Lillian Hayman
Encyclopedia
Lillian Irene Hayman was a Tony Award
-winning African American
actress and singer
.
with a BA
before she began her career in the Broadway theatre
. She won the 1968 Tony Award
for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, playing the mother of Leslie Uggams
's character in the play Hallelujah, Baby!
. This performance attracted the casting agents for One Life to Live, who cast her as Sadie Gray. Hayman played Sadie Gray from 1968 until 1986, when her option was not picked up by then-executive producer Paul Rauch
. According to co-star Ellen Holly
's 1998 memoir, One Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actress, Hayman didn't even know that she had been fired until Rauch's assistant told her in the parking garage as she left the studio, "Mr. Rauch wants you to know that you just worked your last day." The role of Sadie was briefly played by Esther Rolle
in 1971 when Hayman was temporarily unavailable. Hayman briefly left the cast of One Life to Live to appear in the primetime musical comedy series The Leslie Uggams Show
.
Hayman portrayed Lucrezia Borgia in the 1975 film Mandingo
, and made her final feature film appearance in the film's 1976 sequel, Drum
.
at her home in Hollis, Queens
, New York
. She was 72 years old.
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
actress and singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
.
Career
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Hayman graduated from Wilberforce UniversityWilberforce University
Wilberforce University is a private, coed, liberal arts historically black university located in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans...
with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
before she began her career in the Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. She won the 1968 Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, playing the mother of Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her work in Hallelujah, Baby! She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.-Singing:...
's character in the play Hallelujah, Baby!
Hallelujah, Baby!
Hallelujah, Baby! is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, and a book by Arthur Laurents. The show is "a musical chronicle of the African American struggle for equality during the [first half of the] 20th century."...
. This performance attracted the casting agents for One Life to Live, who cast her as Sadie Gray. Hayman played Sadie Gray from 1968 until 1986, when her option was not picked up by then-executive producer Paul Rauch
Paul Rauch
- Another World :Rauch is best known for his work on Another World, which he produced from 1971 to 1984. For much of that time, he worked in conjunction with Head Writer Harding Lemay, and the team garnered the show critical acclaim and strong ratings....
. According to co-star Ellen Holly
Ellen Holly
Ellen Holly is an American actress.-Career:Holly began her career on stage appearing in the Broadway productions of Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright and A Hand Is on the Gate before embarking on a television and film career...
's 1998 memoir, One Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actress, Hayman didn't even know that she had been fired until Rauch's assistant told her in the parking garage as she left the studio, "Mr. Rauch wants you to know that you just worked your last day." The role of Sadie was briefly played by Esther Rolle
Esther Rolle
Esther Rolle was an American actress. She was perhaps best known for her portrayal of Florida Evans on the CBS television sitcom Maude and its spin-off series Good Times.-Biography:...
in 1971 when Hayman was temporarily unavailable. Hayman briefly left the cast of One Life to Live to appear in the primetime musical comedy series The Leslie Uggams Show
The Leslie Uggams Show
The Leslie Uggams Show is an American variety television series starring actress/singer Leslie Uggams. The series aired on CBS as part of its 1969 fall lineup, and was the second variety series to feature an African American host since 1956's The Nat King Cole Show.-Synopsis:The Leslie Uggams Show...
.
Hayman portrayed Lucrezia Borgia in the 1975 film Mandingo
Mandingo (film)
Mandingo is a 1975 film, based on the novel Mandingo by Kyle Onstott and upon the play based thereon by Jack Kirkland. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured James Mason, Susan George, Perry King, Lillian Hayman, boxer-turned-actor Ken Norton, and bodybuilder and pro...
, and made her final feature film appearance in the film's 1976 sequel, Drum
Drum (1976 film)
Drum is the 1976 sequel to the film Mandingo, and released by United Artists. Starring Warren Oates, Pam Grier , and Ken Norton and directed by Steve Carver, it parodies nineteenth century American slavery like its predecessor...
.
Death
On October 25, 1994, Hayman died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at her home in Hollis, Queens
Hollis, Queens
Hollis is a neighborhood within the southeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. A predominantly African American community, the boundaries are considered to be the Far Rockaway Branch of the Long Island Rail Road to the west, Hillside Avenue to the north, Francis Lewis Boulevard to...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. She was 72 years old.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1968 | The Night They Raided Minsky's The Night They Raided Minsky's The Night They Raided Minsky's is a 1968 musical comedy film directed by William Friedkin and produced by Norman Lear. It is a fictional account of the invention of the striptease at Minsky's Burlesque in 1925... |
Singer in Speakeasy | Alternative title: The Night They Invented Striptease |
| 1975 | Mandingo | Lucrezia Borgia | |
| 1976 | Drum | Lucrezia Borgia | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1968–1986 | One Life to Live | Sadie Gray | 1968–1986 Original Cast Member |
| 1969 | The Leslie Uggams Show | Regular cast member | 10 episodes |
| 1970 | Barefoot in the Park | Episode: "Somethin' Fishy" | |
| The Mod Squad The Mod Squad The Mod Squad is a television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. This series starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, and Tige Andrews... |
1 episode | ||
| 1972 | Love, American Style Love, American Style Love, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974... |
Gloria | 1 episode |
| The Corner Bar | 1 episode | ||