Lillian Irene Hayman (July 17, 1922 – October 25, 1994) was an American actress and singer. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Hayman was known for her role as Sadie Gray in the ABC television soap opera ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'' (1968–1986). She was also a notable actress on Broadway, originating roles in several new musicals including '' Doctor Jazz'', '' Hallelujah, Baby!'', '' 70, Girls, 70'', and '' Kwamina''.

Biography

Career

Born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, Hayman graduated from Wilberforce University with a BA before she began her career in the

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

. Hayman won the 1968

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for "Best Supporting Actress in a Musical", in which she portrayed the mother of

Leslie Uggams Leslie Marian Uggams (; born May 25, 1943) is an American actress and singer. After beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, she garnered acclaim for her role in the Broadway theatre, Broadway musical ''Hallelujah, Baby!'', winning a T ...

's character in the play '' Hallelujah, Baby!''. Her performance attracted the casting agents for ''

'', who cast her as Sadie Gray. Hayman played Sadie Gray from 1968 until 1986. Hayman briefly left the cast of ''One Life to Live'' to appear in the primetime musical comedy series '' The Leslie Uggams Show''. She also appeared in the 1971 Broadway production of the Kander and Ebb musical ''70, Girls, 70''. Hayman's ''

'' option was not renewed in 1986 by then-executive producer Paul Rauch. According to co-star Ellen Holly's 1998 memoir, ''One Life: The Autobiography of an African American Actress'', Hayman didn't even know that she had been fired until Rauch's assistant approached her in the parking garage as she was leaving the studio and walking to her Tercel: "Mr. Rauch wants you to know that you just worked your last day." Hayman also portrayed Lucrezia Borgia in the 1975 film '' Mandingo'', and made her final feature film appearance in that film's 1976 sequel, ''

Drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

''.

Personal life and death

Hayman never married and had no children. On October 25, 1994, Hayman died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

at her home in

Hollis, Queens Hollis is a residential middle class, middle-class neighborhood within the southeastern section of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Queens. While a predominantly African-American community, there are small minorities of His ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. She was 72 years old.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayman, Lillian American soap opera actresses American film actresses American television actresses American stage actresses American musical theatre actresses Actresses from Queens, New York Actresses from Baltimore Tony Award winners Wilberforce University alumni 1922 births 1994 deaths People from Hollis, Queens 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers