Born in Princeton, Illinois on July 26, 1933, Hays was raised in Joliet. “Even as a very little girl, I was always into pretending and making things up,” she shared in a 2010 interview with welovesoaps.net. “I was an only child. In those years we didn’t have television, so I learned to play by myself. I remember pretending that I was on stage dancing or singing. I didn’t catch the bug, I just always had it.” Hays first made a big splash on television in the 1966 Western series The Road West. She also got a lot of attention playing Gem in the season three episode of the original Star Trek. In fact, her episode was the second most watched of the season. However, because there were torture scenes that were considered too graphic, the episode was not shown in the United Kingdom for many years. In 1972, Hays joined the cast of As The WorldTurns playing Kim Sullivan Hughes, who she would play until 2010 when the show ended. Don Hastings, who played her husband and constant co-star spoke lovingly about his cast-mate. “Our relationship as Bob and Kim, was as close as Kathryn and my relationship, except we were not married,” Hastings wrote in a statement. “We were more like brothers and sisters and we were great friends. Our biggest squabble was that she always wanted to rehearse and I wanted to take a nap. This is a huge loss to all who knew her.” In addition to As The World Turns, Hays appeared in over 40 TV shows including Bonanza, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Guiding Light, One Life to Live, Law & Order and countless others. Hays also had a thriving stage career appearing on Broadway and in theaters around the country. When interviewed by RTLNieuws about As The World Turns ending after so many years on the air, Hays spoke about how moved she was by the fans who wrote to her. “I’ve had the most touching notes or cards,” she shared. “Not asking for pictures or autograph, just saying thank you for all the years.” Hays leaves behind a daughter Sherri Mancusi and her son-in-law Bob Mancusi, three grandchildren and a great-grandson. Next, Why We Grieve Celebrities—and Why That’s Good for Our Health
