CUMBERLAND, Md. - Edward Mallory, who portrayed angst-ridden Dr. Bill Horton on the NBC daytime drama "Days of Our Lives" for 14 years, has died following a long illness, family members said. He was 76.

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Mallory had been ill for several years with a combination of ailments that she declined to identify, his widow, Suzanne, said. He died Wednesday.

Mallory, of Salisbury, Pa., appeared on the soap opera from 1966 to 1980. He played an underdog surgeon who pined for and eventually married his brother's wife after years of keeping secret that he had fathered her son.

In 2002, Mallory told the Frostburg State University alumni magazine that he loved Shakespeare but jumped at the chance to work in television and movies, including the 1962 feature films "Diamond Head" and "The Bird Man of Alcatraz."

"When luck strikes, you have to be ready to grab the opportunity," Mallory said.

He also directed several daytime serials and wrote, directed and produced documentaries for The History Channel and A&E.

Mallory, who was born in Cumberland, joined the Frostburg State faculty as artist-in-residence in 2004. There, he taught writing, acting and directing, and oversaw student-made documentary films.