Invoice Hayes, a longtime star of the NBC cleaning soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” died Friday on the age of 98.
Hayes performed the character of Doug Williams on the daytime serial since 1970, 5 years after the present’s debut. He met his real-life spouse, actress Susan Seaforth, on the collection set within the fictional Illinois city of Salem.
Hayes and Seaforth had been married in 1974. Two years later, their characters had been married on the present. The identical 12 months, the pair additionally appeared on the quilt of Time journal in a canopy story on the recognition of daytime soaps.
“I’ve recognized Invoice for many of my life and he embodied the center and soul of ‘Days of our Lives,’ ” stated govt producer Ken Corday. “Though we’re grieving and can miss him, Invoice’s indelible legacy will dwell on in our hearts and the tales we inform, each on and off the display screen.”
Hayes’ character was one of many longest-running characters on the cleaning soap, now produced by Sony Photos TV. As pillars of the present, the couple confronted quite a few trials, starting from Doug’s deranged ex-wife, an exploding oven and quite a few serial killers.
Hayes earned two Daytime Emmy nominations for his work on the present in 1975 and 1976. Hayes and Seaforth-Hayes earned lifetime achievements award from the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2018.
Hayes’ profession started within the early days of community TV in 1949 when he starred on Olsen & Johnson’s “Fireball Enjoyable-for-All” and later labored on Sid Caesar’s “Your Present of Reveals.”
Born in Harvey, In poor health., Hayes, a singer and dancer, made his Broadway debut within the Rodgers & Hammerstein tuner “Me and Juliet” in 1953, in accordance with SoapCentral.com. He additionally did nationwide excursions of such stage musicals as “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Scholar Prince,” “Something Goes,” “Camelot,” and “The Pajama Sport,” in accordance with SoapCentral.
In 1956, Hayes had a pop hit along with his rendition of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” the track made in style by actor Fess Parker, who performed Crockett on the Disney-produced collection that aired in daytime from 1954 to 1955.
By 1970, Hayes was a divorced father 5 youngsters. The function as a previously imprisoned con artist turned nightclub singer on “Days” proved to be that match.
In 1984, the couple stop “Days” after their characters’ airtime diminished. Seaforth Hayes ended up returning to the present in 1990 with out Hayes. Hayes made sporadic appearances in Salem and carried out on stage all through the remainder of the Nineteen Nineties. Hayes additionally earned a doctorate in training from West Virginia College.
In 2003, Hayes and Seaforth Hayes returned to the collection, despite the fact that each characters had been presumed by viewers to be useless.
Michael Maloney contributed to this report.