Mickey Horton

Mickey Horton
Days of our Lives character
John Clarke as Mickey Horton, with wife, Maggie Horton.
Portrayed by	John Clarke (1965–2004) Richard Voigts (2004) John Ingle (2004–06) Kevin Dobson (2008)
Duration	1965–2006 2008
First appearance	November 8, 1965
Last appearance	October 2, 2008
Classification	Former, regular
Created by	Peggy Phillips Kenneth Rosen
Introduced by	Ted Corday
In-universe information Occupation Lawyer Owner and Senior Attorney at Mickey Horton's Law Firm Serves on the Board of Directors at Salem University Hospital Family Horton Parents Tom Horton Alice Horton Siblings Tommy Horton Jr. Addie Williams Bill Horton Marie Horton Spouse Laura Spencer (1968–74) Maggie Horton (1974–84, 1986–2010) Bonnie Lockhart (2004) Children Melissa Horton (adoptive) Sarah Horton (legal) Janice Barnes (foster) Grandchildren Nathan Horton (adoptive) Grandparents Sid Grayson Abigail Grayson William Horton Adelaide Horton Nieces and nephews Sandy Horton Steven Olson Julie Williams Hope Williams Brady Mike Horton Jennifer Horton Jessica Blake Lucas Roberts

Mickey Horton is a fictional character from the soap opera, Days of Our Lives, played from the show's debut episode in 1965 until January 2004 by actor John Clarke. The role was briefly played in 2004 by actor Richard Voigts, and later played by actor John Ingle from 2004 through 2006. Actor Kevin Dobson appeared as Mickey in the character's final appearances in 2008.

Clarke is the longest-tenured original Days of our Lives actor after onscreen mother Frances Reid (Alice Horton), appearing in the role for 39 years. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1979 for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Mickey.

Fictional character history

Mickey is the middle son of Tom and Alice Horton, he has other siblings: Tommy, Addie, Marie and, possibly his biggest rival, Bill Horton. In the first episode in 1965, Mickey was a lawyer in Salem, his father, Tom Horton found out that his granddaughter, Julie Olson (Mickey's niece) has stolen some fur from a clothes shop. Tom had to go to the police station and asked Mickey to go down with him to help with the legal side of things. Tom and Mickey did not inform Alice of where they were going. The women were busy discussing the wedding arrangements with Marie and Tony Meritt as they did not want to worry her. After a discussion at the police station with the police chief and Julie, they finally returned home.

In 1965, Mickey started a relationship with Diane Hunter, whose divorce case Mickey was dealing with, and helped her to deal with her daughter Susan. Diane and her husband later got back together, mainly because of Susan, but in 1966, Laura Spencer arrived in Salem. Bill later set the two up and after the David Martin murder case they grew closer and became engaged. They married the next year. Mickey later tested to see if he was unable to have children but the results were forgotten about when he discovered that Laura was pregnant, however the father of this unborn child was not Mickey. Little did he know that his brother, Bill Horton had raped Laura in a drunken rage. When Tom saw the results of Mickey's test, he confronted Laura who lied and said that she had given in and slept with Bill. They agreed to keep quiet to protect the family. In November 1968, Michael William Horton was born and Mickey still had no clue.

Mickey later had an affair with his secretary, Linda Patterson, in 1970. After Mickey refused to leave Laura for her, Linda attempted suicide and broadcast her affair to the whole of Salem. However, Mickey and Laura stayed together for the sake of young Michael. When Michael learned of the affair, in 1973, he confronted Mickey, who suffered a heart attack. His brother, Dr. Bill Horton, performed a life saving operation which pulled Mickey through. However shortly after, Mickey suffered a stroke but managed to walk out of the hospital. However, he was left with amnesia and had forgotten a lot, including his name. Mickey invented a new name for himself: Marty Hanson, he walked out of Salem and was taken in by a crippled farm girl called Maggie Simmons they soon fell in love and married in January 1974. Mickey later saw operations being offered at Salem University Hospital for Maggie's disabilities. Later, after his picture appeared in the paper, Mickey was reunited with the Hortons, though he had no memory of them. Bill offered to operate on Mickey in hopes of returning his memory, but Mickey refused.

After Bill's operation on Maggie fails, Mickey pointed the finger at Bill for her inability to walk, although Laura told Mickey and Maggie the paralysis was mental now. Mickey promised Maggie she would walk again and her took her back home to her farm. Mickey then divorced Laura who had been having an affair with his brother, Bill. Then he and Maggie married in October 1974.

