Emmy-winning soap opera star, Frances Reid, dies
Frances Reid, perhaps better known as matriarch Alice Horton of the soap opera “Days of Our Lives”, died Wednesday in her California home, according to a spokeswoman from NBC. The cause of death has not yet been released. She was 95.
Reid was born in 1914 in Texas, but she spent most of her life in California. She studied at the Pasadena Playhouse to be an actress and enjoyed a moderate amount of success in her early career. Reid appeared in at least a dozen musicals during the 1930 and 40s, often playing the female lead. After her career on stage, she turned to the screen in the 1950s, appearing on a number of television shows, including a handful of soap operas. She made prime-time appearances on shows like Wagon Train, Dr. Kildare, Perry Mason, and Mr. Novak.
In 1965, she reluctantly took the role of Alice Horton on “Days of our Lives” knowing that roles for middle-aged actresses were hard to come by. As such, she has been with the soap opera since its inception, though her last appearance was in 2007. In 2004, Reid won a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Reid married fellow actor Philip Bourneuf in 1940. He died in 1979. They have no children.
[photo: tvrage.com]
Tags: Alice Horton, Days of Our Lives, Emmy, Frances Reid, soap opera