Bill Hayes (actor) explained

Birth Name:William Foster Hayes III
Birth Date:5 June 1925
Birth Place:Harvey, Illinois, U.S.
Death Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation:Actor, singer
Known For:Days of Our Lives as Doug Williams
Spouse:
    Children:5
    Yearsactive:1948–2024

    William Foster Hayes III (June 5, 1925 – January 12, 2024) was an American actor and recording artist. His song "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" hit the top of the Billboard charts between March and May 1955.

    Following a successful career as a musician that began in the late 1940s, Hayes began to focus on dramatic acting parts in the late 1960s, which led him to be cast in a role that gained him additional fame to a younger generation. This new chapter began in 1970 when he originated the character of Doug Williams on NBC's Days of Our Lives; the character's final appearance on the program was streamed posthumously on Peacock on July 11, 2024.

    Early life

    Hayes was born in Harvey, Illinois, on June 5, 1925. He attended Whittier Grade School and Thornton Township High.[1] In March 1943, while a freshman at DePauw University, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Air Corps, and received his welcome letter on his eighteenth birthday ordering him to report for active duty on July 1.[1] For the next 27 months, he trained to be a fighter pilot. He was two weeks shy of receiving his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Air Corps, scheduled to fly an F8F off a carrier, when World War II ended.[1] He was awarded the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.[1] Given the choice of reenlisting in the Navy or getting out immediately, he opted for civilian life. After five weeks of hitchhiking around the Midwest to celebrate with buddies who were also coming home, he returned to complete his Bachelor of Arts requirements at DePauw University, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and graduated in June 1947 with a dual major in Music and English.[1]

    Career

    Hayes was a singer on the Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca variety show Your Show of Shows in the early 1950s. He had a supporting role in the 1952 black comedy Stop, You're Killing Me. During the Davy Crockett craze in 1955, three recorded versions of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" were in the top 30. Hayes' version was the most popular: It was number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks,[2] sold over two million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[3] He also starred on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Me and Juliet (1953). Hayes had other small hits in the 1950s, including "The Berry Tree" and covers of "High Noon" and "Wringle, Wrangle"; the latter was his only other Hot 100 hit, reaching number 33 in 1957.

    On Days of Our Lives, Hayes was introduced as a convict who was also a lounge singer.[4] The character of Doug returned in 1986 and 1987 as well as 1993 and 1996. Later, he was on the show from 1999 onwards. His character was killed off in the spring of 2004 by Dr. Marlena Evans. In an elaborate plot hatched by head writer James E. Reilly, Doug turned up alive on a tropical island and went home to his wife.[5]

    In 2017, World by the Tail, a documentary about Bill Hayes's life, was released online.[6] On June 27, 2017, while present in the show's audience, Hayes was featured in an impromptu interview on a web special for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; in his heyday, he had been a guest on the Johnny Carson-hosted version of the show.[7]

    Personal life and death

    Hayes graduated from DePauw University with majors in music and English and became a member of Lambda Chi Alpha. Hayes earned a master's degree in music from Northwestern University[8] and a Ph.D. in education from West Virginia University.[9] Hayes was married to Mary Hobbs from 1947 to 1969; they had five children. He was then married to his Days of our Lives co-star Susan Seaforth Hayes beginning in 1974.[10] Their relationship was so popular that they were featured on the cover of Time in 1976, the only soap opera stars to hold that distinction to date.[10] [11] In 2005, the couple published their joint autobiography, Like Sands Through the Hourglass.[9] The couple also supported the West Texas Rehab Center.[12]

    Hayes died in Studio City, Los Angeles on January 12, 2024, at age 98.[13] [14]

    Filmography

    "Music of the Thirties" – Himself (1961)[21]

    Awards and nominations

    Outstanding Actor, Daytime Drama Series (nomination) (1975[40] and 1976[41])

    Actor of the Year (1977)[42]

    In 2016, the Bill Hayes Prize in Musical Theater was created by the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

    On April 29, 2018, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes with Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.[50]

    See also

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. http://www.45cat.com/biography/bill-hayes Bill Hayes – Biography
    2. [Joel Whitburn]
    3. Book: Murrells , Joseph . 1978. The Book of Golden Discs. 2nd. Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. London. 74. 0-214-20512-6. registration.
    4. Web site: Cushman . Dustin . Remembering Doug Williams' 5 Most Memorable Days of our Lives Moments on Bill Hayes' 95th Birthday . soaps.sheknows.com . June 5, 2020 . SheKnows Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. . November 30, 2020.
    5. Web site: Who's Who in Salem: Douglas Williams . soapcentral.com . December 4, 2020.
    6. Web site: World by the Tail – The Bill Hayes story. June 28, 2017.
    7. Web site: Jimmy Honors 92-Year-Old Audience Member Who Was a Guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/KVA89DT2j2M . December 21, 2021 . live. June 27, 2017. YouTube.com.
    8. Web site: Cushman . Dustin . Remembering Doug Williams' 5 Most Memorable Days of our Lives Moments on Bill Hayes' 95th Birthday . soaps.sheknows.com . June 5, 2020 . SheKnows Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. . December 4, 2020.
    9. Web site: BILL HAYES '47 OF TV'S DAYS OF OUR LIVES REFLECTS ON DEPAUW AND LIFE AS AN ENTERTAINER IN MEMOIR . depauw.edu . DePauw University . December 4, 2020 . September 20, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210920085943/https://www.depauw.edu/news-media/latest-news/details/17820/ . dead.
    10. Web site: Susan Seaforth Hayes bio. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20091008183329/http://www.soapoperadigest.com/soapstarstats/susanseaforthhayesbio. October 8, 2009.
    11. News: Bill Hayes Dies: Veteran 'Days of Our Lives' Actor Was 98 . Black Hills Pioneer.
    12. News: Rehab center's annual telethon raises its second-highest total . San Angelo Standard-Times.
    13. Levinsky . Mara . Days of Our Lives Legend Bill Hayes Dies At 98 . . . January 12, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240113031504/https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/days-of-our-lives-legend-bill-hayes-dies-at-98/ . January 13, 2024 . United States . 0164-3584 . January 13, 2024 . live.
    14. Web site: Tapp . Tom . Bill Hayes Dies: Days of Our Lives Legend Was 98 . . . January 12, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240113031912/https://deadline.com/2024/01/bill-hayes-actor-dead-days-of-our-lives-1235732002/ . January 13, 2024 . United States . January 13, 2024 . live.
    15. Web site: Miracle at Gate 213 (TV Movie 2013) – Full Cast & Crew. August 18, 2016. IMDb.
    16. Web site: Matlock – The Reunion (TV Episode 1988). August 18, 2016. IMDb.
    17. Web site: 1 Feb 1973, Page 12 – The Cincinnati Enquirer. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    18. Web site: The Interns – The Price of Life (TV Episode 1970). August 18, 2016. IMDb.
    19. Web site: 30 May 1964, Page 23 – The Burlington Free Press. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    20. News: 8 Sep 1961, Page 41 – The Pittsburgh Press. Newspapers.com. December 24, 2016.
    21. News: 5 Nov 1961, Page 87 – The Pittsburgh Press. Newspapers.com. December 24, 2016.
    22. News: 25 Dec 1960, Page 16 – The Pittsburgh Press. Newspapers.com. December 24, 2016.
    23. News: 22 Feb 1959, Page 126 – The Pittsburgh Press. Newspapers.com. December 24, 2016.
    24. News: 16 Apr 1959, Page 55 – The Pittsburgh Press. Newspapers.com. December 24, 2016.
    25. Web site: 20 Nov 1958, Page 20 – The Courier-Journal. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    26. Web site: 16 Oct 1958, Page 39 – The Los Angeles Times. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    27. Web site: 6 Apr 1957, Page 5 – The Pantagraph. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    28. Web site: 3 Nov 1957, Page 147 – The Los Angeles Times. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    29. Web site: 7 Dec 1957, Page 34 – Daily Independent Journal. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    30. Web site: 11 Dec 1957, Page 38 – Daily Independent Journal. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    31. News: 13 Jun 1957, Page 51 – The Pittsburgh Press. Newspapers.com. December 24, 2016.
    32. News: 26 Feb 1956, Page 113 – The Pittsburgh Press. Newspapers.com. December 24, 2016.
    33. News: 3 Sep 1956, Page 33 – The Pittsburgh Press. Newspapers.com. December 24, 2016.
    34. News: 8 Nov 1956, Page 63 – The Pittsburgh Press. Newspapers.com. December 24, 2016.
    35. Web site: 30 Jan 1955, Page 81 – The Courier-Journal. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    36. Web site: 26 Jun 1955, Page 115 – The Indianapolis Star. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    37. Web site: 31 Dec 1955, Page 2 – The Mason City Globe-Gazette. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    38. Web site: 3 Aug 1953, Page 28 – Tucson Daily Citizen. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    39. Web site: 30 Nov 1952, Page 29 – The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Newspapers.com. August 18, 2016.
    40. Web site: 18 Apr 1975, Page 106 – The Los Angeles Times. Newspapers.com. August 16, 2016.
    41. Web site: 2 May 1976, Page 132 – The Odessa American. Newspapers.com. August 16, 2016.
    42. Web site: 30 Oct 1977, Page 80 – The Lawton Constitution. Newspapers.com. August 16, 2016.
    43. Web site: 2 Jun 1973, Page 19 – The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Newspapers.com. August 16, 2016.
    44. Web site: 4 Jul 1976, Page 341 – Independent Press-Telegram. Newspapers.com. August 16, 2016.
    45. Web site: 24 May 1977, Page 25 – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Newspapers.com. August 16, 2016.
    46. 1979. A Celebration of the Super 70s 1970–1980. The Best of Daytime TV, No. 4. Sterling's Magazines, Inc.. p. 3.
    47. Web site: 12 Jul 1974, Page 24 – The Daily Standard. Newspapers.com. August 16, 2016.
    48. Web site: 19 Jun 1977, Page 12 – The Waxahachie Daily Light. Newspapers.com. August 16, 2016.
    49. Web site: 19 Nov 1978, Page 196 – Asbury Park Press. Newspapers.com. August 16, 2016.
    50. News: You probably missed the Daytime Emmy Awards, but here are 6 moments you'll wish you saw. Yahr. Emily. April 30, 2018. Washington Post. May 5, 2018. en-US. 0190-8286.

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