SUSAN HAYWARD BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Susan Haywood was born on June 30th, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York with the birth name Edythe Marrenner to parents, Walter Marrenner and Ellen Pearson.  Her father worked as a transportation employee and Haywood attended public school in Brooklyn.  After graduation she began doing some modeling work for local photographers and when she heard about a nationwide search for a female lead to play the role of Scarlett O'Hara in, "Gone With the Wind" (1939) she headed out west to Hollywood.

Although, she did not get the part she did find work with a small bit part in, "Hollywood Hotel" (1937).  Following this role other small parts in various films were offered to her.  She finally got a decent role playing Isobel Rivers in the film, "Beau Geste" (1939) starring Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Albert Dekker, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy, Broderick Crawford and J. Carrol Naish, followed by a role in the film, "Among the Living" (1941) co-starring Albert Dekker, Harry Carey, Gordon Jones and Frances Farmer and in which she was finally given the opportunity to show viewers her dramatic talents.   

Decent roles began to come her way with another film called, "Reap the Wild Wind" (1942) starring alongside John Wayne, Ray Milland, Paulette Goddard, Robert Preston, Charles Bickford and Raymond Massey, "The Forest Rangers" (1942) co-starring Fred MacMurray, Paulette Goddard, Albert Dekker, Regis Toomey and Rod Cameron, "Jack London" (1943) starring with Michael O'Shea and "And Now Tomorrow" (1944).  Although Hayward was getting frequent work, nothing had yet given her the opportunity she was looking for to really show film critics what she was capable of.   

It was her role as Angelica Evans in the film, "Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman" (1947) in which she received her first of five Academy Award nominations.  Her second nomination came from her role in, "My Foolish Heart" (1949), sadly she did not win the Award.  However, she was now proving herself to be an actress with an extraordinary talent and therefore, high quality roles were being offered to her.  A truly classic movie "Tulsa" (1949) co-starring Robert Preston, Chill Wills, Ed Begley and Pedro Armendariz help solidify her standing as a versatile actress considering how she showed Native American's plight in their lands being mishandled by the oil industry.  When she starred in the film, "With a Song in My Heart" (1952) she earned herself her third Academy Award nomination.  Hayward received her fourth Academy Award nomination for her role in the film, "I'll Cry Tomorrow" (1955) but again did not get the Award.  She was beginning to question if she would ever take home the honor.  Finally, with her amazing portrayal of Barbara Graham in, "I Want To Live" (1958), Hayward put on the most amazing performance of her life and critics everywhere considered it one of the best  performances ever.  This time Hayward received her 5th nomination and won for Best Actress.

Between 1960 and 1970 Hayward continued to work on about one film each year, but took a five year break to mourn the loss of her beloved husband.  when she returned to film, Haywood replaced Judy Garland as Helen Lawson in the 1967 film adaptation of Jacqueline Susann's, "Valley of the Dolls" (1967) and then was cast in two more films before completing her final film in 1972 on, "The Revengers".  It was then that she retired from acting, not by choice but because she had been diagnosed with brain cancer and was very ill.

Sadly on March 14th, 1975 Susan Haywood passed away in Hollywood, California at the age of fifty seven.  She was interred at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Carrollton, Georgia adjacent to her husbands grave, Eaton Chalkley.  She had married once before to Jess Barker on July 24th, 1944 and they divorced on August 18th, 1954 after having twin sons, Timothy and Gregory Barker. Susan Hayward is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the Motion Picture Industry. 
 

Filmography

1972   Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole
1972   The Revengers 
1972   Heat of Anger
1967   Valley of the Dolls  
1967   The Honey Pot 
1964   Where Love Has Gone  
1963   Summer Flight 
1962   I Thank a Fool  
1961   Back Street 
1961   Ada 
1961   The Marriage-Go-Round  
1959   Woman Obsessed
1959   Thunder in the Sun 
1958   I Want to Live!
1957   Top Secret Affair  
1956   The Conqueror  
1955   I'll Cry Tomorrow  
1955   Soldier of Fortune  
1955   Untamed  
1954   Garden of Evil  
1954   Demetrius and the Gladiators  
1953   White Witch Doctor  
1953   The President's Lady 
1952   The Lusty Men  
1952   The Snows of Kilimanjaro  
1952   With a Song in My Heart  
1951   David and Bathsheba  
1951   I Can Get It for You Wholesale  
1951   Rawhide  
1951   I'd Climb the Highest Mountain
1949   My Foolish Heart  
1949   House of Strangers  
1949   Tulsa  
1948   The Saxon Charm  
1948   Tap Roots  
1947   The Lost Moment  
1947   They Won't Believe Me  
1947   Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman  
1946   Canyon Passage 
1946   Deadline at Dawn 
1944   And Now Tomorrow  
1944   The Hairy Ape 
1944   Skirmish on the Home Front
1944   The Fighting Seabees  
1943   Jack London
1943   Hit Parade of 1943 
1943   Young and Willing  
1942   I Married a Witch  
1942   The Forest Rangers
1942   Paramount Victory Short No. T2-1: A Letter from Bataan
1942   Reap the Wild Wind 
1941   Among the Living  
1941   Sis Hopkins  
1941   Adam Had Four Sons  
1939   $1000 a Touchdown  
1939   Our Leading Citizen  
1939   Beau Geste  
1938   Comet Over Broadway  
1938   Girls on Probation  
1938   The Sisters  
1938   Campus Cinderella
1938   The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse
1937   Hollywood Hotel