Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey (born August 31, 1938 in Dallas, Texas
) is an American
journalist and playwright.
in Paris and received her Bachelor's Degree from Hollins College, now Hollins University
in Roanoke, Virginia in 1960. In the same year she married Oliver Hailey, a playwright and the father of her daughters. She worked briefly in journalism and publishing before joining her husband in writing for film and television. They served as creative consultants for the popular television series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
.
Her first novel A Woman of Independent Means
, a surprise best seller, published in 1978, the year she turned forty, was inspired by the life of her grandmother. With the support of her husband, playwright Oliver Hailey, she adapted it for the stage in 1983 as a one-person play starring Barbara Rush
. The play won the Los Angeles Critics Award
. In 1995, A Woman of Independent Means became a six-hour NBC miniseries starring Sally Field
. She has subsequently published three more best-selling novels: Life Sentences (1982), Joanna's Husband and David's Wife (1986—which she also adapted for the stage as a two-person play), and Home Free in 1991.
and Brooke Hailey Egan; two granddaughters, Hallie Elizabeth Egan and Frances Scott Egan; and a grandson, Charles Oliver Thomas Miller, all living in Los Angeles
, California
.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist and playwright.
Career
She studied at the SorbonneUniversity of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
in Paris and received her Bachelor's Degree from Hollins College, now Hollins University
Hollins University
Hollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia...
in Roanoke, Virginia in 1960. In the same year she married Oliver Hailey, a playwright and the father of her daughters. She worked briefly in journalism and publishing before joining her husband in writing for film and television. They served as creative consultants for the popular television series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman is an American soap opera parody that aired in daily syndication from January 1976 to May 1977. The series was produced by Norman Lear, directed by Joan Darling and starred Louise Lasser...
.
Her first novel A Woman of Independent Means
A Woman of Independent Means
A Woman of Independent Means is an 1995 TV mini-series starring Sally Field. Sally Field also producer. Field was nominated for Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Awards...
, a surprise best seller, published in 1978, the year she turned forty, was inspired by the life of her grandmother. With the support of her husband, playwright Oliver Hailey, she adapted it for the stage in 1983 as a one-person play starring Barbara Rush
Barbara Rush
Barbara Rush is an American stage, film, and television actress.-Career:A student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Barbara Rush performed on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse before signing with Paramount Pictures...
. The play won the Los Angeles Critics Award
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards is an annual awards program presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle . Established in 1969, the awards recognize excellence in theatre in the Greater Los Angeles Area....
. In 1995, A Woman of Independent Means became a six-hour NBC miniseries starring Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
. She has subsequently published three more best-selling novels: Life Sentences (1982), Joanna's Husband and David's Wife (1986—which she also adapted for the stage as a two-person play), and Home Free in 1991.
Personal life
Hailey was born the oldest of four children of Earl Andrew Forsythe, an attorney, and Janet Kendall Forsythe. She and her late husband, playwright Oliver Hailey, have two daughters, Kendall HaileyKendall Hailey
Kendall Hailey is an American writer and autodidact. She graduated from high school a year early, at age 16, to pursue unschooling and wrote about her experiences in the book, The Day I Became an Autodidact and the Advice, Adventures, and Acrimonies that Befell Me Thereafter...
and Brooke Hailey Egan; two granddaughters, Hallie Elizabeth Egan and Frances Scott Egan; and a grandson, Charles Oliver Thomas Miller, all living in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Further reading
- 2006 interview
- Rodenberger, Lou Halsell (1997). Texas Women Writers: A Tradition of Their Own. Texas A&M University Press: pp. 143–147. ISBN 9780890967652.