Biografie

She had a career spanning over 80 years beginning as a child actress at the age of 5.

Is one of only a few actors to win an Oscar for a supporting role after winning an Oscar for a leading role.

Helen Hayes is the second recipient and first woman who are an "EGOT", meaning having won in competition at least one of all of the four major entertainment awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. The other recipients are (chronologically) Richard Rodgers, Rita Moreno, John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn, Marvin Hamlisch, Jonathan Tunick, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols, Whoopi Goldberg, Scott Rudin, Robert Lopez, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, John Legend, Alan Menken, Jennifer Hudson, Viola Davis, and Elton John.

The lights of Broadway were dimmed for one minute at 8:00 p.m. on the day she died.

Is one of only eight actors who have a 2-0 win-loss record when nominated for an acting Oscar, her two wins for Die Sünde der Madelon Claudet (1931) and Airport (1970). The others are Luise Rainer for Der große Ziegfeld (1936) and Die gute Erde (1937); Vivien Leigh for Vom Winde verweht (1939) and Endstation Sehnsucht (1951); Kevin Spacey for Die üblichen Verdächtigen (1995) and American Beauty (1999); Hilary Swank for Boys Don't Cry (1999) and Million Dollar Baby (2004); Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Django Unchained (2012); Mahershala Ali for Moonlight (2016) and Green Book: Eine besondere Freundschaft (2018); and Adrien Brody for Der Pianist (2002) and Der Brutalist (2024).

I seem always to have reminded people of someone in their family. Perhaps I am the triumph of Plain Jane.

Every human being on this earth is born with a tragedy, and it isn't original sin. He's born with the tragedy that he has to grow up. That he has to leave the nest, the security, and go out to do battle. He has to lose everything that is lovely and fight for a new loveliness of his own making, and it's a tragedy. A lot of people don't have the courage to do it.

If you rest, you rust.

The truth is that there is only one terminal dignity - love. And the story of love is not important - what is important is that one is capable of love. It is perhaps the only glimpse we are permitted of eternity.

Age is not important unless you're a cheese.