Iowa History Daily: On March 15, 1913, (Edward) Macdonald Carey, who voiced “like sands through an hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives,” was born in Sioux City, Iowa.
The actor, best known for his role as Tom Horton on the show his voice has opened since 1966, grew up across from Hubbard Park in Sioux City. A true renaissance man, Carey took piano, violin, drum, singing, ballroom dancing, and tap dancing lessons during his western Iowa childhood. After graduation from Sioux City Central High School, Carey ultimately went on to graduate from the University of Iowa where he studied acting. Following graduation, Carey toured with the Globe Players before making his Broadway debut in the Big Apple in 1941’s “Lady in the Dark.”
The role led him west after an offer from Paramount Pictures. His career gained momentum with roles in 1942’s “Star Spangled Rhythm” and “Take a Letter, Darling,” before his first starring role in “Dr. Broadway.” The fourth-film of 1942 for Carey, another leading role in “Wake Island” proved a breakout performance. In 1943, Carey played the romantic lead in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Shadow of a Doubt,” before putting his career on hold to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.
After finishing his military service in Air Warning Squadron 3, Carey returned to show business and successfully acted in a variety of film and television roles over the remainder of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1965, Carey started his iconic run as Tom Horton as “Days of Our Lives.” Over the next four decades, Carey starred on the popular soap opera until his death in 1994. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
