Alexandra Hay
Alexandra Lynn 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, Skidoo, and Model Shop.
Alexandra Hay | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 24, 1947 Los Angeles, California |
| Died | October 11, 1993 (aged 46) Los Angeles, California, US |
| Other names | Alexandra Lynn Hay |
| Years active | 1967–1978 |
| Known for | Playing the carhop in the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner in 1967 |
Early life and modeling
Alexandra Hay was a native of Los Angeles, and attended Arroyo High School in El Monte, California.
In the early 1960s, when still a teenager, Alexandra booked modeling jobs through her agent William Adrian. 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 just turned 16, leaving her an orphan. On April 2, 1964, less than a year later, she married former naval officer Cedric Kehoe as a means to move to Europe. In an interview, she 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 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."[1]
Hay's first credited role was in an episode of The Monkees, titled "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 and The Ambushers.[2] In the former, she portrayed a carhop who takes an ice cream order from Spencer Tracy’s character.[3]
The Beard arrests
Hay played the role of Jean Harlow 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 places strict limitations on the application of criminal laws to live theatrical performances.[4][5]
Later career
In 1968, Hay co-starred in the romantic comedy How Sweet It Is! as Gloria and in Skidoo as Jackie Gleason's and Carol Channing's daughter,[6] and had a role in The Love Machine (1971).[7] She also starred as Gloria in the 1969 film Model Shop.[8] Her later films included Fun and Games (1971) (released in the U.S. as 1000 Convicts and a Woman),[9] How to Seduce a Woman (1974), and The One Man Jury (1978).
Hay had television roles in episodes of Mission: Impossible, Love, American Style, Dan August, Kojak, The Streets of San Francisco, Thriller, and Police Story. She appeared in the television movies The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One and The Screaming Woman. She was featured in a February 1974 pictorial in Playboy magazine titled "Alexandra the Great".[10]
Death
Hay died in 1993 at age 46 of arteriosclerotic heart disease. She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered off the coast of Marina del Rey, California.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Carhop | |
| 1967 | The Ambushers | Quintana's Secretary | Uncredited |
| 1968 | How Sweet It Is! | Gloria | |
| 1968 | Skidoo | Darlene Banks | |
| 1969 | Model Shop | Gloria | |
| 1969 | The Greatest Mother of 'em All | Tricia Murdock | A short film made to attract the financing for a potential feature |
| 1971 | The Love Machine | Tina St. Claire | |
| 1971 | 1000 Convicts and a Woman | Angela Thorne | |
| 1971 | The Forests Are Nearly All Gone Now | June Michels | Shelved - some of the footage was edited into Another Time, Another Place (1992) |
| 1972 | The Screaming Woman | Evie Carson | TV movie |
| 1974 | How to Seduce a Woman | Nell Brinkman | Premiered at The Atlanta Film Festival |
| 1974 | How Come Nobody's on Our Side? | Brigitte | Filmed in 1972 |
| 1974 | The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One | Vicky Clinton | TV movie |
| 1975 | That Girl from Boston | Willa Starch | Shelved |
| 1978 | Short Letter to the Long Goodbye | Claire Madison | Not distributed outside of West German television |
| 1978 | The One Man Jury | Tessie | Most of her role was cut from this film |
References
- Martin, Betty (October 29, 1966). "Movie Call Sheet". Los Angeles Times. p. 37. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- Pitts, Michael R. (2010). Columbia Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1928–1982. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7864-4447-2.
- Crowther, Bosley (December 12, 1967). "Screen: 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' Arrives". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- "Play Ruled Exempt From Lewdness Law". Los Angeles Times. January 31, 1970. p. 8. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- Supreme Court, California. "Barrows v. Municipal Court (Jan. 30, 1970)". Justia.com. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- Kehr, Dave (July 22, 2011). "Gleason as Tripster, Groucho as God". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- Jarlett, Franklin (1990). Robert Ryan: A Biography and Critical Filmography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 260. ISBN 0-7864-0476-0.
- Canby, Vincent (February 12, 1969). "Screen: 'Model Shop' Looks Out on Los Angeles". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- Thompson, Howard (August 18, 1972). "The Screen: 'Boxcar Bertha' Tops Local Double Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- Lisanti, Tom (2008). Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood: Seventy-Five Profiles. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-7864-3172-4.