In 1976, Mickey learned that he was not Mike's biological father. After Mike suffered an accident on Maggie's farm, Mickey and Laura donated blood. When neither matched, Mickey realized he could not be Mike's father. Mickey looked through medical records, and when he found out his brother Bill was a match, all of Mickey's memory came back to him. Mickey then went to Linda Patterson and asked if Melissa could possibly be his child, and she told him no because he was unable to have children, according to Laura Horton. Angry at being lied to for years Mickey bought a gun and plotted to kill Bill, and when the two fought over the gun it went off, shooting Bill in the arm. After the fight, Mickey suffered a mental breakdown and was admitted to Bayview Sanitarium for a year. After Mickey was released, he and Maggie adopted Janice Barnes. In 1978, Janice was taken from Mickey and Maggie by her mother Joanna Barnes. Janice was found and went back to Mickey and Maggie, but Joanna accepted a job in Salem and stayed near her daughter. This relationship took its toll on Maggie, who began to drink heavily. Eventually Mickey and Maggie lost custody of Janice to her mother in 1979.

In 1981, Maggie agreed to be a surrogate mother for an anonymous donor. Maggie approached Neil, who performed the procedure which inseminated Maggie. Shortly after, Maggie tested as pregnant.

Mickey found out that the baby she was carrying was Evan Whyland's, and even when he confronted Maggie with the facts, Maggie stated that she still wanted to keep the baby no matter who the father was, so Mickey agreed to love it as it were his own child. In late 1981, baby Sarah Horton was born, and following a custody battle with Evan Whyland, Mickey and Maggie finally won custody of Sarah. Later Mickey and Maggie also got custody of Melissa Anderson who had run away from boarding school after the death of her adoptive sister, Mary. Linda had come back for the funeral, and attempted to remove Melissa from the Horton household, which made Mickey and Maggie decide to fight for custody of Melissa. Linda did not show up for the custody hearing, and the judge granted them permanent custody.

Mickey was kidnapped by Stefano DiMera after Mickey discovered that Stefano was blackmailing Evan and that Stefano was the mastermind behind Maggie's car accident. In 1983, Mickey escaped the DiMera island and arrived back in Salem to find that Maggie, believing Mickey was dead, was now having a relationship with Don Craig. The revelation gave Mickey a second heart attack, from which he eventually recovered. Maggie and Mickey divorced that year but Maggie soon realized that she was still in love with Mickey. Maggie left Salem for New York in the fall of 1984 after Linda Anderson had returned to make amends to her daughter, Melissa, but was really after Melissa's shares of Anderson. Her scheme failed, and Linda left Salem for good in late 1985, right after Maggie had returned from her year's sabbatical. Mickey was shot in a gang rumble and recovered at Maggie's house. Mickey and Maggie remarried in 1986.

Recent years

In 1988 Mickey ran for a seat in the Senate, and his rival was none other than Jack Deveraux. Jack was going out with Mickey's adoptive daughter Melissa, and even proposed to her. However, Melissa learned Jack was using her, and got rid of him.

Maggie and Mickey's marriage had hit rock bottom by 1990. Mickey was always at work and always disappointed Maggie and missed romantic meals with her. Maggie ended up in the arms of Neil Curtis. Maggie's daughter, Sarah, caught Maggie and Neil in the act and took photos of them together in bed for evidence. Sarah was ready to tell Mickey and reveal their secret, when Maggie and Neil revealed that Neil was Sarah's true father. Sarah still exposed them and the news destroyed Mickey. Though Mickey was frustrated and greatly hurt, he felt he was the reason for Maggie's affair. Mickey and Maggie repaired their marriage and Neil left Salem.

Mickey was usually seen whenever a Salem character had legal problems and needed an attorney. In 2003, Mickey was absolutely heart broken when he and Maggie were attacked in their home by the Salem Stalker, Mickey got stabbed with a scalpel but unfortunately Maggie was killed due to a blow to head from a wine bottle. A few months onward, a confused Mickey was eventually released from his sorrow by Bonnie Lockhart, whom he married soon after, not before learning Maggie had not really died but her death had been faked and she had been kidnapped and trapped by the DiMera's like the other Salem stalker victims, in a plot to get rid of Salem's best loved residents. Mickey was torn, because although Maggie was back, he was legally married to Bonnie since his marriage to Maggie was deemed invalid by her apparent death. After months of going back and forth between the two women, Mickey finally picked his original love, Maggie.

