DAYS: Edward Mallory (Bill Horton) has passed away...

[JAS0N47]

Edward Mallory, who portrayed Bill Horton on "Days of Our Lives" for 14 years, has died. Mallory died on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 at Meyersdale Hospital in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania after a long illness. He was 76.

Mallory, whose birth name was Edward Martz, was born on June 14, 1930 in Cumberland, Maryland. All through grade school, Mallory never once thought of becoming an actor. After graduating from high school, he became a management trainee with a tire company. In the 1950's, he became a Lieutenant in the Army during the Korean War, where he was assigned to instructional duties. It was there that he discovered the best way he could get his ideas across to his recruits: by dramatizing them, giving impressions and acting out his commands. When the war ended, Mallory decided to give acting a try. He received his bachelor of fine arts in drama and graduated from Carnegie-Tech.

His first acting role was on a 1960 episode of "Goodyear Theatre." After numerous primetime guest spots on such series as "Perry Mason", "Wagon Train", "McHale's Navy", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", "Bewitched" and "The Munsters", he was cast by producer Ted Corday in a starring role on the NBC daytime drama "Morning Star." As fate would have it "Morning Star" was cancelled just as "Days of Our Lives" was casting the role of Bill Horton. Mallory was cast in the role, and ended up doing double duty for a week, as he taped his last week of "Morning Star" and his first week of "Days" in the same week. He debuted as Bill Horton on June 21, 1966, while continuing to appear on "Morning Star" until its finale on July 1, 1966.

In Maureen Russell's "Days Of Our Lives: A Complete History of the Long-Running Soap Opera" (1995), Mallory reminisced on how he got the role of Bill Horton: "I started with another show with Ted Corday called 'Morning Star'...We knew we were cancelled and we were all kind of down in the dumps...All of a sudden Ted came down and said to me 'How about coming over and playing Bill Horton?' And I said 'Gee'...He said 'He's graduating from medical school and [the work] is overlapping by a week or so."

Mallory would stay with "Days" for almost 14 years, until Bill and his wife, Laura Horton, were written out with many other castmembers in April, 1980. By then, Mallory was already yearning to move from acting to directing. In a 1977 article, he stated: "I asked to direct a week of Days of Our Lives, but Betty Corday said no. She said they couldn't have 'one of our family' write for us or direct us." He would get his wish in later years, however, directing several episodes of "Days" in the early 1990s. He moved full-time into directing after leaving "Days" and ended up directing daytime dramas for all three major networks. Mallory also made a brief return as Bill Horton for his daughter Jennifer's wedding in July 1991 and returned for ten final episodes which aired between October 1992 and January 1993. His final appearance as Bill (and last television acting appearance ever) came on January 5, 1993. Mallory has the 18th-longest tenure of any contract castmember in the history of "Days."

Mallory was married to actress Joyce Bulifant from 1969-1974. They had one son together, Edward John, in 1971. He later married actress Suzanne Zenor (who played his on-screen daughter-in-law, Margo Horton, on "Days" from 1977-1980). They had one son together, Shay Edward, in 1984. In recent years, he had been living and working in his native Maryland, receiving his doctorate of education in 1997, and working as an adjunct communications professor at Frostburg State University. He is survived by two sons, Edward John and Shay Edward; his wife, Suzanne Zenor; and a grandson, Evan Joseph. A mass of Christian burial will take place on Tuesday, April 10, in Cumberland, Maryland. Interment will be in SS Peter and Paul Cemetery.

http://members.aol.com/jason47b

[Q Steph]

Rest in peace.

[daysfan]

RIP!

We are losing the original generation of Horton's FAST......it is terrible.....

[DrewH]

I never got to see Bill Horton in any form. Sad to see the actor go though.

[Ridge]

Wow I remember him distinctly. RIP.

[darraholic]

RIP

[Pest Spray]

Aww, sad RIP Ed.

[ArizonaDaze]

Now this on top of Frances' failing health. I'm divestated. Ed was always one of my favorites. So sad. RIP

[Antoyne]

Not a good time for the original Hortons.

[Matt]

Dear Lord, we just lost the last Marie! (not counting Maree Cheatam's, the original Marie, occaisional guest appearances in the 90s).

Of the performers who portrayed Tom & Alice's children ---

Pat Huston (the original Addie) died in 1995

John Lupton (the only actor to play Tommy) died in 1993

Lanna Saunders (the last contract Marie) died just weeks ago

As Jason mentioned above, Paul Carr (the original Bill) died last year and Christopher Stone (the last contract Bill) died in 1995

Ironically, Patrica Barry is still alive! She's the best remembered Addie Olson Williams, the only one of Tom & Alice's children who died (that we've been told about, at least).

Other deceased Horton actors include Macdonald Carey (Tom, of course, who died in 1994); Robert Knapp (Ben Olson, Addie's 1st husband and Julie & Steven's father, died in 2001); Richard Guthrie (*the* David Banning from the '70s died in 1995); Charla Doherty (the original Julie died in 1988); & Susan Oliver (Laura Horton #3 died in 1990)

This just saddens me.

[Ponz]

That is sad news and so soon after losing another of Tom & Alice's children.

RIP.

[FrenchFan]

As Matt was saying, two original Hortons died in the past few weeks: Lanna Saunders and Edward Mallory. With the news about Frances today, I think I should have stayed in bed instead of crying all day long in front of my computer.

[PSPCindy]

Oh this is sad news!

I remember the Bill/Laura/Mickey triangle when I was a child. It was juicy stuff for those days.

[JAS0N47]

Picture tribute and obituary now available at my site...http://members.aol.com/jason47b

[mateo22]

Wow, all this seems to be happening at the same time. RIP.