Patricia Hayes

With an acting career spanning nearly eighty years, Patricia Hayes, a British actress best known for her comedic work, proved that while her size did limit the roles she was given, she was diminutive in stature only. Hayes began performing on the London stage at age twelve in "The Great Big World" at the Royal Court in London. She went on to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she was awarded the prestigious Bancroft Gold Medal in 1928. After an impressive turn as Ruby Birtle, a young Yorkshire maid, in "When We Are Married" at London's St. Martin's Theatre in 1938, Hayes found herself frequently typecast as irreverent servants. A consistent presence on the London stage, the actress continued to work in the West End well into her career, after film and television success. She acted with the Royal Shakespeare company in "Twelfth Night" in 1974 and in 1987 was awarded the Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Performance for her depiction of a deranged grandmother in Lorca's "The House of Bernarda Alba." The usually comedic actress infused the role with a powerful and eerie realism that proved her talent lie beyond that of a stock comic player. That same year she was awarded the OBE.