Exhibits: Irish American Hall of History

Helen Hayes

1900 - 1993

Theatre, Film, Radio, Television

Known as the First Lady of the American Theatre, Helen Hayes crossed over into nearly all forms of entertainment. She was the first person to won all four major awards: two Academy Awards, 2 Tony's, an Emmy and a Grammy award for Best Spoken Word Recording. These are only a few of the many awards she received for a career that spanned over 80 years. Her first appearance on Broadway was when she was nine years old. She continued her career on stage until 1930 when she went to Hollywood and won her first Academy Award for her role in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931). Throughout her career she was involved in over 129 radio programs and was named Radio's Favorite Actress in 1937. In Television she worked in numerous roles on over 30 different shows and as a narrator. Still she's most remembered for her roles in theatre and appearing in over 100 different professional productions. Hayes often called herself "a little Irish biddy."

External Links

• Helen Hayes - Official Site
• Helen Hayes - Tribute
• Helen Hayes - Wikipedia