Hayward, Susan, 1917-1975

Born on June 30, 1918 as Edythe Marrenner, Susan Hayward grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were Ellen Pearson and Walter Marrenner, and her maternal grandparents emigrated from Sweden. Hayward graduated high school intending to become a secretary, but soon began modeling in New York City. In 1937, she went to Hollywood to audition for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, a part she lost to Vivien Leigh. According to her management, the name Susan Hayward was chosen because it was "as close to Rita Hayworth as we can get away with."

For two years, Hayward landed bit parts in various films until her big break in 1939's Beau Geste. She soon became one of Hollywood's biggest stars of the 1940s and 1950s, earning five Academy Award nominations along the way. Her only win was in 1959 for I Want to Live!, based on the true story of the murderer Barbara Graham. Even after her marriage to Eaton Chalkley and the subsequent move from Hollywood to Carrollton, Georgia, she continued to act through the 1960s. Her last role was in the 1972 made-for-TV movie Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole.

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