Image courtesy disney.fandom.com |
Hayley was first noticed when she was 12. Her father was set to star in a British crime drama, Tiger Bay. The producers were looking for a boy to play the other lead in the movie, a street rat who witnesses a crime. A pre-production meeting with John took place with Hayley tagging along. I’m not sure what exactly happened at that meeting, but the role was changed to a girl, Hayley got the part, the film was a huge success in England and she went on to win a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer. Just as important to our story (and maybe Hayley’s, too), Bill Anderson, a producer at the Walt Disney Studio in America, happened to see Tiger Bay.
Image copyright Disney |
Image copyright Disney |
Image copyright Disney |
Hayley's major affiliation with The Walt Disney Company ended about the same time as her major popularity did. Her career, however carried on. Over the next decade, she appeared in eleven more films. Some she did with her father (The Family Way in 1966) and some she did with her new husband, director Roy Boulting (Twisted Nerve in 1968 and Mr. Forbush and the Penguins in 1971). In 1970, Hayley made her West End stage debut in a production of Ibsen's The Wild Duck. After starring in a South African film, The Kingfish Caper, in 1975, she simply stopped acting for a while (it may have had something to do with the affair she had with Leigh Lawson, a fellow cast member in A Touch of Spring on the West End; a year later her marriage had ended and she and Leigh had a son, Jason, together).
Image copyright Disney |
Image courtesy geocities.ws |
Haley was one of the earliest people to be declared a Disney Legend. As part of the class of 1998, she only trailed Fred MacMurray, Ib Iwerks and the Nine Old Men in receiving the honor. And the honors coming her way may not be done yet. At the age of 73, Hayley's career is far from over. Later this year, she'll be featured in a new BBC drama, Pitching In. Hopefully the new venture will make us more Wild at Heart and less craving a Hawaiian Honeymoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment