Macdonald Carey, the Emmy-winning actor who portrayed the patriarchal Dr. Tom Horton in the enduring NBC soap opera "Days of Our Lives," died Monday of cancer. He was 81.
Carey, who had undergone lung cancer surgery in September 1991, died at his home at 2:30 a.m., according to publicist Julie Nathanson.Carey, who also appeared in more than 50 films, starred in the daytime drama since it began in November 1965. He narrated its trademark opening: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives."
His portrayal of the friendly and fatherly Dr. Horton earned him Emmys for best actor in a daytime drama in 1974 and 1975.
Dr. Horton was the perennial chief of staff of a university hospital in the fictional town of Salem. Horton had recently retired but raised money and founded a trauma center vaguely associated with the hospital.
Unlike most soap characters, Tom Horton and his wife, Alice, played by Frances Reid, had an unfaltering romance - perhaps explaining the longevity of Carey and Reid's appeal to loyal fans over decades.
Carey was able to return to the role a month after his 1991 surgery. He never officially left "Days" but appeared in his last episodes in December or January, said Paulette Cohn, a spokeswoman for the show.
Although best known for the soap opera role, Carey was cast as a leading man in Hollywood movies of the '40s and '50s, including Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" in 1943.
On television, he also starred in the title role of the 1956 series "Dr. Christian" and in the drama series "Lock Up" from 1959-61. He played Squire James in 1977's acclaimed miniseries "Roots" and had many other guest roles in regular series and television movies.