Donald May

Donald Adam May (February 22, 1929 – January 28, 2022) was an American actor who was known for his roles in Colt .45 (1957–1960) and The Edge of Night.

Early years May was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Leontine Frances (Torczynski) and Harry Stuart May. He attended elementary school in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Shaker Heights High School in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1949, he graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor of arts degree.

May joined the U.S. Navy in 1951 and was discharged in 1955, serving as an officer.

Career Before he finished college, May acted in summer stock theater in Surrey, Maine, in 1948. After graduation, he acted on stage in Albany, New York, and Brattleboro, Vermont. He also acted in Signal Corps films.

Donald May as Sam Colt, Jr. in Colt .45In 1959–1960, May temporarily replaced Wayde Preston as the lead in four episodes of the ABC/Warner Brothers western television series, Colt .45. May portrayed "Sam Colt, Jr.," cousin to Preston's character, Christopher Colt.

He subsequently appeared in several other ABC/WB series, Sugarfoot, Cheyenne (as a young man plotting revenge in the episode "The Long Rope"), 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, and The Roaring 20s, in which he was cast from 1960 to 1962 in forty-two episodes in the recurring role of fictitious newspaper reporter Pat Garrison.

May subsequently guest starred on CBS's Men into Space, Barnaby Jones, The Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, and Falcon Crest. He appeared on ABC's Fantasy Island. May was featured in several soap operas, including his role from 1967 to 1977 of crime busting lawyer, Adam Drake in The Edge of Night. He played Grant Wheeler in 1981–1982 on the Another World spinoff Texas. He also had recurring roles in One Life to Live and All My Children.

May's last screen role was in 1993 as Andrew Laraby in the episode "Come Rain or Come Schein" on the NBC legal drama, L.A. Law.

Personal life and death His first marriage was to Ellen Cameron from 1951 until 1984, when they divorced. They had two sons.