Katharine Cornell

Lore & Background

Cornell was born in Berlin to American parents and raised in Buffalo, New York. As a child, she had a troubled relationship with her parents due in part to her mother's alcoholism.

Reader's Guide

Cornell's significance lies in her redefinition of stage roles and her artistic independence. With her husband, she formed C. & M.C. Productions, Inc., which gave them complete artistic freedom and introduced many notable actors to Broadway. She was primarily regarded as a tragedienne, admired for her refined, romantic presence.

Did You Know?

• She appeared in only one Hollywood film, the World War II morale booster Stage Door Canteen, playing herself.
• Her great-grandfather Samuel Garretson Cornell founded Cornell Lead Works in Buffalo.
• She narrated the documentary Helen Keller in Her Story, which won an Oscar.

A Career Spanning Eight Decades

Helen Hayes built a performing career stretching across 82 years, a span few in the arts can match. By ten, she had appeared in a short silent picture. Later film work included the disaster picture Airport, for which she collected a second Oscar, and a string of Disney productions.

Recognition and the 'First Lady' Title

Throughout her long career, Hayes received honors at every level of American public life. Notably, her close friend and fellow actress Katharine Cornell also carried that same title, and the two women each insisted the other was more worthy of it. One critic captured their contrasting approaches with a memorable line: Cornell played every queen as though she were an ordinary woman, while Hayes played every woman as though she were a queen.

A Legacy Written in Brick and Institution

Hayes's influence on the American cultural landscape extends far beyond any single performance. When developers sought to demolish that building in the early 1980s to make way for a hotel complex, Hayes gave her consent despite having no ownership stake in the property. The following year, the nearby Little Theatre on West 44th Street took her name, and a venue in Nyack, New York, was likewise renamed for her before eventually becoming the Riverspace-Arts Center. Beyond the stage, she was deeply committed to healthcare and the natural world.

Friendship, Curiosity, and a Life Beyond the Stage

Away from the spotlight, Hayes was known for her deep friendships and restless curiosity about the world around her. She told Loos that she still believed the city was the most enthralling place on earth and that, if she were free the following summer, she would prove it. In her later decades, Hayes turned much of her energy toward philanthropy.