Alexandra Hay (July 24, 1947 – October 11, 1993) was an American actress of the 1960s and 1970s best known for her roles in ''
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, and written by William Rose. It stars Spencer Tracy (in his final role), Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn, and feature ...
'', ''
Skidoo'', and ''
Model Shop''.
Early life and modeling
Born Alexandra Lynn Hay, she was a native of Los Angeles and attended
Arroyo High School in El Monte, California.
In the early 1960s, Hay booked modeling jobs through her agent William Adrian. At 15, she was featured as the "American Beauty" for the May–June 1963 issue of ''DIG'' magazine.
Her mother died on August 25, 1963, when Hay had recently turned 16. In 1964, she moved to Europe. In an interview, Hay described her time in Europe: "I modeled in London to earn a living, and I had a ball. That was in 1964 when London was exploding – all the excitement about
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
and The Beat – I nearly blew my mind."
Mainstream career
On October 29, 1966, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported "Columbia's New Talent Program has developed another young actress, Alexandra Hay, who has been signed to a long-term exclusive contract by the studio."
Hay's first credited role was in an episode of ''
The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...
'' entitled "Monkee Mother" (episode 27, original airdate March 20, 1967). Her career continued with small roles in the 1967 movies ''
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, and written by William Rose. It stars Spencer Tracy (in his final role), Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn, and feature ...
'' and ''
The Ambushers''. In the former, she portrayed a
carhop who takes an ice cream order from
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two conse ...
’s character.
''The Beard'' arrests
Hay played the role of
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...
in
Michael McClure's controversial play ''The Beard''. She was arrested on 14 nights for lewd conduct and later acquitted by the California Supreme Court on the basis that the
First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
places strict limitations on the application of criminal laws to live theatrical performances.
Later career
Hay was chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to be Miss Golden Globe for the 1968 Golden Globe Awards ceremony, which was held at the Ambassador Hotel's Cocoanut Grove on February 12, 1968.
Hay's feature film credits include ''
How Sweet It Is!'' (1968), ''
Skidoo'' (1968), ''
Model Shop'' (1969), ''
The Greatest Mother of 'em All
''The Greatest Mother of 'em All'' is a 1969 short film made by Robert Aldrich.
Plot
Stage mother Dolly Murdock (Ann Sothern) uses the attractiveness of her teenage daughter Tricia (Alexandra Hay) for her own economic gains, leading Tricia to exp ...
'' (1969), ''The Forests Are Nearly All Gone Now'' (1971; shelved), ''
Fun and Games'' (1971) (released in the U.S. as ''1000 Convicts and a Woman''), ''
The Love Machine'' (1971), ''
How to Seduce a Woman'' (1974), ''How Come Nobody's on Our Side?'' (1974), ''That Girl from Boston'' (1975; shelved), ''Short Letter to the Long Goodbye'' (1978), and ''
The One Man Jury
''The One Man Jury'' (released as ''The Loner'' on UK video) is a 1978 American neo-noir film directed by Charles Martin (1910-1983) and starring Jack Palance, Christopher Mitchum, Pamela Shoop, and Cara Williams.
Plot
Jim Wade (Jack Palance) ...
'' (1978).
Hay had television roles in episodes of ''
CBS Playhouse'', ''
Mission: Impossible'', ''
Love, American Style
''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...
'', ''
Dan August'', ''
Thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
'', ''
Kojak
''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...
'', ''
The Manhunter
''The Manhunter'' is an American crime drama that was part of CBS' lineup for the 1974–1975 television season. The series was produced by Quinn Martin and starred Ken Howard as Dave Barret, a 1930s-era private investigator from Idaho.
Syno ...
'', ''
The Streets of San Francisco
''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...
'', and ''
Police Story''. She also appeared in the television movies ''The F.B.I Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One'' and ''
The Screaming Woman''.
Hay was photographed by Mario Casilli for a February 1974 ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'' magazine pictorial entitled "Alexandra the Great."
Death
Hay died on October 11th, 1993 at age 46 of
arteriosclerotic heart disease
Atherosclerosis, Arteriosclerotic heart disease (ASHD), is a thickening and hardening of the walls of the coronary arteries. Atherosclerosis is a potentially serious condition where arteries become clogged with fatty substances called plaques, or a ...
. She was cremated by The Alpha Society and her ashes were scattered at sea off Marina del Rey, California on October 19th, 1993.
Filmography
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, Alexandra
1947 births
1993 deaths
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from Los Angeles
American film actresses
American television actresses
People from El Monte, California