Helen Hayes

Biography

Helen Hayes Brown (October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an acclaimed American actress whose career spanned nearly 70 years. Known as the "First Lady of the American Theatre," she was one of only eleven individuals to achieve the distinction of winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. Hayes received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1986 and the National Medal of Arts in 1988. The Helen Hayes Awards, established in 1984, celebrate excellence in professional theatre in the Washington, D.C. area, and the former Fulton Theatre in New York City was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in her honor. Following its demolition, the nearby Little Theatre also adopted her name. Hayes passed away from congestive heart failure in Nyack, New York, and was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery. She was posthumously honored with a U.S. postage stamp in 2011.