Donald May, a major Daytime actor during the 1960s and ’70s through his long-running role as attorney Adam Drake on “The Edge of Night,” died Friday, Jan. 28, at his home in Kent, New York. He was 92.
His death was announced by his family on a Facebook page devoted to “The Edge of Night.”
Donald May, 1960.
(Photo by Getty Images)
From 1967 to 1977, May played the good-guy attorney Adam Drake, first making his mark on the soap in a notable 1968 episode during which May delivered the episode’s only dialogue: a 22-minute trial summation in which he argued for the innocence of his client, a singer accused of murder. The jury found the client guilty and sentence her to be hanged, but Drake went into detective mode to find the real killer, saving the singer at the last minute.
May joined “The Edge of Night” following a steady TV career that began in 1956 with a starring role in the short-lived drama series “West Point.” Guest appearances in episodic TV followed, including roles on “Hawaiian Eye,” “77 Sunset Strip,” “Sugarfoot,” “Colt .45,” “Surfside 6,” “Combat,” “The FBI” and others.
Unspecified: (Not In Order) Mariann Aalda, Mark Arnold, Leah Ayres, Forrest Compton, Joel Crothers, Terry Davis, Allen Fawcett, Ann Flood, David Froman, Sharon Gabet, Lois Kibbee, Irving Allen Lee, Lori Loughlin, Larkin Malloy, Wade Nichols, Lisa Sloan, Yahee Fernandes-Baxter appearing on the soap opera ‘Edge of Night’.
(Photo by Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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Following his 10-year tenure at “Edge of Night,” May returned to guesting on episodic TV in the late ’70s (“Fantasy Island,” “Barnaby Jones,” “The Facts of Life”), eventually landing a regular role on the early ’80s NBC daytime soap “Texas.” During his 1981-82 “Texas” stint, May co-starred with wife Carla Borelli. The two would also appear together on the programs “Falcon Crest” and “O.C. and Stiggs.”
In addition to other soap appearances (“As the World Turns,” “All My Children” and “One Life to Live”), May appeared in various stage productions in both New York and Los Angeles over the years.
Promotional portrait of the cast of the television series, ‘Falcon Crest,’ circa 1981. Featured actors include (front, L-R): Robert Foxworth, Jane Wyman, Susan Sullivan and Lorenzo Lamas.
(Photo by Fotos International/Getty Images)
In addition to Borelli, May is survived by sons Douglas and Christopher, an actor whose credits include “The Afterparty,” “American Crime Story,” “General Hospital” and “Selena: The Series.”
