide,” “Ben Casey,” “Maverick,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Three’s Company,” “Dallas,” “Columbo,” and “Knots Landing,” in addition to later series such as “Providence” and “Murder She Wrote.”
In daytime she had roles on NBC’s “Days of Our Lives” in the 1970s and on ABC’s “All My Children” and “Loving” in the 1980s, as well as CBS’ “Guiding Light.” On “All My Children” in 1981 she played a drug lord known as “the Cobra” who pretended to be the mother of one of the show’s central characters. (She wound up dying of a brain tumor in prison.)
Born in Davenport, Iowa, Barry studied theater at Stephens College in Missouri and later studied with famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner in New York. She got her start on stage in the Broadway production of “Calico Wedding” and starred opposite Steve Allen in “The Pink Elephant.”
She eventually headed West to become a contract player for Warner Bros. She appeared in such films as “Deception,” “The Beast With Five Fingers,” “The Man I Love,” and “Riders of the Whistling Pines,” along with plenty of B pictures in the late 1940s and early ’50s. She juggled film, Broadway, and touring stage work during this period.
Barry was a player in the 1950s TV anthology series including “Playhouse 90,” “Studio One,” “The Alcoa Hour,” “General Electric Theater,” and “Goodyear Playhouse.” She appeared in multiple episodes of “The Rifleman,” “The Millionaire,” and “Perry Mason.” She co-starred opposite Jack Klugman in the 1964-65 NBC domestic comedy “Harris Against the World.” Her later film roles included “Send Me No Flowers,” “Kitten With a Whip,” “Dear Heart,” “American Gigolo,” “Safe at Home,” and “Twilight Zone: The Movie.”
Barry was active in Hollywood women’s advocacy orgs, becoming an early member of Women in Film and founder of its international arm. She was also an active member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and SAG. She served a long tenure on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences foreign film committee. She was feted with a lifetime achievement award from Women in Film in 1999.
Barry’s survivors include two daughters, Miranda Barry, a writer and former executive in charge of global “Sesame Street” productions; and Stephanie Barry Agnew; and two grandchildren. Philip Barry Jr. died in 1998.
(Obituary courtesy of Variety.com)
Brenda Benet
(Lee Dumonde, 1979-1982)
August 14, 1945-April
7, 1982
(New York Times, April 9,
1982)
(The Chronicle Telegram, April 9,
1982)
Richard Biggs
(Marcus Hunter, 1987-1992)
March 18, 1960-May
22, 2004
Richard Biggs, a television
actor known for his featured roles in such series as "Babylon 5" and "Days of
Our Lives," died Saturday after collapsing suddenly at his San Fernando Valley
home. He was 44. He was taken to
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he died, said Caren
Day, a family spokeswoman. The cause was a tear in his aorta. Biggs, a graduate of
the USC School of Theatre, portrayed Dr. Stephen Franklin on the science-fiction
series "Babylon 5," which was broadcast in syndication and later on the TNT
network from 1991 to 1998. He also played a doctor on the NBC soap "Days of Our
Lives" for five years beginning in the 1980s. More recently, he
appeared on the Lifetime channel dramas "Any Day Now" and "Strong Medicine" and
earned favorable notices onstage in Los Angeles productions of Shakespeare's
"Lear" and John DiFusco's Vietnam War play
"Tracers."
Born in Columbus,
Ohio, Biggs developed a passion for acting in high school after performing in a
community production of "The Wiz." He won a scholarship to USC, where he majored
in performing arts. While in college he taught acting at 32nd Street Magnet
School near the USC campus and later at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in
Topanga. He eventually developed his own curriculum, which he offered to schools
across the country. Hearing-impaired
since boyhood, Biggs devoted much of his off-camera time to raising money for a
private Orange County school that serves both deaf and hearing children.
In 1997
he was invited to direct a benefit presentation of A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters"
at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. The proceeds went to the Rancho Viejo School for
the deaf and hearing-impaired in Rancho Santa Margarita. The next year Biggs
brought most of the cast of "Babylon 5" to the school for another fundraising
event, which attracted fans from around the country. He also sold autographed
pictures of himself at the sci-fi conventions he frequently attended and gave
the proceeds to the school so it could purchase playground and other equipment.
