Helen Hayes, renowned as "The First Lady of the American Theater", embarked on a remarkable career spanning over eight decades, leaving an indelible mark on the world of stage, film, and television.
Born in Washington, D.C., to Catherine Estelle "Essie" Hayes, an actress who worked in touring companies, and Francis van Arnum Brown, a clerk and salesman, Hayes' maternal grandparents hailed from Ireland. As a child actress in the early 20th century, she had already gained momentum by the time she turned twenty in 1920, setting the stage for a landmark career on the American stage.
By the 1930s and 1940s, Hayes had become perhaps the greatest female star of the theatre, with a string of iconic performances that cemented her status as a legend. During the silent era, she made a handful of scattered film appearances, before being signed to MGM in 1931 with great fanfare to begin a career starring in films.
Her early film roles, including Arrowsmith (1931),The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931),and A Farewell to Arms (1932),were met with widespread acclaim, earning her the 1932 Oscar for Best Actress for her work in Madelon Claudet. Despite her lack of screen glamour, which hindered her ability to become a box office star during Hollywood's golden era, Hayes continued to excel on stage, where she found unparalleled success.
Her subsequent films, however, were often met with lukewarm reception from critics, leading her to abandon the screen and return to the stage for the greatest success of her career, "Victoria Regina", which ran for three years starting in 1935.
Hayes returned to motion pictures in the 1950s, appearing in a few featured roles and frequently on television. Her screen comeback in Airport (1970),a role originally offered to Claudette Colbert, who declined it, earned her her second Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actress.
Helen Hayes retired from the stage in 1971 but continued to enjoy enormous fame and popularity over the next fifteen years, starring in numerous motion pictures and television productions, finally retiring in 1985 after starring in the TV film Murder with Mirrors (1985).
