Bill Hayes, star of days of our livesHe died on Friday, January 12, in Los Angeles at the age of 98.
“It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Bill Hayes,” a representative of the program shared with PEOPLE. “One of the oldest characters in days of our lives“Bill originated the role of ‘Doug Williams’ in 1970 and played it continuously throughout his life.”
“He and his wife, Susan Seaforth-Hayes, remained the foundation of the Williams-Horton family for more than 50 years,” the representative continued.
In days of our lives, Hayes played Doug for 2,141 episodes. His real-life wife watched alongside him as Julie Williams. The couple met on the set in 1970. They married on October 12, 1974, and their characters got married on television on October 1, 1976. During their fictional wedding, they reread their real vows.
According The Hollywood Reporter, Bill and Susan said “I do” in their living room with only 16 people present. When Doug and Julie got married, 16 million people tuned in.
Bill Hayes won the Daytime Emmy’s Lifetime Achievement Award
The Hayes became the first soap opera stars to appear on the cover of Time Magazine in January 1976 for an edition titled Soap operas: sex and suffering in the afternoon. The two stayed with days of our lives intermittently for decades. Bill’s last appearance was in 2023 and Susan still makes appearances.
In 2018, they earned a joint lifetime achievement award from the Daytime Emmys.
“I have known Bill for almost my entire life and he embodies the heart and soul of days of our lives”Ken Corday, executive producer of the soap opera, said in a statement. “While we grieve and will miss him, Bill’s indelible legacy will live on in our hearts and in the stories we tell, both on and off screen.”
Bill Hayes first found success while starting out as a regular on the live variety series, Your show of showswhich was created by the late comedian Sid Ceasar.
Hayes was also a chart-topping singer. In 1955, his song The Ballad of Davy Crockett It reached number one in the United States. he and brady bunch Actress Florence Henderson also worked as a duet partner that fans came to call The Singing Sweethearts. Together, they filmed several Oldsmobile television commercials.
Bill Hayes is survived by his wife and son, William Foster Hayes IV.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn