DAYS’s John Clarke Passes Away
John Clarke, who played DAYS’s Mickey Horton from the soap’s pilot episode in 1965 until his retirement in 2004, died on October 16 at the age of 88. The actor, who suffered a stroke in 2007 and has had declining health in the last few years, passed peacefully from complications of pneumonia.
Looking Back
Clarke was born in South Bend, IN on April 14, 1931, and frequently moved around as a child due to his father’s post in the Army. Clarke attended UCLA, where he received his BA in Theater and completed work for his MA in Television. During the Korean War, the actor served in the Air Force where he was a member of the Air Force Varsitones, a touring troop entertaining military personnel throughout the United States.
Besides DAYS, Clarke’s list of credits include Judgment at Nuremburg, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, Petticoat Junction and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. In 2004, Clarke received the Lifetime Achievement award at the Daytime Emmys.
On the personal side, Clarke and wife, Patty, raised three children, Joshua, Heidi and Melinda. Melinda appeared on DAYS as Faith from 1989-90. Josh works in the Bioscience industry. Heidi passed in 1994 from a heart tumor. DAYS Creative Consultant Ryan Quan tweeted, “RIP original Days cast member John Clarke. His Mickey Horton was such an important part of the show’s history… an almost 40 year run. He’ll be missed.”
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