His own
hearing problems were diagnosed when he was 13. Completely deaf in one ear and
partly deaf in the other, Biggs wore a hearing aid and learned sign language as
an adult after doctors told him that he one day would lose all his hearing.
He
is survived by his wife of six years, Lori Kay Biggs; two sons, Hunter, 2, and
Richard James III, 4; his parents, retired Col. Richard and Delores Biggs of
Spokane, Wash.; and four sisters. (Los Angeles Times, May 28,
2004)
Stephen Brooks
(Joshua Fallon, 1980-1981)
August
12, 1942-December 1, 1999
James Gardner Brooks Jr. was
born in Columbus, Ohio. Brooks used the first name of Stephen as an actor. He
graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1960. His first acting
role came on the series "The Nurses" in 1963. From 1965-1968, he was a series
regular as Jim Rhodes on "The F.B.I." He then appeared as Dr. Greg Pettit on
"The Interns" from 1970-1971. In November 1981, Mr. Brooks
asked "Days of Our Lives" to let him out of his contract due to personal
reasons. He never acted again. Brooks died in
Seattle, Washington of a heart attack on December 1, 1999. He was 57.
Peter Brown
(Dr. Greg Peters,
1971-1980)
October 5, 1935-March 21,
2016
Peter Brown, who starred as Dr. Greg Peters in 675 episodes of "Days of Our Lives" from 1971-1980, has passed away at the age of 80. Brown died on March 21, 2016. His death was first reported by a family friend on Twitter.
Pierre Lind de Lappe was born in New York City on October 5, 1935 and raised in Spokane, Washington. Brown took his last name from his stepfather, Albert Brown. After serving in the 2nd Infantry Division in the Army, he studied drama at UCLA. While working at a gas station, Brown happened to meet one of the original Warner Brothers, Jack Warner, and got a screen test with the studio the next day.
Brown first gained fame in several primetime westerns, including "Lawman" (1958-1962) and "Laredo" (1965-1967). In 1971, Brown joined the cast of "Days of Our Lives" as Dr. Greg Peters. He would spend almost a decade on "Days", and his character would marry both Susan Hunter (Bennye Gatteys) and Amanda Howard (Mary Frann). He last appeared on "Days" in January 1980. Brown also had regular roles on "Loving", "One Life to Live", "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful."
Brown retired from acting in 2005. Survivors include his widow, Kerstin Kern, and two sons, Matthew and Joshua.
Macdonald Carey
(Dr. Tom Horton,
1965-1994)
March 15, 1913-March 21, 1994
Macdonald Carey, the tall veteran actor of stage, screen, radio and television
best known in recent years as the patriarchal Dr. Tom Horton on the daytime soap
opera "Days of Our Lives," died Monday. He was 81. Carey, who had
undergone surgery for lung cancer in 1991, died of the disease in his Beverly
Hills home. He had continued
working on the television series until two months ago. A spokeswoman said
writers will have Carey's character die in the program. In tribute, the NBC
network plans to show Carey's portrait after Wednesday's episode and then fade
to black. ?>
The multifaceted Carey overcame alcoholism, a struggle he chronicled in his 1991
autobiography, "The Days of My Life." He also published three volumes of poetry
and was invited to teach poetry by the University of South Carolina, which
awarded him an honorary doctorate in fine arts. "I want to be
remembered for what I am--a poet/actor," Carey told The Times in 1988. "I'd like
to be the best I can at both of them." Carey said he thought
his first book of poetry, "A Day in the Life," was published "mostly because I
was Macdonald Carey." The second, "That Further Hill," he said, was "a vanity
book, to be sure, but I did it because by then I thought I was a good poet."
"I like
to think that this time," he said on publication of "Beyond That Further Hill,"
his third volume, "it's because I am a good poet." A Times reviewer
greeted the first book in 1982 with the appraisal: "He writes honestly, without
avoiding his vulnerabilities--admirable in an age that honors image more than
substance."
Although Carey frequently wrote about loneliness, he seemed to enjoy life even
after his alcoholism cost him his three-decade marriage to actress Betty
Heckscher. "The (acting)
profession teaches you a lot of bad things, but it also teaches you something of
great value: 'Make it fresh every day.' I try to live that way--singing,
dancing, acting, writing," he said when he was well into his 70s. "And you know,
right now is the most beautiful time of my life. The best time I ever had."
