# Helen Hayes

> American actress (1900–1993)

**Wikidata**: [Q213302](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q213302)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Hayes)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/helen-hayes

## Summary
Helen Hayes was a renowned American actress (1900–1993) celebrated for her exceptional versatility across stage, film, television, and radio. She is historically significant as one of the few performers to achieve the prestigious "EGOT" status, having won an Academy Award, a Tony Award, an Emmy Award, and a Grammy Award during her career. Her legacy is further cemented by the naming of the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway and the Helen Hayes Award in her honor.

## Biography
- **Born**: 1900 (Specific date and place not provided in source material)
- **Nationality**: United States
- **Education**: Honorary doctorate from Northwestern University; Honorary doctorate from Hofstra University
- **Known for**: Pioneering work as a film actor, stage actor, television actor, and autobiographer; being a Ziegfeld girl
- **Employer(s)**: Not explicitly listed as a single employer; affiliated with the Ziegfeld Follies (as a Ziegfeld girl) and the American Academy of Achievement (recipient of Golden Plate Award)
- **Field(s)**: Performing Arts (Theatre, Film, Television, Audio Narration)

## Contributions
Helen Hayes's contributions are defined by her extensive body of work across multiple entertainment mediums and her role in establishing cultural institutions named in her honor.
- **Performance Career**: She maintained a professional work period starting in 1905, performing as a stage actor before live audiences, a film actor in cinema, a television actor, and an autobiographer who wrote her own life story.
- **Cultural Tributes**: Her impact led to the establishment of the Helen Hayes Theatre, a Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York, which opened on March 12, 1912. Additionally, the Helen Hayes Award, a theater award for the Washington D.C. area, was created in 1983 to honor her legacy.
- **Publications**: She authored an autobiography, contributing to the literary record of her life and career.
- **Awards Recognition**: Her work was recognized by the creation of specific honors, including the Golden Plate Award conferred by the American Academy of Achievement in 1961.

## FAQs
**What types of acting did Helen Hayes perform?**
Helen Hayes was a multi-disciplinary performer who worked as a stage actor performing live before in-person audiences, a film actor appearing in movies, and a television actor performing on TV. She was also recognized as a Ziegfeld girl, performing as a chorus girl and showgirl in the Ziegfeld Follies.

**Which major awards did Helen Hayes receive?**
She received the highest civilian honors in the United States, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts. Her artistic excellence was further validated by winning both the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.

**What educational honors were bestowed upon Helen Hayes?**
Helen Hayes was recognized academically with honorary doctorates from two major institutions: Northwestern University and Hofstra University. These degrees acknowledged her significant contributions to the arts and her status as a distinguished figure in American culture.

**How is Helen Hayes remembered in the theater industry today?**
Her legacy is preserved through the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway in Manhattan and the Helen Hayes Award, which recognizes theater excellence in the Washington D.C. area. These institutions serve as enduring tributes to her influence on American theater.

## Why They Matter
Helen Hayes matters because she set a standard for versatility and longevity in the American performing arts, successfully transitioning from the Ziegfeld Follies to Broadway, Hollywood, and television. Her career demonstrated that an actor could excel in live theater, cinema, and broadcasting simultaneously, influencing the trajectory of multi-media performers. The fact that two major theater awards and a Broadway house bear her name indicates her foundational role in the infrastructure of American theater. Furthermore, her receipt of the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) places her in an elite category of artists who have mastered every major performance medium, inspiring future generations to pursue excellence across all platforms.

