Caroline Brady
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Peggy McCay (1983, 1985–2016)
- Jody Carter (1983–84)
- Barbara Beckley (1984–85)
- Holgie Forrester (2019)
| Caroline Brady | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Days of Our Lives character | |||||||||||||||||||
 Peggy McCay as Caroline Brady | |||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by |
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| Duration | 1983–2016, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | February 7, 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | June 19, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Margaret DePriest and Sheri Anderson | ||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Betty Corday and Al Rabin | ||||||||||||||||||
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Caroline Brady is a fictional character from the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional United States town of Salem.[1] Matriarch of the series' Brady family, the character has been continually featured since her debut. Created by writer Margaret DePriest, the role was originated by actress Peggy McCay on February 7, 1983.[2][3] Jody Carter stepped into the role briefly in 1984, followed by Barbara Beckley from 1984 to 1985.[3] McCay returned to portray Caroline from July 17, 1985, to December 5, 2003,[2][4] when the character was seemingly murdered by a serial killer.[4] McCay returned in 2004 when Caroline was found alive. She played Caroline for another 12 years; last appearing in August 2016.
McCay was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the role in 1986, 1987, 2013 and 2015.[2][5][6][7] Actor Peter Reckell, who has played Caroline's son Bo Brady on and off since 1983, named the scenes of Caroline's 2003 death as among his top five storylines.[8] McCay's final appearance was on August 24, 2016.[9] She died on October 7, 2018.[10]
Caroline Brady is one of the early characters introduced by Betty Corday and Margaret DePriest.[11] The show was slowly starting to introduce a new family to the canvas, the Brady family, and needed a matriarch. As such, Caroline's children are Roman, Kimberly, and Kayla Brady (with Shawn), Bo Brady (with Victor Kiriakis), and adopted children Frankie Brady and Max Brady. She also has a special place in her heart for John Black, whom she once believed was Roman. Over time, the Brady family cemented their place as the second core family on the show.[11]
Caroline's storylines focus on family troubles. She is portrayed as a stoic, opinionated battle-axe—a family-oriented woman. Caroline's marriage to Shawn Brady was central to the character, until his onscreen death in 2008. A famous episode in 1986 included Bo discovering that his mother's ex-lover, Victor Kiriakis, was his father. Peggy McCay announced Caroline's retirement from the serial in 2003, and the character was killed off in a "whodunnit?" murder storyline,[12] with McCay exiting the series in 2003 but, returning the following year when Caroline turned up alive. McCay again left the role on October 30, 2012, but announced she would return in late November.[2] On June 19, 2019, Caroline appeared in her great-grandson Will's near-death experience, telling him that it's not the right time for him to die. Since actress Peggy McCay died October 7, 2018, Caroline's appearance was accomplished with the use of bright light, a blurred lens, and a stand-in. As Will regains consciousness, Roman calls Kimberly and Caroline to tell them the good news and finds out from Kimberly that Caroline has died peacefully in her sleep.