Over the past years, Mickey has been in Chicago covering several trials and has been rarely seen in Salem. On December 23, 2008 Mickey spent time with his mother Alice watching classic Christmas films at the Horton house. Mickey returns to Salem again on December 24, 2009, for the Horton Family Christmas sitting in the kitchen with Alice. On December 31, 2009, Mickey is unable to return to spend New Year's Eve in Salem and calls Maggie to let her know. During their conversation, Maggie and Mickey decided to spend more time in the new year. They plan to go on a cruise because Doug and Julie always tell them how beautiful they are. Maggie reflects on the great times she has shared with Mickey over the years. On January 5, 2010 Maggie tells Bo that Mickey will be returning home so they can go on a New Year's cruise.

Death

Mickey died from a heart attack while packing to go on a cruise with Maggie on January 8, 2010. Maggie found Mickey's body and came downstairs in shock. Hope came while Maggie was still in shock and noticed something was wrong, she went up stairs to check and called 911. The paramedic removed Mickey's body from the house. On January 14, 2010, the Hortons celebrated Mickey's life with a memorial service that brought together the entire family. His life and the love of his life, Maggie, were celebrated. His daughter, Melissa, returned to comfort her mother during this difficult time. In June, Mickey's mother, Alice Horton, died of natural causes. Maggie and Julie celebrated Alice's relationship with her son, Mickey.

Mickey's cases

Mickey Horton got a bad rep for never winning a case. He defended Salemnites for decades, many of his clients have ended up in jail for crimes they didn't commit. In the table, unless otherwise noted, Mickey represented the defendant. He spent a few years as assistant district attorney in the late 1980s.

