Summary
Frances Reid (December 9, 1914 – February 3, 2010)[1][2] was an American dramatic actress. Reid acted on television for nearly all of the second half of the 20th century. Her career continued into the early 2000s.
Frances Reid | |
|---|---|
 Reid as Alice Horton on Days of our Lives (2006) | |
| Born | December 9, 1914 Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | February 3, 2010 (aged 95) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1938–2007 |
| Spouse | Philip Bourneuf (1940–1973; divorced) |
Although she starred in many productions, she is best known for her portrayal of Alice Horton on the NBC daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives from its debut in November 1965[3][4] until 2007.[1][2][5] At the time of her death, she ranked fifth on the all-time list of longest-serving soap opera actors in the United States.
Biography edit
Reid grew up in Berkeley, California.[2][3] Her acting career started in 1938 with a bit part in the movie Man-Proof.
Reid's Broadway debut was as Juliette Lecourtois in Where There's a Will There's a Way at the John Golden Theatre in 1939.[6] She later played Roxane opposite Jose Ferrer's Cyrano in the 1946 Broadway production of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Alvin Theatre, repeating the role three years later, again opposite Ferrer, in a 1949 one-hour Philco Television Playhouse adaptation.
A member of The Actors Studio from its inception in 1947,[7] Reid played a variety of stage roles throughout the 1940s and 1950s. From 1954 to 1955, Reid played the title role in the CBS television version of the radio serial Portia Faces Life.
She next portrayed the grasping Grace Baker, the mother-in-law of Penny Hughes, on As the World Turns from 1959 to 1962, and Rose Pollack, the kind-hearted mother of Nancy Pollock Karr, on The Edge of Night in 1964.[3] Reid portrayed matriarch Alice Horton on NBC's Days of our Lives since the show's premiere on November 8, 1965.[3] Reid gained mainstream attention for a 2003–2004 storyline in which Alice and several other long-running characters were seemingly murdered.[2][8] Her last appearance on Days of our Lives was on December 26, 2007, although she remained on contract with the show until her death.[1][2][5]
Reid made two guest appearances on Perry Mason starring Raymond Burr. In 1963 she played murderer Miss Givney, secretary to the guest attorney and episode's title character played by Bette Davis in "The Case of Constant Doyle." In 1965 she played defendant Lucille Forrest in "The Case of the Golden Venom."
In 1966, Reid appeared opposite Rock Hudson in the John Frankenheimer drama Seconds. In the audio commentary for the DVD version of the film, Frankenheimer called Reid one of his favourite actresses.
Reid played frontier Doctor Katy Piper on the Wagon Train episode "The Katy Piper Story", which aired on April 10, 1965.
Marriage edit
Reid was married to actor Philip Bourneuf from June 27, 1940, until their divorce in 1973.[9] They had no children.[citation needed]
Death edit
Reid died in Beverly Hills, California, in an assisted living facility, aged 95, on February 3, 2010.[1][2]
Awards edit
Nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Supporting Actress in 1979[10] and for Lead Actress in 1987,[11] Reid was awarded a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.[2][3] She won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actress in a Mature Role in 1978,[12] 1979,[13] 1984,[14] and 1985,[15] and was inducted into the Television Academy's archives in 2003.[4]
Selected filmography edit
- Reported Missing! (1937) – Maid (uncredited)
- A Criminal at Large (1939) – Isla Crane (Television picture)
- Little Women (1939) – Beth March (Television picture)
- The Ford Theatre Hour (1950; episode: "The Little Minister") – Babbie
- The Philco Television Playhouse (1949-51; 4 episodes) – Roxane
- You Are There (series) (1953; 2 episodes) – Mary O'Connell, Lucie Dreyfus
- The Man Behind the Badge (1954; episode: "The Los Angeles Story")
- Kraft Theatre (1954; episode: "Two Weeks in the Country)
- The Inner Flame (1954-55; 3 episodes) – Portia Manning
- The Brighter Day (1955; 1 episode) – Portia Manning
- As the World Turns (1956) – Grace Baker
- Telephone Time (1956; episode: "Harry in Search of Himself") – Mrs. Bergh
- Manitee Theatre (1955-56; 7 episodes) – Jane Kelsey
- The Wrong Man (1956) – Mrs. O'Connor (voice, uncredited)
- Lux Video Theatre (1957; episode: "Dark Hammock") – Dr. McDavid
