Betty Corday (born Elizabeth Shay; March 21, 1912 – November 17, 1987) was a Broadway theatre 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.
Biography
Stage
Corday had previously been a
Broadway theatre 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 Corday.
[ 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]
Radio
Corday produced such radio soaps as
Pepper Young's Family and
Young Dr. Malone.
Television
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.
She semi-retired in 1985, turning control over to her son,
Ken Corday.
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
Betty Corday died at age 75 on November 17, 1987, from respiratory failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,
Los Angeles.
Executive producing tenure
External links
