Betty Corday (born Elizabeth Shay; March 21, 1912 – November 17, 1987) was a Broadway dramatic actress and long-time American television producer. She co-created and executive produced the long running NBC drama Days of Our Lives from 1966 until her death in 1987.

Betty Corday
Betty Corday with husband Ted in the 1940s
Born
Elizabeth Shay

(1912-03-21)March 21, 1912
DiedNovember 17, 1987(1987-11-17) (aged 75)
Known forDays of Our Lives
Spouse
(m. 1942; died 1966)
ChildrenChris Corday, Ken Corday

Biography edit

Stage edit

Corday had previously been a Broadway stage actress, starring in "one flop after another" before marrying her husband, a Winnipeg-born lawyer. They were married from 1942 until his death in 1966. They had two sons, Chris and Ken.[1]

Radio edit

Corday produced such radio soaps as Pepper Young's Family and Young Dr. Malone.

Television edit

Becoming executive producer after the death of her husband, Ted Corday (credited as Mrs. Ted Corday), she was the executive producer of Days of Our Lives from 1966 to 1985.[2] She semi-retired in 1985, turning control over to her son, Ken.[3] She kept the title of executive producer until her death in November 1987. In addition to her work on Days of our Lives, Corday was a consultant for The Young and the Restless.

Death edit

Betty Corday died at age 75 on November 17, 1987, from respiratory failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.[4]

Executive producing tenure edit

Preceded by Executive Producer of Days of Our Lives
(with H. Wesley Kenney: April 20, 1977 – January 18, 1980)
(with Al Rabin: January 21, 1980 – December 31, 1987)
(with Ken Corday: May 12, 1986 – December 31, 1987)

August 3, 1966 – December 31, 1987
Succeeded by
Ken Corday
Al Rabin

References edit

  1. ^ The Days of our Lives: The True Story of One Family's Dream and the Untold History of Days of our Lives, Ken Corday, Sourcebooks, 2010
  2. ^ "Betty Corday - IMDb". IMDb.com. IMDb, Inc. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  3. ^ Logan, Michael. "50 Years of Days of Our Lives: Exec Producer Ken Corday Picks His Top 3 Moments". tvinsider.com. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Soap Opera Creator Betty Corday". Los Angeles Times. 1987-11-20. Retrieved 2018-04-10.

External links edit