Frances Reid was a beloved actress who played the role of Alice Horton on the NBC daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives for over four decades. She was one of the original cast members of the show and appeared in more than 3,000 episodes. She was also a Broadway star, a film actress, and a member of The Actors Studio. She died on February 3, 2010, at the age of 95. What was the cause of her death and how did her fans and co-stars react to her passing? Here is a brief overview of her life and legacy.
Early Life and Career
Frances Reid was born on December 9, 1914, in Wichita Falls, Texas. She grew up in Berkeley, California, and attended the Pasadena Community Playhouse. She made her film debut in 1938 with a bit part in Man-Proof. She then moved to New York and made her Broadway debut in 1939 in Where There’s a Will There’s a Way. She starred in several plays, including Cyrano de Bergerac opposite Jose Ferrer, and joined The Actors Studio in 1947.
She also appeared in several television shows, such as Perry Mason, Wagon Train, and Seconds. She was best known for her roles in two soap operas: Portia Faces Life, where she played the title character from 1954 to 1955, and As the World Turns, where she played Grace Baker, the mother-in-law of Penny Hughes, from 1959 to 1962.
Days of Our Lives
In 1965, Reid was cast as Alice Horton, the matriarch of the Horton family, on the newly created soap opera Days of Our Lives. She played the role until 2007, making her one of the longest-serving soap opera actors in the United States. She was also the oldest living contract player in the history of daytime television.
Reid’s character was known for her warm, loving, and supportive personality, as well as her famous doughnuts. She was involved in many memorable storylines, such as the Salem Stalker, where she and several other long-running characters were seemingly murdered, but later revealed to be alive on a remote island. She also had a strong bond with her husband, Tom Horton, played by Macdonald Carey, who died in 1994. Reid continued to appear on the show even after his death, often talking to his portrait or hearing his voice.
Reid won many awards for her portrayal of Alice Horton, including a Daytime Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2004, and a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actress in a Mature Role in 1986. She was also nominated for four other Daytime Emmy Awards and six other Soap Opera Digest Awards. She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001.
Personal Life and Death
Reid was married to actor Philip Bourneuf from 1940 to 1973. They had no children. She suffered a stroke in the 1980s that left her partly paralyzed, but she continued to work on Days of Our Lives. She died on February 3, 2010, in an assisted living facility in Beverly Hills, California, of natural causes.
Her death was mourned by her fans and co-stars, who paid tribute to her on social media and in interviews. Alison Sweeney, who played Sami on the show, tweeted, “She was a truly talented actress and we are all lucky and proud to have known her.” Deidre Hall, who played Marlena, said, “She was loved, revered, and will be remembered.” Ken Corday, the producer of the show, said, “She epitomized the past, present and future of the show. Frances was truly one of a kind. Her class cannot be matched and her shoes cannot be filled.”
Frances Reid cause of death was a sad event for the soap opera community, but her legacy lives on in the hearts of those who watched her on screen for generations. She was a true icon of the daytime genre and a legend in the entertainment industry.
