Ted Corday
{{Short description|TV producer and director}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Ted Corday
|image = Bettytedcorday.jpg
|caption = Ted and Betty Corday in the 1940s
|birth_name = Theodore Corday
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1908|5|8}}
|birth_place = Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1966|7|23|1908|5|8}}
|death_place = Los Angeles, California
|occupation = producer, director, and creator (or co-creator)
|known_for = Creator of Days of Our Lives
|years_active = 1952–1966
|nationality = American-Canadian
|spouse = {{marriage|Elizabeth "Betty" Shay|1942}}
|children = Kenneth "Ken" Corday Christopher "Chris" Corday
|alma_mater = University of Alberta
}}
Theodore "Ted" Corday (May 8, 1908 – July 23, 1966) was a Canadian-American producer, director and co-creator of soap opera for NBC, most notably the hit series Days of Our Lives.
Biography
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Corday graduated from the University of Alberta in 1930{{cite web |title=Those Were The Days |url=https://issuu.com/ualbertaalumni/docs/ntspring2007/60 |website=issuu.com |date=3 April 2007 |accessdate=9 October 2020}} and studied law before moving to the United States in 1934. He served as a Captain in the United States Army.{{cite web |title=Radio Directors |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Annuals/Archive-Radio-Annual-IDX/40s/1945/RA-1945-All-OCR-Page-0871.pdf |website=worldradiohistory.com |accessdate=9 October 2020}}
He worked in Broadway for many years before producing dramas for radio, such as Tortilla Flat, Tobacco Road, Gangbusters and Counterspy. He then moved to television in the 1950s, producing Guiding Light for a time as well as directing As the World Turns, from its 1956 premiere until 1965.{{cite web |title=Ted Corday |url=https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0179413/filmotype/director?ref_=m_nmfm_1 |website=IMDb.com |publisher=IMDb, Inc. |accessdate=October 9, 2020}}
Corday was later lured to NBC to create three new soap operas. The first two, Paradise Bay and Morning Star, were not successful, but his third NBC serial, Days of Our Lives, was a success, and remains on the air as of 2024.{{cite web |title=Days of Our Lives |url=https://www.nbc.com/days-of-our-lives |website=nbc.com |publisher=NBCUniversal Media, LLC. |accessdate=October 9, 2020}}
Death
Before Corday could pen many stories for the serial, he was diagnosed with cancer, and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. After many months in the hospital, he died on July 23, 1966, aged 58. His widow, Betty Corday, continued to produce Days of our Lives until her death in 1987.{{cite web |title=Soap Opera Creator Betty Corday |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-20-mn-15062-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date= November 20, 1987 |accessdate= October 9, 2020}}
Executive Producing Tenure
{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before=none | title=Executive Producer of As the World Turns | years=April 2, 1956 – 1965 | after=Mary Harris |}}
{{succession box | before=none | title=Executive Producer of Morning Star | years=September 27, 1965 – July 1, 1966 | after=Show canceled |}}
{{succession box | before=none | title=Executive Producer of Paradise Bay | years=September 27, 1965 – July 1, 1966 | after=Show canceled |}}
{{succession box | before=none | title=Executive Producer of Days of Our Lives | years=November 8, 1965 – August 2, 1966 | after=Betty Corday |}}
{{s-end}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0179413|name=Ted Corday}}
- {{Find a Grave|3699028}}
{{Daytime Emmy Award Lifetime Achievement}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corday, Ted}}
Category:University of Alberta alumni
Category:Mass media people from Winnipeg