When "Days of Our
Lives" debuted on Nov. 8, 1965, Carey was the central figure. He also intoned,
in his familiar, resonant voice, the dramatic opening line which was to echo
over three decades: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our
lives."
Twitted by critics for moving into soap operas after a distinguished career on
Broadway, 60 films and classic radio and television dramas such as "Playhouse
90," the matter-of-fact Carey said in 1966: "There's not enough work, not enough
movies being made today to keep all the actors busy. . . . For an actor, this
kind of show is great. This is actually radio come alive again. . . . I really
love it." Carey's role as the
perennial nice guy with a devoted wife and five children earned him Emmy awards
for best actor in a daytime drama in 1974 and 1975 and six Soap Opera Awards
from viewers.
Edward Macdonald Carey was born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa, across the
street from the twins who grew up to be Ann Landers and Abigail van Buren. He
began his education at Philip Exeter and Dartmouth. But when the Depression
struck, he got a brief note from his parents: "Come home." Economically
persuaded, Carey earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Iowa and
pursued a master's in speech. He left to join a regional Shakespearean theater
company, but the company folded, stranding him in Chicago. Carey went to work
for NBC Radio there in 1937, and soon moved to New York for the network. He
followed Don Ameche in radio's "First Nighter," and went on to "John's Other
Wife," "Stella Dallas" and "Just Plain Bill."
On
Broadway, Carey made an inauspicious debut in "Mamba's Daughters." But he went
on to star with Gertrude Lawrence in her "Lady in the Dark" and opposite Kitty
Carlisle in "Anniversary Waltz." The stage work won
him a contract with Paramount for B movies, and his self-description as
"strictly a nonentity in pictures." A notable exception was Alfred Hitchcock's
"Shadow of a Doubt" in 1943, in which Carey starred with Joseph Cotten and Hume
Cronyn. Carey served in the
Marines for three years during World War II and returned to generally better
roles--"Suddenly It's Spring" with Paulette Goddard in 1947, "Dream Girl" with
Betty Hutton in 1948, and "Streets of Laredo" with William Holden and "The Great
Gatsby" with Alan Ladd, both in 1949.
By the mid-1950s, Carey was concentrating on television, starring
in such early drama series as "Playhouse 90," "U.S. Steel Hour" and "Alcoa
Playhouse." As television matured, he starred in the 1956 series "Dr. Christian"
and the 1959 series "Lock Up," and won such roles as Squire James in the popular
mini-series "Roots."
In his
later years, Carey was active in the Roman Catholic Church and became a knight
of the Holy Sepulchre and knight of Malta. In honor of his
support of mental health services, the East Valley Mental Health Center in North
Hollywood was named for him last year. Carey is
survived by his six children, Lynn, Lisa, Steve, Teresa, Mac Jr. and Paul, and
six grandchildren. (Los Angeles Times, March 22, 1994)
Two-time Emmy Award
winning actor Macdonald Carey, the actor whose reassuring , paternal delivery of
the "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives" intro to
"Days of Our Lives," and who spent almost three decades playing Dr. Tom Horton
on the long-running soap opera, succumbed
to cancer Monday at the age of 81. Carey had been in
failing health for several years and was operated on for a cancerous tumor in
1991. He
had not appeared on the show since January. Yet, his passing cast a shadow over
Monday's rehearsals, according to Deidre Hall, who plays psychiatrist Dr.
Marlena Evans Brady. The set was "very still," she said, following the
announcement that Carey had died early that morning at his Beverly Hills home.
Cast and crew members were "biting their lips and going about their business,"
according to John Clarke who has played Carey's son on the soap since its 1965
debut. "It's hard to talk to
each other. But, we have a show to do and we're trying to immerse ourselves in
work," said Clarke. According to "Days"
spokeswoman Paulette Cohn, the character of Dr. Horton will also die, and will
be woven into the show's storyline. In
tribute, producers of the NBC show will display Carey's portrait after
tomorrow's episode, then fade to black. (Daily Variety, March 22,
1994)