Pretty, exuberant leading lady who began her Hollywood career in 1937 as a bit player and was a star by the mid-1940s. Talented and tempestuous, with a penchant for playing ripe melodrama with all the stops out, Hayward reached her peak in the early 1950s in such enjoyably sudsy vehicles as "My Foolish Heart" (1950), "With a Song in My Heart" (1952) and "I'll Cry Tomorrow" (1955). She was often cast as the brassy, defiant heroine, as in her Oscar-winning role "I Want to Live!" (1958), where she splendidly played the real-life Barbara Graham, a woman who was wrongly sentenced to death. Hayward's stardom petered out by the mid-60s, but she continued playing occasional leads and character roles (including a part as a past-her-prime film star in the abysmal "Valley of the Dolls" 1969) on film and TV until shortly before her death of a brain tumor in 1975.
Family
FATHER: Walter Marrener. Died in 1937.
MOTHER: Ellen Marrener.
SISTER: Florence Marrener. Born c. 1910.
BROTHER: Walter Marrener Jr. Born c. 1912.
SON: Timothy Barker. Twin; born on February 19, 1945 in Santa Monica.
SON: Gregory Barker. Twin; born on February 19, 1945 in Santa Monica.
STEP-SON: Joseph Chalkley. Died in September 1964 at age 26 in an accident.
Companion
COMPANION: John Carroll. Actor. Engaged in early 1940s; relationship ended.
HUSBAND: Jess Barker. Actor. Married on July 24, 1944; divorced on August 18, 1954.
HUSBAND: Eaton Chalkley. Lawyer, businessman. From Georgia; met at a Christmas party in 1955; married from 1957 until his death on January 9, 1966.
Milestone
1923: Struck by a car and spent a year recovering from her injuries
Worked as a model in the mid-1930s; photos appeared in Saturday Evening Post accompanying story on modeling agency handling her
Met with David O Selznick in NYC about testing to play Scarlet O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind"; flown to Hollywood for a screen test
Signed to a contract with Warner Bros.
1937: Had bit part in "Hollywood Hotel"
1938: Film acting debut in "Girls on Probation"
1941 - 1942: Played notable early leading or second lead roles in "Among the Living", "Reap the Wild Wind" and "I Married a Witch"
1947: Received first Oscar nomination as Best Actress for "Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman"; star status consolidated by this time
Made the annual exhibitors' list of top ten boxoffice stars, placing 9th two years in a row
1955: Attempted suicide after custody battle with husband Jess Barker over their twins
1959: Returned to the top ten boxoffice status poll; placed 10th
1964: Last starring vehicle, "Where Love Has Gone"
1972: Last film, "The Revengers"
Education
Feagin School of Dramatic Arts - New York, New York
Girls Commercial High School - Brooklyn, New York - school's name later changed to Prospect Heights High School
Besides her win for "I Want to Live" (1958), Hayward was also nominated for Best Actress for "Smash Up: The Story of a Woman" (1947), "My Foolish Heart" (1950), "With a Song in My Heart" (1952), and "I'll Cry Tomorrow" (1955).
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