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.
47 Facts About Macdonald Carey
2.
Macdonald Carey first made his career starring in various B-movies of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
3.
Macdonald Carey was known in many Hollywood circles as "King of the Bs", sharing the throne with his "queen", Lucille Ball.
4.
Macdonald Carey became involved with the drama school at the University of Iowa and decided to become an actor.
5.
Macdonald Carey was on Broadway in Lady in the Dark opposite Gertrude Lawrence, Danny Kaye and Victor Mature.
6.
Macdonald Carey's performance led to him receiving a contract offer from Paramount.
7.
Macdonald Carey made his film debut in Star Spangled Rhythm.
8.
Macdonald Carey followed it with Dr Broadway, which was his first starring role.
9.
Macdonald Carey had a leading part in Wake Island, directed by John Farrow, a big hit.
10.
Macdonald Carey's career received a boost when borrowed by Alfred Hitchcock at Universal to play the romantic lead in Shadow of a Doubt with Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright.
11.
Macdonald Carey had two months before he left, which enabled him to star in a musical for Paramount, Salute for Three.
12.
Macdonald Carey received his commission in early 1944 and attended fighter director school at Camp Murphy in Orlando, Florida.
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Macdonald Carey played Cesare Borgia in Bride of Vengeance alongside Goddard, directed by Leisen, but it was a flop.
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Macdonald Carey followed this with Song of Surrender, directed by Leisen.
15.
Macdonald Carey supported Red Skelton at MGM in Excuse My Dust.
16.
At 20th Century Fox Macdonald Carey supported Betty Grable in Meet Me After the Show and Claudette Colbert in Let's Make It Legal.
17.
Macdonald Carey went back to Universal for Cave of Outlaws.
18.
Macdonald Carey began appearing on television in episodes of The Christophers, Celanese Theatre, Hope Chest, and Lux Video Theatre.
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Macdonald Carey has appeared in films like My Wife's Best Friend, at Fox with Anne Baxter; Count the Hours, with Teresa Wright at RKO; Hannah Lee, a Western with John Ireland; It's Everybody's Business, and Malaga with Maureen O'Hara.
20.
Macdonald Carey returned to Broadway in Anniversary Waltz, directed by Moss Hart, which was a big hit and ran for two years.
21.
Macdonald Carey's work was increasingly on the small screen: The Quiet Gun, Stage 7, Science Fiction Theatre, Hour of Stars, Celebrity Playhouse, and The 20th Century Fox Hour.
22.
Macdonald Carey managed a single, starring turn as a young professor traveling cross-country in the fifth season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents as well.
23.
Macdonald Carey did make some features such as Stranger at My Door, a Western for Republic Pictures, and Odongo for Warwick Films.
24.
In 1956 Macdonald Carey took over the role of the kindly small-town physician Dr Christian, a character created in the late 1930s by actor Jean Hersholt on radio and in films.
25.
Macdonald Carey portrayed Dr Christian on syndicated television for one season.
26.
Macdonald Carey guested on The Kaiser Aluminium Hour, The Joseph Cotten Show, Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre, Zane Grey Theatre, Wagon Train, Studio One in Hollywood, Playhouse 90, The Frank Sinatra Show, Suspicion, Target, Pursuit, Schlitz Playhouse, The Dupont Show of the Month, and Rawhide.
27.
Macdonald Carey was in the Western film Man or Gun, for Republic.
28.
Macdonald Carey played patriot Patrick Henry in John Paul Jones, directed by John Farrow who had worked with Carey at Paramount.
29.
Macdonald Carey starred as crusading Herb Maris in the 1950s syndicated series Lock-Up.
30.
Macdonald Carey guest starred on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Moment of Fear, Thriller, The United States Steel Hour, Insight, Target, Checkmate and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
31.
Macdonald Carey went to England to make the films The Devil's Agent and The Damned, for director Joseph Losey.
32.
Macdonald Carey supported Sandra Dee in Tammy and the Doctor.
33.
Macdonald Carey appeared as Mr Edwards in the 1963 episode "Pay the Two Dollars" of the NBC education drama series, Mr Novak, starring James Franciscus.
34.
Macdonald Carey could be seen on Burke's Law, Branded, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Run for Your Life, Ben Casey, Lassie, and Bewitched.
35.
Macdonald Carey started playing Tom Horton on Days of Our Lives in 1965.
36.
Macdonald Carey says he took the show "because I couldn't get a movie at the time".
37.
Macdonald Carey ended up playing it until his death from lung cancer in Beverly Hills, California, in 1994, six days after his 81st birthday.
38.
Macdonald Carey 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.
39.
Macdonald Carey continued to act in other productions during his run on Days.
40.
Macdonald Carey later appeared in many all-star television miniseries, such as Roots, The Rebels, The Top of the Hill and Condominium.
41.
Macdonald Carey was in the films Foes, End of the World, and Summer of Fear, and had a small part in American Gigolo.
42.
Macdonald Carey guest starred on Finder of Lost Loves, and Murder, She Wrote.
43.
Macdonald Carey wrote several books of poetry, and a 1991 autobiography, The Days of My Life.
44.
Macdonald Carey was married to Elizabeth Heckscher from 1943 until their divorce in 1969.
45.
Macdonald Carey's grandchildren include Ellie Diamond and Vytas and Aras Baskauskas.
46.
Macdonald Carey was a Roman Catholic, and a member of the Good Shepherd Parish and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills, California.
47.
Macdonald Carey is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California, alongside a space already set aside for his daughter Lisa.