Susan Hayes

At A Glance

Susan Hayes, professional actress by trade, is an historian by desire. Her degree from Los Angeles City College is in history, and the stack of books at her deskside reflects an intense interest in the American West and diverse Native American cultures. Had she not been so talented an actress, she probably would be teaching today, or writing history books.

But it seems that Susan was destined to spend her life on stage and in front of the cameras. Her initial theatrical experience was at the age of four, playing Trouble to Dorothy Kirsten's Madame Butterfly for the Metropolitan Opera company. As a pre-teen, she toured with Billie Burke in Mother was a Bachelor, and as a teenager, she developed her crafts in the exciting world of television with appearances on: Matinee Theatre, Lassie, Eve Arden, Wyatt Earp, Loretta Young, Danny Thomas; and films: Five Pennies, Angel in My Pocket, Billy, and California.

Susan plugged away at her college studies, interspersing classes with film, TV, and stage work. She plumbed emotional depths on TV's Dragnet, FBI, Death Valley Days, Bonanza, Hallmark, My 3 Sons, Fugitive, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, Man from UNCLE, Wagon Train, Perry Mason, Emergency, Adam 12, and Ironside. But when she discovered the exciting/demanding world of soaps Susan was forced to curtail her academic work. Young Married, General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, and Days of our Lives put a serious dent in her classroom attendance record. This was not without its rewards, however, as the sudsy genre produced for her four Emmy nominations, several Best Actress Awards, a Time magazine cover, many years of Top-Ten Lists in fan-mags, and even a husband, when in 1974 Susan married her Days of our Live co-star Bill Hayes.

In recent years, though Susan lectured at Los Angeles Valley College and Boston University, her time still was primarily devoted to stage, TV and film. In 1997, Susan co-starred in the premiere of Bernard Slade's new play Same Time Another Year. In the spring of 1999, she created the take-charge role of District Attorney Steel on NBC's Sunset Beach and in the fall of 1999, she returned once again to add her personal spice to the character of Julie on Days of our Lives. History will just have to wait while Susan does her thing.

Acting Portfolio: TELEVISION

The Bold and the Beautiful Joanna Manning 2003 Sunset Beach Patricia Steele 1999 The Young and the Restless Joanna Manning 1984 to December 11, 1986; December 2005; December 2006; August 17 and 18, 2010 Days of our Lives Julie Olson Williams 1968 to 1987; 1990 to 1994; 1996; 1999 to January 24, 2012 General Hospital Dorothy Bradley 1963 For a complete listing of Ms. Hays' television appearances, click here.

Acting Portfolio: FILM

Gunfight at Comanche Creek Janie 1963 Billie Jean Matthews 1963 If He Hollers, Let Him Go! Sally Blair 1968 Angel in My Pocket Mrs. Grant 1969 Wrestling With God Jane Campbell 1990 Dream Machine Margo Chamberlain 1991 Knight to F4 Mrs. Schneider 2009

Acting Portfolio: THEATER

Madame Butterfly Trouble Mother was a Bachelor Same Time Another Year 1997

Awards & Acclaim

Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series (1978, 1979) Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series ( 2020 ) Daytime Emmys Pre-Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actress ( 2018 ; for Days of our Lives)

Vital Statistics

FULL NAME: Susan Seaforth DATE OF BIRTH: July 11, 1943

PLACE OF BIRTH: Oakland, California, USA
MARITAL STATUS: Married to Bill Hayes since October 12, 1974
RELATIVES: Elizabeth Harrower (mother)

News Archives

News Archive: NATAS to honor DAYS' Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes with Lifetime Achievement Awards [Feb 1, 2018]

News Archive: WATCH: 2018 Emmy Reels for Supporting Actress [Apr 3, 2018]

News Archive: DAYS celebrates Susan Seaforth Hayes, who has played Julie Williams for 50 years [Dec 11, 2018]

News Archive: DAYS' Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth-Hayes working on second novel [Dec 13, 2018]

News Archive: Days of our Lives' Bill and Susan Hayes say they're still working, full speed ahead [Sep 12, 2019]

News Archive: INTERVIEW: Days of our Lives' Susan Seaforth Hayes reacts to her sixth Emmy nomination [Jun 2, 2020]

News Archive: Susan Seaforth Hayes chats Doug's devastating dementia storyline on Days of our Lives [Sep 10, 2021]

News Archive: Days of our Lives' Bill and Susan Hayes launch Secrets of Soap Opera Lovers website [Nov 10, 2021]

News Archive: Days of our Lives' Susan Seaforth Hayes marks an important date with a tribute to Bill Hayes [Mar 13, 2024]

News Archive: Days of our Lives star Susan Hayes welcomes a precious new family member [Apr 2, 2024]

News Archive: Days of our Lives comings and goings: All the Salem returns for Doug Williams' funeral [Apr 11, 2024]

News Archive: Susan Seaforth Hayes previews Bill Hayes's last Days of our Lives moments as Doug [Jul 11, 2024]

Related Information

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Who's Who: Read a biography of Julie Olson Williams.

Family Trees: Scan the many branches of the Olson family tree.

Family Trees: Scan the many branches of the Williams family tree.

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