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Susan Hayward

Susan Hayward

Actor · Died March 14, 1975, aged 57 · Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Susan Hayward (June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American actress. After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 when open auditions were held for the leading role in Gone With the Wind (1939). Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting roles over the next few years. By the late 1940s the quality of her film roles had improved, and she achieved recognition for her dramatic abilities with the first of five Academy Award nominations for Best Actress for her performance as an alcoholic in Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman (1947). Her career continued successfully through the 1950s and she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of death row inmate Barbara Graham in I Want to Live! (1958). By this time, Hayward was married and living in Georgia and her film appearances became infrequent, although she continued acting in film and television until 1972. She died in 1975 following a long battle with brain cancer. Description above from the Wikipedia article Susan Hayward, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 30, 1917
Died
March 14, 1975 (aged 57)
From
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
46 on MovieCove · 69 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 45% in 30 days

What are Susan Hayward's films like?

Across their 47 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
26%
Morality
23%
Self
18%
Survival
12%
Power
10%
Society
9%
Ideas
3%
Romantic love15 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition9 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 47 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 12 · Serious 19 · Dark 16

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 17 · Stylized 22 · Heightened 8

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 29 · Intense 12

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 18 · Shifting 26 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 36 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 24 · Even-paced 23 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 24 · Engaged 23 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 11 · Affecting 23 · Heavy 13

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 40 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

34 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 16 of 34 analyzed roles.

Hero
16 of 34
Shapeshifter
5 of 34
Ally
4 of 34
Shadow
3 of 34
Threshold guardian
3 of 34
Herald
2 of 34
Trickster
1 of 34
Show the 34 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
30
Melancholic
28
Romantic
17
Warm
12
Bittersweet
7
Other
28

How their films linger

Bittersweet21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy19
  • Bittersweet24
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Susan Hayward's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 46 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Susan Hayward's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

69 credits, 46 with a MovieCove page; 11 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Filme Algarve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Lucy Overmire (archive footage)

  • Gotta Get Off This Merry-Go-Round: 'Valley of the Dolls' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Helen Lawson (archive footage)

  • The Dish on Dolls(2006)

    as Helen Lawson (archive footage)

  • Bride of Trailer Camp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as (archive footage)

  • Unzipped(1995)

    as Helen Lawson

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole(1972)

    as Dr. Maggie Cole

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Revengers(1972)

    as Elizabeth Reilly

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Heat of Anger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Jessie Fitzgerald

  • Valley of the Dolls(1967)

    as Helen Lawson

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Honey Pot(1967)

    as Mrs. Sheridan

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Uncertain Verification (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as (archive footage)

  • Where Love Has Gone(1964)

    as Valerie Hayden Miller

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Stolen Hours(1963)

    as Laura Pember

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • I Thank a Fool(1962)

    as Christine Allison

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Back Street(1961)

    as Rae Smith

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Ada(1961)

    as Ada Gillis

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Marriage-Go-Round (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Content Delville

  • Woman Obsessed(1959)

    as Mary Sharron

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Thunder in the Sun(1959)

    as Gabrielle Dauphin

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • I Want to Live!(1958)

    as Barbara Graham

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Top Secret Affair(1957)

    as Dorothy 'Dottie' Peale

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Conqueror(1956)

    as Bortai

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • I'll Cry Tomorrow(1955)

    as Lillian Roth

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Soldier of Fortune(1955)

    as Mrs. Jane Hoyt

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Untamed(1955)

    as Katie O'Neill

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Garden of Evil(1954)

    as Leah Fuller

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Demetrius and the Gladiators(1954)

    as Messalina

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • White Witch Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Ellen Burton

  • The President's Lady(1953)

    as Rachel Donaldson

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Lusty Men(1952)

    as Louise Merritt

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Snows of Kilimanjaro(1952)

    as Helen Street

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • With a Song in My Heart(1952)

    as Jane Froman

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • David and Bathsheba(1951)

    as Bathsheba

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • I Can Get It for You Wholesale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Harriet Boyd

  • Rawhide(1951)

    as Vinnie Holt

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Mary Elizabeth Eden Thompson

  • My Foolish Heart(1949)

    as Eloise Winters

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • House of Strangers(1949)

    as Irene Bennett

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Tulsa(1949)

    as Cherokee Lansing

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Saxon Charm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Janet Busch

  • Tap Roots(1948)

    as Morna Dabney

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Lost Moment(1947)

    as Tina Bordereau

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • They Won't Believe Me(1947)

    as Verna Carlson

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman(1947)

    as Angie Evans

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Canyon Passage(1946)

    as Lucy Overmire

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Deadline at Dawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as June Goffe

  • And Now Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Janice Blair

  • The Hairy Ape(1944)

    as Mildred Douglas

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Skirmish on the Home Front (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Molly Miller

  • The Fighting Seabees(1944)

    as Constance Chesley

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Jack London(1943)

    as Charmian Kittredge

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Hit Parade of 1943 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Jill Wright

  • Young and Willing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Kate Benson

  • I Married a Witch(1942)

    as Estelle Masterson

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Forest Rangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Tana 'Butch' Mason

  • A Letter From Bataan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Mrs. Mary Lewis

  • Reap the Wild Wind(1942)

    as Drusilla Alston

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Star Spangled Rhythm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Genevieve in Priorities Skit

  • Among the Living (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Millie Pickens

  • Sis Hopkins(1941)

    as Carol Hopkins

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Adam Had Four Sons(1941)

    as Hester Stoddard

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • $1000 a Touchdown(1939)

    as Betty McGlen

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Our Leading Citizen(1939)

    as Judith Schofield

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Beau Geste(1939)

    as Isobel Rivers

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Comet Over Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Amateur Actress (uncredited)

  • Girls on Probation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Gloria Adams

  • The Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Telephone operator

  • Campus Cinderella (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Co-Ed

  • Hollywood Hotel(1937)

    as Starlet at Table (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 69 titles from 1938 to 2025; peak year 1967.

Biggest box office

Unzipped (1995)

$2.9M worldwide

Highest rated

I Want to Live! (1958)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

Our Leading Citizen (1939)

Film career

19382025

Peak 1967 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 13 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting69 of 69: 69 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score60th

By decade

1930s8 · acting1940s24 · acting1950s21 · acting1960s9 · acting1970s3 · acting2000s3 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 24% of 25 roles
394954

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Susan Hayward's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of the 45 of 46 with a score; across their 46 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 46

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 46

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 46

Midcredits score across 45 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th19
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

28 of their 45 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser28
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

The Conqueror (1956)

68th percentile spread · 66% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

I Want to Live! (1958)

Midcredits 92nd · 82% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 44 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Susan Hayward work with?

People who share at least 2 of Susan Hayward's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Frank Skinner shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles