Julie Haydon
Encyclopedia
Julie Haydon was an American actress who performed on Broadway
and in films.
, Haydon began her acting career when she was 19, touring with Minnie Maddern Fiske
in Mrs. Bumstead Leigh. Within two years, she played Ophelia in a production of Hamlet
at the Hollywood Playhouse. Shortly after, she began appearing in films, in 1931. Her first film, in which she was billed under her birth name, was The Great Meadow, a Johnny Mack Brown
Western drama made by MGM. In 1932, she signed with RKO, and her first major role came that year in The Conquerors, directed by William Wellman Her most notable performance came in 1935's The Scoundrel
playing opposite Noel Coward
, but, despite a new contract with MGM, only a few more films were to come in her short career, including A Family Affair
(1937), the initial movie in the Andy Hardy
series.
Haydon retired from films in 1937.
, which ran for only seven performances before closing. Her next Broadway production, Shadow and Substance
by Paul Vincent Carroll, in which she played a saintly maid, was more successful, running for 9 months in 1938. Next, in 1939, she created the role of the prostitute, Kitty Duval, in William Saroyan
's Pulitzer Prize
-winning The Time of Your Life
. Haydon was also the original Laura Wingfield in the first production of Tennessee Williams
' The Glass Menagerie
in 1945. Her final appearance on Broadway came in 1947's Our Lan.
(1954), and Robert Montgomery Presents
(1954).
, who died in 1958. They had no children and she never remarried. Following his death Haydon worked as a drama coach, and appeared onstage in community theater and college productions. She delivered lectures taken from books written by Nathan, two collections of which Haydon edited. She also wrote occasional magazine articles about the actors she had worked with in her career.
Haydon recorded two albums for Folkways Records
in the early 1960s, George Jean Nathan's The New American Credo (1962) and Colette's Music Hall (L'Envers du Music-Hall): By Colette (1963).
In 1962 the actress left New York
and returned to the Midwest. For a decade she was actress in residence at the College of St. Teresa in Winona, Minnesota
. She played the role of the mother in revivals of The Glass Menagerie, and, in 1980, returned to New York to perform the role off-off-Broadway.
of cancer, aged 84. She was buried next to her husband in the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne, New York
.
The Nathan-Haydon papers were donated to the La Crosse Public Library archives.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and in films.
Early career and films
Born Donella Donaldson in Oak Park, IllinoisOak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
, Haydon began her acting career when she was 19, touring with Minnie Maddern Fiske
Mrs. Fiske
Minnie Maddern Fiske , born as Marie Augusta Davey, but often billed simply as Mrs. Fiske, was one of the leading American actresses of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. She also spearheaded the fight against the Theatrical Syndicate for the sake of artistic freedom...
in Mrs. Bumstead Leigh. Within two years, she played Ophelia in a production of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
at the Hollywood Playhouse. Shortly after, she began appearing in films, in 1931. Her first film, in which she was billed under her birth name, was The Great Meadow, a Johnny Mack Brown
Johnny Mack Brown
Johnny Mack Brown was an All-American college football player and film actor originally billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career.-Early life:...
Western drama made by MGM. In 1932, she signed with RKO, and her first major role came that year in The Conquerors, directed by William Wellman Her most notable performance came in 1935's The Scoundrel
The Scoundrel
The Scoundrel is a drama film directed by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, and starring Noël Coward, Julie Haydon, Stanley Ridges, and Lionel Stander. It was Coward's film debut, aside from a bit role in a silent film...
playing opposite Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
, but, despite a new contract with MGM, only a few more films were to come in her short career, including A Family Affair
A Family Affair (film)
A Family Affair is the first entry in the Andy Hardy film series, though Mickey Rooney has a secondary role as the son of Judge Hardy, played by Lionel Barrymore. The highly respected judge has to deal with family and political problems. The film was based on the play Skidding by Aurania...
(1937), the initial movie in the Andy Hardy
Andy Hardy
Andy Hardy was a fictional character played by Mickey Rooney in an MGM film series from 1937 to 1958. Spanning over 20 years, the 16 movies were based on characters in the play Skidding by Aurania Rouverol....
series.
Haydon retired from films in 1937.
Theatre
Haydon debuted on Broadway in 1935 in Bright Star by Philip BarryPhilip Barry
Philip James Quinn Barry was an American playwright born in Rochester, New York.-Early life:Philip Barry was born on June 18, 1896 in Rochester, New York to James Corbett Barry and Mary Agnes Quinn Barry. James would die from appendicitis a year after Philip's birth, and his father's marble and...
, which ran for only seven performances before closing. Her next Broadway production, Shadow and Substance
Shadow and Substance
Shadow and Substance is an award-winning four-act play written in 1937 by Paul Vincent Carroll. In 1938 it won the New York Drama Critics' Circle award for best foreign play. First published by Samuel French in 1944....
by Paul Vincent Carroll, in which she played a saintly maid, was more successful, running for 9 months in 1938. Next, in 1939, she created the role of the prostitute, Kitty Duval, in William Saroyan
William Saroyan
William Saroyan was an Armenian American dramatist and author. The setting of many of his stories and plays is the center of Armenian-American life in California in his native Fresno.-Early years:...
's Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning The Time of Your Life
The Time of Your Life
The Time of Your Life is a 1939 five-act play by American playwright William Saroyan. The play is the first drama to win both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play opened 25 October 1939 at the Booth Theatre in New York City...
. Haydon was also the original Laura Wingfield in the first production of Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
' The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie is a four-character memory play by Tennessee Williams. Williams worked on various drafts of the play prior to writing a version of it as a screenplay for MGM, to whom Williams was contracted...
in 1945. Her final appearance on Broadway came in 1947's Our Lan.
Television
Beginning in 1949, Haydon began making appearances on television. She performed in episodes of Kraft Television Theater (1949), Armstrong Circle Theater (1950), The United States Steel HourThe United States Steel Hour
The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation....
(1954), and Robert Montgomery Presents
Robert Montgomery Presents
Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950 until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its seven-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example,...
(1954).
Later career
In 1955, Haydon married the drama critic George Jean NathanGeorge Jean Nathan
George Jean Nathan was an American drama critic and editor.-Early life:Nathan was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana...
, who died in 1958. They had no children and she never remarried. Following his death Haydon worked as a drama coach, and appeared onstage in community theater and college productions. She delivered lectures taken from books written by Nathan, two collections of which Haydon edited. She also wrote occasional magazine articles about the actors she had worked with in her career.
Haydon recorded two albums for Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
in the early 1960s, George Jean Nathan's The New American Credo (1962) and Colette's Music Hall (L'Envers du Music-Hall): By Colette (1963).
In 1962 the actress left New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and returned to the Midwest. For a decade she was actress in residence at the College of St. Teresa in Winona, Minnesota
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
. She played the role of the mother in revivals of The Glass Menagerie, and, in 1980, returned to New York to perform the role off-off-Broadway.
Death
Julie Haydon died in La Crosse, WisconsinLa Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...
of cancer, aged 84. She was buried next to her husband in the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne, New York
Hawthorne, New York
Hawthorne is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place located in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York. The population was 4,586 at the 2010 census.-History:...
.
The Nathan-Haydon papers were donated to the La Crosse Public Library archives.
External links
- Julie Haydon at FolkwaysFolkwaysFolkways can refer to:*Folkways —theory by the sociologist William Graham Sumner.*Folkways Records—a record label founded by Moe Asch....