- Berkeley Square (1959) – Dutchess of Devonshire (Television picture)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961) (Season 7 Episode 12: "A Jury of Her Peers") – Mrs. Mary Peters
- General Electric Theatre (1962; episode: "Somebody Please Help Me!") – Vera Parsons
- The Eleventh Hour (1963; episode: "Try to Keep Alive Until Next Tuesday") – Louise Forman
- Channing (1964; episode: "The Trouble with Girls") – Isabel Franklin
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1965) (Season 3 Episode 16: "One of the Family") – Joyce's Mother
- Wagon Train (1962-65; 5 episodes) – Various roles
- Days of Our Lives (1965-2007; contract role) – Alice Horton
- Seconds (1966) – Emily Hamilton
- The F.B.I. (1968; 2 episodes) – Mrs. Prior, Ellen Porter
- The Andromeda Strain (1971) – Clara Dutton
- The Affair (1973) – Mrs. Patterson (Television picture)
- Matt Helm (1975; episode: "Scavenger's Paradise") – Millie
- Project U.F.O. (1978; episode: "Sighting 4001: The Washington D.C. Incident") – Martha Carlyle
- Mercy or Murder (1987) – Emily Gilbert (Television picture)
- One Stormy Night (1992) – Alice Grayson Horton (Television picture)
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Soapy Awards | Favorite Actress in a Mature Role | Days of Our Lives | Won |
| 1979 | Won | |||
| 6th Daytime Emmy Awards | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| 1984 | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Mature Roles in a Daytime Soap Opera | Won | |
| 1985 | Outstanding Actress in a Mature Role in a Daytime Serial | Won | ||
| 1987 | 14th Daytime Emmy Awards | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 1990 | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Editor's Choice | Won | |
| 2004 | 31st Daytime Emmy Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d Greenblatt, Leah (February 4, 2010). "Frances Reid, Days of our Lives matriarch, dies at 95". Entertainment Weekly. EW.com. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Donaldson-Evans, Catherine (February 4, 2010). "Days of Our Lives Matriarch Dies at 95". People. People.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Soap Star Stats". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ a b "Days of our Lives actor biography: Frances Reid". NBC.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ a b "Days of our Lives recap (12/26/07)". Soaps.com. December 26, 2007. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ^ "Frances Reid". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Birth of The Actors Studio: 1947-1950". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 52. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
Also [in Lewis' class were] Henry Barnard, Jay Barney, John Becher, Philip Bourneuf, Joan Chandler, Peter Cookson, Stephen Elliott, Robert Emhardt, Joy Geffen, William Hansen, Will Hare, Jane Hoffman, George Keane, Don Keefer, George Matthews, Peggy Meredith, Ty Perry, Margaret Phillips, David Pressman, William Prince, Elliot Reid, Frances Reid, Kurt Richards, Elizabeth Ross, Thelma Schnee, Joshua Shelley, Fed Stewart, John Straub, Michael Strong, John Sylvester, Julie Warren, Mary Welch, Lois Wheeler, and William Woodson.
- ^ Fonseca, Nicholas (May 28, 2004). "Daytime's Secret Weapon". Entertainment Weekly. EW.com. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
- ^ "Frances Reid – Broadway Cast & Staff". ibdb.com. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "Daytime Emmy Winners & Nominees: 1979". SoapOperaDigest.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ "Daytime Emmy Winners & Nominees: 1987". SoapOperaDigest.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2004. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 1978". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved January 30, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 1979". SoapOperaDigest.com. Retrieved January 30, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 1984". SoapOperaDigest.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 1985". SoapOperaDigest.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
External links edit
- Frances Reid at IMDb
- Frances Reid at the Internet Broadway Database
- Frances Reid Archive of American Television Interview
- Kroll, Dan J. (February 4, 2010). "Frances Reid, Days of our Lives' beloved Alice Horton, dead at 95". Soapcentral. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
