Peggy McCay

Deceased
Vertical DAYS Soap Banner
Peggy McCay
Salem Presence
1983 to December 5, 2003; July 14, 2004 to Present
At A Glance

A native of Manhattan, Emmy winner Peggy McCay holds the unique honor of being nominated for a primetime and daytime Emmy in the same year (1987). In daytime, she was nominated for Lead Actress for her work on Days of our Lives and in primetime for Best Guest Actress for her work on Cagney and Lacey. McCay took home the statue in 1991 for her performance as a homeless woman on The Trials of Rosie O'Neill. This same performance garnered her a special award from the John Henry Foundation that read: "For your dignified and perceptive depiction of mental illness."

McCay's other nominations include Lead Actress for Days of our Lives (1986) and the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries category (1993) for her work as Tatum O'Neal's mother in Woman on the Run: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story. The latter also earned her a nomination from the Canadian Academy for a Gemini Award, a rare achievement for an American.

The more than 1000 members of the Acting Branch of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences have acknowledged McCay's contributions to her profession by electing her as their Governor. She is a member of the Daytime Awards Committee and as such was instrumental in obtaining the 1995 Lifetime Achievement Emmy for Ted and Betty Corday, who are the creators and executive producers of Days of our Lives. Peggy is also a founding member of The New Image Committee; a bi-coastal organization designed to improve the daytime Emmy Awards show and the nomination process.

Peggy grew up in the Big Apple and spent her childhood playtime acting out scenarios that were constantly overflowing from her creative and active imagination. "I loved 'play acting' with all of my friends," McCay recalls. "I'd set up situations, paint a scenario and then we would all act them out, never knowing how our stories were going to end. Today it's called 'improv,' or better yet, interactive/CD ROM acting, but back then, it was just 'Cops 'N Robbers' and 'Knights in Armor.'"

By the time she entered high school, McCay landed roles on the stage performing in Omnibus and Playhouse 90. After graduating from Barnard College of Columbia University, she immediately landed a role in a Kraft Theater show. She continued cultivating her talents touring as the youngest member of the Margo Jones Repertory Theater and received her training from such greats as Sanford Meisner, Harold Clurman and Lee Strasberg.

After dazzling the theater world, McCay was lured to Hollywood by Warner Bros., who fell in love with her and put her under contract. She immediately had her own comedy series, Room for One More and guest-starred on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Maverick, among others. More recent guest-starring roles include series such as L.A. Law, Night Court, Newhart, Highway to Heaven, The Jeffersons, and Cagney and Lacey. Peggy was a regular on Gibbsvilleand The Lazurus Syndrome and had a recurring role on Lou Grant.

Not only has Peggy been an invaluable contributor to primetime, but she will always remain an invaluable member of the daytime community, having appeared on Love of Life and General Hospital, not to mention her current role on Days of our Lives. McCay explains her affection for daytime television, "I love the spontaneity of daytime TV; after all it's the nearest thing to theater we have in television."

This love for theater is apparent to any audience member who has seen her in the Chekov masterpiece Uncle Vanya and the subsequent film. For her role as Sonya opposite Franchot Tone in the theatrical production, Peggy became one of the first women to win the Village Voice Obie Award. She also appeared in the television adaptation of The Cherry Orchard with Helen Hayes and Susan Strasberg and toured with Ms. Hayes in the same production. Peggy honed her skills touring with Joseph Mascolo in the smash theater piece Love Letters, and remains a lifetime member of The Actor's Studio, whose lifetime members also include Marlon Brando, Paul Newman and Marilyn Monroe. As appealing on film as she is on television, McCay has starred in films such as Murphy's Romance, Second Thoughts with Lucy Arnaz, and Bustin' Loose with Richard Pryor. McCay's movies-of-the-week include Two of a Kind with George Burns, Amityville with Patty Duke and Deadly Care with Cheryl Ladd.

Peggy was extremely devoted to animal rights issues and contributed a great deal of her time and energy to PETA, Last Chance for Animals, Actors and Others for Animals, L.A.S.P.C.A., and many others. She was so devoted to animals that she requested that the actors on DAYS refrain from wearing fur on the show and considered her home a sanctuary for lost and homeless pets. When she was not caring for a lovable furry creature, Peggy was traveling the country, visiting college campuses, teaching intensive drama workshops and holding fundraisers for college drama/theater departments.

Peggy passed away on October 7, 2018, at the age of 90.

Acting Portfolio: TELEVISION
Days of our Lives
Caroline Brady
1983 to December 5, 2003; July 14, 2004 to Present

Cold Case
Zelda Panay '10
2010

James Dean
Emma Dean
2001

Judging Amy
Phyllis Younger
2000

Silk Hope
1999

Providence
Dorothy Chenoweth
1999

Profiler
Melinda Gillespie
1997

Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy
Avra
1997

Woman on Trial: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story
Virginia Bembenek
1993