## Notable For
- Winning the **Academy Award for Best Actress** and the **Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress**, making her a double Oscar winner.
- Receiving the **Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play**, highlighting her dominance on the Broadway stage.
- Being awarded the **Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series**, showcasing her television prowess.
- Winning the **Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording**, demonstrating her skill in audio performance.
- Receiving the **Presidential Medal of Freedom**, the joint-highest civilian award of the United States.
- Being honored with the **National Medal of Arts**, created by the United States Congress.
- Being inducted into the **National Women's Hall of Fame**, an institution created in 1969.
- Receiving the **Kennedy Center Honors**, an annual American honor in the performing arts established in 1978.
- Being a **Ziegfeld girl**, a member of the famous chorus girls and showgirls in the Ziegfeld Follies.
- Receiving the **Laetare Medal**, an award for American Catholics conferred by the University of Notre Dame.
- Being named a **Ladies' Home Journal Women of the Year**.
- Having a **star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame** in Hollywood, California.
- Receiving the **Golden Plate Award** from the American Academy of Achievement in 1961.
- Having the **Helen Hayes Theatre** (opened 1912) and the **Helen Hayes Award** (established 1983) named in her tribute.

## Body

### Early Life and Identity
Helen Hayes was an American human and actress born in 1900 and passing in 1993. She was a citizen of the United States, a country located primarily in North America with its inception marked by the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and the recognition of independence via the Treaty of Paris on May 12, 1784. Her professional aliases included Helen Hayes Brown and Helen Hayes MacArthur. She was a member of the genus Homo, specifically the unique extant species Homo sapiens.

### Professional Career and Versatility
Her career spanned nearly a century, with a documented work period start date of 1905. She was a **stage actor**, performing live before in-person audiences, and a **film actor** who appeared in motion pictures. Her versatility extended to television, where she worked as a **television actor**, and to literature as an **autobiographer** who wrote her own life story. Early in her career, she was a **Ziegfeld girl**, participating as a chorus girl and showgirl in the Ziegfeld Follies. Her website, http://www.helenhayes.org, serves as a digital archive of her legacy.

### Awards and Recognition
Helen Hayes received an unprecedented array of accolades across different media and sectors.
- **Film**: She won the **Academy Award for Best Actress** and the **Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress**, both presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- **Theater**: She received the **Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play**, an award for roles in Broadway plays.
- **Television**: She was honored with the **Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series**, presented by the US Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
- **Audio**: She won the **Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording**.
- **Civilian Honors**: She was bestowed the **Presidential Medal of Freedom**, the joint-highest civilian award of the United States, and the **National Medal of Arts**, created by the United States Congress in 1984.
- **Institutional Honors**: She was inducted into the **National Women's Hall of Fame**, created in 1969, and received the **Kennedy Center Honors** in 1978.
- **Religious and Academic Honors**: She received the **Laetare Medal** from the University of Notre Dame, an award for American Catholics, and honorary doctorates from **Northwestern University** and **Hofstra University**.
- **Other Awards**: She received the **Golden Plate Award** from the American Academy of Achievement in 1961, was named a **Ladies' Home Journal Women of the Year**, and received a **star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame** in California.

### Legacy and Tributes
Her influence is physically embedded in the American cultural landscape. The **Helen Hayes Theatre**, a Broadway theater located in Manhattan, New York, opened on March 12, 1912, and stands as a testament to her career. In 1983, the **Helen Hayes Award** was established to honor theater excellence in the Washington D.C. area, directly named in tribute to her. These institutions, along with her extensive sitelink count of 71 across various knowledge bases, confirm her status as a pivotal figure in American history. Her life and work continue to be referenced in the context of the United States, the country where she lived, worked, and was honored.

## References

1. BnF authorities
2. Find a Grave
3. [Source](https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47639)
4. [Source](https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/helen-hayes/)
5. [Source](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1971)
6. IMDb
7. [Source](https://laetare.nd.edu/recipients/#info1979)
8. [Source](https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/helen-hayes/13138)
9. [Source](https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0003/1069095.pdf)
10. International Standard Name Identifier
11. Virtual International Authority File
12. CiNii Research
13. MusicBrainz
14. [Source](https://archives.nypl.org/the/21836)
15. Encyclopædia Britannica Online
16. SNAC
17. Hayes, Helen (10 October 1900–17 March 1993), actress
18. Discogs
19. Internet Broadway Database
20. FemBio database
21. GeneaStar
22. Croatian Encyclopedia
23. Munzinger Personen
24. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
25. CONOR.SI
26. Cinemathèque québécoise Linked Open Data
27. performing-arts.ch
28. The Movie Database