Susan Hayward

Actor

About

Also Known As

Edythe Marriner

Birth Place

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Born

June 30, 1917

Died

March 14, 1975

Cause of Death

Brain Tumor

Biography

Filmography

The Revengers (1972)

Elizabeth [Reilly]

Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole (1972)

Mrs. Lone-Star Crockett Sheridan

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

Helen Lawson

Where Love Has Gone (1964)

Valerie Hayden Miller

Photos & Videos

View All

I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955) -- (Movie Clip) We Did What?

I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955) -- (Movie Clip) Sing You Sinners

Family & Companions

John Carroll

Companion

Actor. Engaged in early 1940s; relationship ended.

Jess Barker

Husband

Actor. Married on July 24, 1944; divorced on August 18, 1954.

Eaton Chalkley

Husband

Lawyer, businessman. From Georgia; met at a Christmas party in 1955; married from 1957 until his death on January 9, 1966.

Notes

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).

Biography

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.

Filmography

Life Events

1923

Struck by a car and spent a year recovering from her injuries

1937

Had bit part in "Hollywood Hotel"

1938

Film acting debut in "Girls on Probation"

1941

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

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"

Photo Collections

I Want to Live! - Movie Posters

Here are a few original-release movie posters for I Want to Live! (1958), starring Susan Hayward.

The Marriage-Go-Round - Movie Posters

The Conqueror - Movie Posters

The Lusty Men - Movie Poster

Back Street (1961) - Publicity Stills

Back Street (1961) - Scene Stills

Back Street (1961) - Movie Posters

Back Street (1961) - Color Scene Stills

Back Street (1961) - Lobby Card Set

Back Street (1961) - Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman - Publicity Stills

Here are a few stills taken to publicize Universal's Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman (1947), starring Susan Hayward and Lee Bowman. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

The Hairy Ape - Lobby Cards

Here are a few lobby cards from The Hairy Ape (1944), starring William Bendix and Susan Hayward. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.