L.A. Law
Patricia Holtz
1993

The Commish
Mrs. O'Grady
1992

The Trials of Rosie O'Neill
Irene Hayes
1991

Hardball
1990

His & Hers
1990

Amityville: The Evil Escapes
Helen Royce
1989

Winnie
Mrs. McKenna
1988

I Married Dora
Lillian Farrell
1987

Deadly Care
Mrs. Halloran
1987

Cagney & Lacey
Mrs. Carruthers
1985

Highway to Heaven
Louise
1985

Hardcastle and McCormick
Dr. Coley
1985

Airwolf
Mrs. Taggart
1984

Gimme a Break!
Robin Thornton
1984

Night Court
Louise Kerr
1984

Memorial Day
Mrs. Gibbs
1983

Newhart
Flo McKenna
1983

St. Elsewhere
Claire Fields
1983

The Jeffersons
Shirley Schneide
1983

The Powers of Matthew Star
Alice Wellman
1983

Wait Till Your Mother Gets Home!
Cynthia Peters
1983

Two of a Kind
Nurse Harris
1982

Lou Grant
Marian Hume
1978-1982

Quincy M.E.
Mrs. Irene Jordan
1982

Mark, I Love You
Margaret Hamilton
1980

Fighting Back
Ellen Bleier
1980

Archie Bunker's Place
Margaret
1979

Mrs. R's Daughter
Mrs. Burroughs
1979

The Lazarus Syndrome
Stacy
1979

The Amazing Spider-Man
Dr. Davis
1978

Bud and Lou
1978

Loose Change
Mrs. Berenson
1978

How the West Was Won
Maggie Taylor
1978

The Lazarus Syndrome
Stacy
1978

Logan's Run
Dr. Mildred Krim
1977

Kojak
Mrs. Smith
1977

ABC Afterschool Specials
Mrs. Calder
1977

Good Against Evil
Irene
1977

Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years
Grace Tully
1977

Gibbsville
Mrs. Malloy
1976-1977

Most Wanted
1976

Cannon
Nancy Strickland
1976

Eleanor and Franklin
Grace Tully
1976

Barnaby Jones
Rose Ballinger
1975

Medical Story
1975

S.W.A.T.
Laura Huston
1975

The Waltons
Mrs. Thomas
1974

The Streets of San Francisco
Nurse
1974

Marcus Welby, M.D.
Jane
1974

The F.B.I.
Mrs. Barrows
1972

The Rookies
Mrs. Sloan
1972

Longstreet
Mrs. Ames
1972

A Death of Innocence
Helen McCloud
1971

Gunsmoke
Pene Lynott
1971

Bonanza
Pat Griswold
1971

The City
Mrs. Lockney
1971

Make Room for Granddaddy
Rita
1971

The Interns
1971

An Afternoon in the Fall
1970

General Hospital
Iris Fairchild
1967 to 1970

The Young Marrieds
Susan Garrett
1964-1966

Ben Casey
Nurse Todd
1964

Ben Casey
Doris Farrow
1964

Slattery's People
Evelyn Breland
1964

The Great Adventure
Mrs. Callaway
1964

Channing
Joan
1964

The Fugitive
Ann Guthrie
1964

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Mrs. Grainger
1964

House Guest
Sally Mitchell
1962

The Virginian
Helen Hammond Judson
1963

Redigo
Jessie Graham
1963

The Greatest Show on Earth
Anne
1963

Perry Mason
Margaret Layton
1963

The Case of the Long-Legged Models
Stephanie Falkner
1958

Laramie
Martha Halloran
1963

Hawaiian Eye
Helena Ogden
1963

The Andy Griffith Show
Sharon DeSpain
1963

The Wide Country
Mildred Price
1962

Room for One More
Anna Rose
1962

Surfside 6
Nicole Crane
1962

Surfside 6
Ann Wayne
1961

77 Sunset Strip
Fay Dakota
1961

Lawman
Cassie Nickerson
1961

The Roaring 20's
Libby Norton
1961

Maverick
Melissa Bouchet
1960

Maverick
Polly Goodin
1960

Play of the Week
Vary
1959

The David Niven Show
Ann Thompson
1959

Matinee Theatre
Jane Wilson
1957

The Adventures of Jim Bowie
Malvina Creel
1957

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Myra Herbert
1957

The Court of Last Resort
Darlene Fitzgerald
1957

Lux Video Theatre
1957

Robert Montgomery Presents
1957

Armstrong Circle Theatre
Mrs. Robertshaw
1957

Studio One in Hollywood
Claire
1957

Goodyear Playhouse
Sue
1956

Appointment with Adventure
1955

The United States Steel Hour
Agatha
1955

Love Story
1954

Omnibus
Hilde
1954

Hallmark Hall of Fame
1952

Love of Life
Vanessa 'Van' Dale Raven Sterling (#1)
1951 to 1955 (original cast)

Somerset Maugham TV Theatre
1951

The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
1949

Kraft Theatre
1949
Acting Portfolio: FILM
The Irish Vampire Goes West
Aunt Margaret
2007

Daddy's Girl
Grandmother
1996

No Man's Land
Benjy's Mom
1987

Murphy's Romance
Mrs. Willis
1985

UFOria
Celia Martin
1985

Second Thoughts
Dr. Martha Carpenter
1983

Bustin' Loose
Gladys Schuyler
1981

Promises in the Dark
Miss Pritikin
1979

FBI Code 98
Deborah Cannon
1963

Lad: A Dog
Elizabeth Tremayne
1962

The Case Against Brooklyn
Mrs. Jane Harris
1958

Uncle Vanya
Sofia
1957

From the Desk of Margaret Tyding
1956
Awards & Acclaim
Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress (2013, 2015; for Days of our Lives)
Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress (1986, 1987, 2016; for Days of our Lives)

Daytime Emmys Pre-Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress (2013, 2015; for Days of our Lives)
Daytime Emmys Pre-Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress (2016; for Days of our Lives)
Vital Statistics
DATE OF BIRTH: November 3

PLACE OF BIRTH: New York, New York, USA
EDUCATION: Attended Barnard College and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University

News Archives
Related Information

MAKING HEADLINES: SOAP OPERA NEWS, UPDATES, AND HEADLINES

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
Poppy is arrested for murder on The Bold and The Beautiful
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
DAYS OF OUR LIVES
GENERAL HOSPITAL
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
© 1995-2024 Soap Central, LLC. Home | Contact Us | Advertising Information | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Top