Billie Hayes

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Billie Hayes
File:Billie Hayes 1969.jpg
Hayes c. 1969
Born Billie Armstrong Brosch
(1924-08-05)August 5, 1924
Du Quoin, Illinois, U.S.
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1934–2016
Website www.billiehayes.com

Billie Hayes (August 5, 1924 – April 29, 2021) was an American television, film, and stage actress, best known for her comic portrayals of Witchiepoo and Lil' Abner's Mammy Yokum.

Early Years

Billie Hayes was born Billie Armstrong Brosch[1] on August 5, 1924, in the small town of DuQuoin, Illinois.[2] She started working professionally in entertainment at the age of nine, tap dancing in local theatres. By the time she was in her teens, she was working throughout the midwest. After performing her own act in Chicago, she moved on to New York.

Career

Hayes was best known for her comic portrayal of Witchiepoo on NBC's Sid and Marty Krofft television series H.R. Pufnstuf. Her characteristic cackle and animated physicality were notable during the show's 17-episode run in 1969–70. She reprised this role in The Paul Lynde Halloween Special and the second and final season of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (September 6-December 13, 1969) on NBC. Hayes portrayed a similar character in other roles, including a 1971 episode of Bewitched ("Hansel and Gretel in Samantha-Land"), Weenie the Genie in the Sid and Marty Krofft program Lidsville, and Maw Weskitt in Episode 39 of the second season of The Monkees ("Hillbilly Honeymoon").

She played Mammy Yokum in the 1956 Broadway musical Li'l Abner,[3] the 1959 film version, and a 1971 TV special. She appeared on the soap opera General Hospital as Robert Scorpio's mentor, "O'Reilly", in 1981 and 1985, and did the voiceover for the character Mother Mae-Eye on the animated series Teen Titans and the character Granny Applecheeks in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. Hayes also had a short role in The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald as One-Eyed Sally.[citation needed]

Her first voice role was as a character named Orgoch on the Disney feature film The Black Cauldron in 1985. Other voice work has included roles on cartoons such as The Further Adventures of SuperTed, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Johnny Bravo, W.I.T.C.H., The Batman, TaleSpin, The Brothers Flub, Bubble Guppies, Rugrats, Transformers: Rescue Bots, Duckman, Shrek Forever After, Bonkers, Problem Child, Siegfried and Roy: Masters of the Impossible and Darkwing Duck.[citation needed] Hayes retired from acting in 2016.

Later years

Hayes was the president of the animal rescue organization Pet Hope, which she founded in 1984 to care for and find homes for abandoned animals. On her personal website, Hayes offered autographed photos for donations to Pet Hope.

She died of natural causes in Los Angeles, California in April 2021 at the age of 96.[4]

Hayes adhered to Judaism, was a lifelong Democrat, and a lesbian.[5]

References

  1. ↑ An Interview With Billie Hayes, Skip E. Lowe, 1993
  2. ↑ Billie Hayes, Witchiepoo on 'H.R. Pufnstuf,' Dies at 96
  3. ↑ Li'l Abner at the Internet Broadway Database
  4. ↑ Billie Hayes Dies: Wicked Witchiepoo Of ‘H.R. Pufnstuf’ Was 96
  5. ↑ An Interview With Billie Hayes, Skip E. Lowe, 1993

External links

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  • Billie Hayes at the Internet Movie DatabaseLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
  • Billie Hayes at the Internet Broadway DatabaseLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
  • Billie Hayes discography at Discogs
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