Alfred Hayes

British screenwriter, novelist, and poet Alfred Hayes was born in London in 1911. He earned a BA at the City College of New York, CUNY, and served in the US Army Special Services during World War II. After the war, he began a long career as a screenwriter, first in Rome and then in Hollywood. His honors include two Academy Award nominations.

Hayes drew on the personal struggles of individuals with unflinching precision and insight. His popular poem about folksinger and activist Joe Hill was made into a song by composer Earl Robinson and later recorded by Joan Baez. Hayes’s poetry collections include The Big Time (1944), Welcome to the Castle (1950), and Just Before the Divorce (1968). He also wrote several novels, including The Girl on the Via Flaminia (1949), My Face for the World to See (1958), and The End of Me (1968).

He lived with his family in Encino, California, until his death in 1985.