Year	Defendant	Accused crime/case	Verdict	Actual culprit	End result and other details
1966	Tom Horton	negligence in death of Carl Sawyer	case dismissed	none	Marie told the court just what had made Tom "unavoidably detained." She confessed to having attempted to commit suicide, and that thanks to Tom she was still alive. Because of Marie's testimony, it became clear to everyone that it had been impossible for Tom to visit Carl because he'd had an emergency happening in his own home. As a result, the case was dismissed.
1967	Susan Martin	murder of David Martin	acquitted on grounds of temporary insanity	Susan Martin	Mickey encouraged her to plead innocent by reason of insanity, but Susan plead guilty (by reason of insanity) instead. Then Susan escaped from prison, only to face Helen Martin, who was grief-stricken that her son was taken from her. Helen shot Susan in the chest. Susan survived but had a serious heart problem that Tom took care of later on.
1969	Bill Horton	causing the death of Kitty Horton	guilty of involuntary manslaughter—sentenced to five years in prison	Bill Horton	Bill refused to say exactly why he had gone to see Kitty the night that she suffered a heart attack (she had been blackmailing him with a taped conversation where Laura admitted that Michael was Bill's son), so they lost the case.
1976	Mickey Horton	attempted murder of Bill Horton (sanity hearing)	insane—sent to Bayview Sanitarium		Mickey defended himself at a sanity hearing following his attempt to kill Bill Horton. He pretended to be calm and rational, but he lost the case after Laura's testimony, which stated that Mickey was well enough to be treated at home rather than in a sanitarium, was thrown out because it wasn't objective. Mickey lost control at that moment and tried to strangle Bill. Thus, he was sent to Bayview Sanitarium
1978	Julie Williams	murder of Larry Atwood	case dismissed	Arlo Roberts	They entered an innocent plea but things went downhill when details of Julie's relationship with Larry and the rape came out. They would've lost the case if the real culprit, Arlo Roberts, had not confessed at the last minute.
1981	David Banning	attempted murder of Alex Marshall	guilty—sentenced to three years in prison	Eames, a hitman who worked for Stuart Whyland	David never had a chance. Not only did all the witnesses damage Mickey's case, but Alex Marshall woke up from his coma and said that David had shot him.
1987	**Kimberly Brady (represented by Chris Kositchek, prosecuted by Mickey)	murder of Emma Marshall	guilty	Gillian Forrester	Mickey and fellow DA Leslie Landman won when they sent Kim to jail. However, Shane eventually helped trap Gillian and she is still in prison for the crime
1987	**Steve Johnson	murder of Duke Johnson	case dismissed	Adrienne Johnson	Mickey was the prosecutor in this case. During the trial, Adrienne finally remembered that she had killed Duke in self-defense, after he had raped her.
1988	Melissa Anderson	poisoning Kayla Deveraux	charged dropped	Harper Deveraux	Mickey represented Melissa when she was accused of poisoning Kayla. Harper Deveraux was the one who really poisoned Kayla, because he felt Kayla had betrayed Jack by being with Steve. Kayla later had the charges dropped.
1989	**Sally Wales	attempted robbery of Brady Fish Market	guilty—sentenced to 10 years in prison	Sally Wales	Mickey was the prosecutor in this case. Sally was a homeless teen who had held people at gunpoint at the Brady Fish Market so that she could be arrested and have her child in prison. Mickey was able to get the maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
1989	**Cal Winters	attempted murder of Roman Brady	case dismissed	Diana Colville	Mickey was the prosecutor in this case. The case was dismissed when Diana remembered that she shot Roman.
1990	Kayla Brady	murder of Marina Toscano	guilty—sentenced to 10 years in prison	Isabella Toscano	Mickey was no longer D.A. so he defended Kayla in this case. The decision was later overturned when it was discovered that the real culprit was Isabella Toscano.
1990	Isabella Toscano	murder of Marina Toscano	innocent (self-defense)	Isabella Toscano	Isabella was found INNOCENT, after it was established that Isabella had acted in self-defense.
1990	Bo Brady	being the Riverfront Raider	guilty	Bo Brady (with help from Emmy Borden)	The day after Christmas, Bo's hearing took place. Mickey Horton asked Carly to testify on behalf of Bo. Emmy, who was madly in love with Bo, was asked to testify against him. She had to tell the judge exactly what Bo had done and she felt awful about this. After her testimony things didn't look too good for Bo. According to Mickey, Bo could go to jail for a long time. But then Carly took the stand and told the judge about Bo's personal circumstances at the time of his criminal activities. She told her about Hope's death and about Shawn D's accident, which was caused by Jencon. She also told the judge that no-one believed that Bo should be punished for what he had done. They all thought he was a hero. After hearing this, the judge decided to let Bo off with a one-year probation and 1000 hours of community work.
1991	Lawrence Alamain (represented by Gregory Marchand, Jennifer represented by Mickey)	rape of Jennifer Horton	guilty—6 months in prison	Lawrence Alamain
1992	Salem University Hospital	wrongful death of Dean Lombard	hospital not responsible	none	Mickey represented the hospital when it was sued by the Lombard family for the wrongful death of Dean Lombard. He won the case by establishing that Dean had a pre-existing medical condition that caused his death.
1994	Billie Reed	murder of Curtis Brown (Reed)	case dismissed	Stefano DiMera	Mickey almost lost the case. Just as the judge was about to pass sentence, Bo Brady decided to play attorney and helped her remember that Stefano DiMera had killed Curtis. The case against Billie was dismissed.
1995-96	John Black	murder of Tony DiMera	guilty	Tony, self-inflicted gunshot wound	John was in the gas chamber when Jack and Jennifer came in with evidence to save him. Years later it was discovered that it wasn't actually Tony who committed suicide. It was actually his cousin Andre DiMera.
1998	Jack Deveraux	murder of Peter Blake	guilty	Peter wasn't really dead	Jack went to jail, but escaped with Jennifer's help. They went on the run and Peter went after him. After staging Jennifer's "death," they were able to prove that Peter was still alive.
1998-99	Sami Brady	murder of Franco Kelly	guilty	Lucas Roberts	Sami was sentenced to death, but in reality Lucas killed Franco, who was attempting to murder his mother Kate. To protect her son, Kate framed Sami for the murder, but to save Sami she had Franco's dying friend Roberto Barelli confess to the killing on his deathbed freeing Sami and letting Lucas off the hook.
1998-99	Sami Brady	custody battle over Will Roberts	Lucas won custody of the boy	none
Year?	Mike Horton	sexual harassment of Ali McIntyre			the hospital board investigated this incident
2002	Bo and Hope Brady	custody of JT Brady	Glen Reiber won custody	none
2003	Shawn Douglas Brady	murder of Colin Murphy
2004	Tony DiMera	murder of Roman Brady	Case Dismissed	Marlena Evans

External links

• Mickey at soapcentral.com