Helen Hayes, a DC native, began her acting career while a resident of the city, appearing at the Belasco Theater at age 5. In 1931, Hayes moved to California to concentrate on Hollywood movies, but by 1934, she and her husband Charles MacArthur resettled in Nyack, NY. Some of her best-known movies are: A Farewell to Arms (1932), Anastasia (1956), and Airport (1970). Her stage appearances include: Jack the Giant Killer (1908), The Prince and the Pauper (1913), The Glass Menagerie (1948 and 1956), and Harvey (1970). Hayes received all four top U.S. entertainment awards: a Tony, Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the National Medal of Arts.
Hayes is remembered locally with annual professional theater awards in her name; the Helen Hayes Awards, given since 1984, recognize the best in acting, directing, design, choreography, and productions in the greater DC area. She is the author of three memoirs: A Gift of Joy (1965), On Reflection (1968), and My Life in Three Acts (1990, written with Katherine Hatch).
The Homes
1909 8th St NW, Washington, DC
1418 W St NW, Washington, DC
1436 W St., NW, Washington, DC (Capital Manor Cooperative)
Helen Hayes
1909 8th St NW
Located in U Street/Strivers Section neighborhood, Northwest - East of Rock Creek
Helen Hayes
1418 W St NW,, Washington DC
Located in U Street/Strivers Section neighborhood, Northwest- West of Rock Creek
Helen Hayes
1436 W St., NW, Washington DC
Located in U Street/Strivers Section neighborhood, Northwest- West of Rock Creek