Peggy McCay
McCay has five Emmy nominations to her credit and holds the unique honor of being the only actor to receive two Emmy nominations 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 is extremely devoted to animal rights issues and contributes 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 is so devoted to animals that she has requested that the actors on Days refrain from wearing fur on the show and considers her home a sanctuary for lost and homeless pets. When she is not caring for a lovable furry creature, Peggy is traveling the country, visiting college campuses, teaching intensive drama workshops and holding fundraisers for college drama/theater departments.
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
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
Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress (2013; for Days of our Lives)
Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress (1986, 1987; for Days of our Lives)
Daytime Emmys Pre-Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress (2013; for Days of our Lives)
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: Peggy shares DAYS memories on Soap Central Live. [May 27, 2002]
News Archive: McCay earns first Emmy nom in 25 years. [May 1, 2013]
