Tall, blond and of rugged proportions, handsome actor Philip Carey started out as a standard 1950s film actor in westerns, war stories and crime yarns but didn't achieve full-fledged stardom until well past age 50 when he joined the daytime line-up as ornery Texas tycoon Asa Buchanan on the popular soap _"One Life to Live" . Phil lost his battle with cancer on February 6, 2009, at the age of 83.
Was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2006.
Was offered the part of Asa Buchanan on "One Life to Live" on the strength of his unsuccessful audition for Palmer Cortlandt on the soap "All My Children" .
In his series "Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers" , the story of the British Cavalry unit, Phils lead character was made Canadian instead of British because the New Jersey-born actor had difficulty perfecting an English accent.
