# Kathryn Hays

Kathryn Hays (born Kay Piper; July 26, 1934 – March 25, 2022) was an American actress, best known for her role as Kim Hughes on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns from 1972 to 2010.

## Life and career

Hays was born as Kay Piper in Princeton, Illinois, on July 26, 1934, the only child of Roger and Daisy (Hays) Piper. Her parents divorced shortly after her birth. Hays was raised by her mother, who was a bookkeeper and a banker, and her stepfather, salesman Arnold Gottlieb.
She grew up in Joliet. She took classes at Northwestern University, and worked as a model. In 1962, she changed her name to Kathryn Hays (using her mother's maiden name as her last name).
Hays' first marriage was to salesman Sidney Steinberg in 1957, with whom she had a daughter, Sherri. In 1966, Hays married actor Glenn Ford; the couple divorced in 1969. Her third husband was Wolfgang Lieschke, who was employed in the advertising industry.

### Episodic TV work

Early in her career, Hays made numerous appearances on episodic TV, and made a few later in her career. In 1968, she appeared in Star Trek as the eponymous central character in the episode “The Empath”, playing a mute alien with healing powers. She also had appearances in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Road West. In a 2010 interview with the website We Love Soaps, Hays said of the early appearances: "It was a great time to begin a career. It was when the guest stars on the primetime shows were almost always women. The running star would be a man. The main storyline would be a very rich part to play."
Hays also appeared in films such as Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966) and Counterpoint (1968) and in the TV film Yuma as Julie Williams. In later years, her TV appearances included Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Hays appeared in Broadway productions several times, including a regional production of Dames at Sea with Bernadette Peters.

### As the World Turns

In 1972, she was cast as Kim Sullivan Hughes on CBS's As the World Turns. She remained with As the World Turns until its final episode on September 17, 2010. The character of Kim was a pivotal heroine on the show for over thirty years. Hays was prominently featured in the 50th anniversary episode of the show, which aired in April 2006.
Prior to her role on As the World Turns, Hays played the role of nurse Leslie Jackson Bauer, RN on The Guiding Light.
In May 2020, she appeared in an As The World Turns reunion episode of The Locher Room, one of a series of YouTube episodes reuniting various soap actors, as well as being the subject of a The Locher Room tribute in 2022.

## Death

Hays died on March 25, 2022. She had been living in an assisted living facility at the time of her death. Her daughter, Sherri Mancusi, participated in a November 2022 fan tribute on The Locher Room YouTube channel that honored Hays; in the interview, Mancusi said that Hays had had dementia in the years prior to her death.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1963 | Ladybug Ladybug | Betty Forbes |
| 1966 | Ride Beyond Vengeance | Jessie Larkin Trapp |
| 1968 | Counterpoint | Annabelle Rice |
| 1971 | Yuma | Julie Williams |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1962 | Hawaiian Eye | Jean Morgan | "Total Eclipse" |
| 1962 | Surfside 6 | Joy Allen | "Many a Slip" |
| 1962 | Naked City | Beth Rydecker | "The Rydecker Case" |
| 1963 | The United States Steel Hour | Rachel Trafford | "Moment of Rage" |
| 1963 | Wide Country | Lila Never | "The Girl from Nob Hill" |
| 1963 | Dr. Kildare | Gina Beemis | "An Island Like a Peacock" |
| 1963 | Route 66 | Judith Kane | "Shadows of an Afternoon" |
| 1963 | The Lieutenant | Carol Wayden | "Cool of the Evening" |
| 1963 | The Eleventh Hour | Hallie Lambert | "What Did She Mean by Good Luck?" |
| 1964 | The Nurses | Sheila Warren | "Climb a Broken Ladder" |
| 1964 | Mr. Novak | Jenny Peterson | "One Way to Say Goodbye" |
| 1964 | Arrest and Trial | Joanne Collins | "He Ran for His Life" |
| 1964 | Bonanza | Prudence Jessup | "The Wild One" |
| 1964 | The Defenders | Katy Vronis | "King of the Hill" |
| 1965 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Joyce Dailey | "One of the Family" |
| 1965 | The Virginian | Charity | "A Slight Case of Charity" |
| 1965 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Mary Pilgrim | "The See-Paris-and-Die Affair" |
| 1965 | Branded | Christina Adams | "Very Few Heroes" |
| 1965 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Terry Camion | "Kill Me on July 20th" |
| 1966 | Run for Your Life | Belle Frazer | "The Cruel Fountain" |
| 1966–1967 | The Road West | Elizabeth Reynolds | Main role |
| 1967 | Vacation Playhouse | Betsy Fleming | "You're Only Young Twice" |
| 1968 | The High Chaparral | Frances O'Toole | "Tornado Frances" |
| 1968 | Mannix | Betsy Charnik | "The End of the Rainbow" |
| 1968 | Star Trek: The Original Series | Gem | S3:E12, "The Empath" |
| 1969 | Here Come the Brides | Dena | "A Kiss Just for So" |
| 1969 | This Savage Land | Elizabeth Reynolds | TV film |
| 1970 | Breakout | Ann Baker | TV film |
| 1971 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Marcy | "An Absence of Loneliness" |
| 1971 | Yuma | Julie Williams | TV film |
| 1971 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Ellen | "In My Father's House" |
| 1971 | Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law | Lori Phillips | "Nothing Personal" |
| 1971 | Bearcats! | Milly Todd | "The Return of Estaban" |
| 1971 | The Guiding Light | Leslie Jackson Bauer, RN | TV series |
| 1972 | Cade's County | Helen Derman | "Ragged Edge" |
| 1972 | Night Gallery | June | "She'll Be Company for You" |
| 1972–2010 | As the World Turns | Kim Sullivan Hughes | Regular role |
| 1973 | Ghost Story | Janet | "Legion of Demons" |
| 1989 | American Playhouse | Harriet Rodker | "Ask Me Again" |
| 1999 | Law & Order | Gloria Blumberg | "Sundown" |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jane Willet | "Florida" |