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Allison Hayes (March 6, 1930 – February 27,
1977) was an United States|American film
actor|actress.

Born Mary Jane Hayes in Charleston, West Virginia,
Hayes represented Washington, District of Columbia
in the 1949 Miss America beauty pageant|pageant.  
Although unsuccessful, it provided her with the
opportunity to work in local televison before
moving to Hollywood to work for Universal Pictures
in 1954.  

Her first film Sign of the Pagan provided her with
an important role in a relatively minor film. 
Playing opposite Jack Palance she played the part
of a siren who ultimately kills him, but despite
the strength of her debut, she played minor roles
in her next few films.   Originally cast in
Foxfire (1955) she was removed from the film
during a lawsuit she filed against Universal
Studios for injuries, including broken ribs, that
she had sustained during the filming of Sign of
the Pagan.  Released from her contract, she was
signed by Columbia Pictures in 1955. 

Chicago Syndicate did not require her to do more
than look glamorous in a series of evening gowns,
but her next film Count Three and Pray gave her
the role that she later described as the best of
her career.  She played the wife of Van Heflin,
and the film costarred Raymond Burr and Joanne
Woodward in her debut.  As a "Southern Belle"
finally reduced to the role of a housekeeper,
Hayes had several dramatic scenes, however when
the film was released much of the attention of
reviewers was focussed on Woodward, and Hayes was
largely ignored.   She appeared in films such as
Steel Jungle, Mohawk and Gunslinger (all 1956) but
a fall from a horse during the filming of the
latter left Hayes with a broken arm and unable to
work.  After she recovered she began appearing in
supporting roles in televison productions.  

In 1958 she played the leading role in Attack of
the 50 Foot Woman (1958).   With its science
fiction storyline and low budget special effects,
the film attained popularity with some movie fans,
and in the subsequent years has attracted a cult
film following.    The film did not lead to better
roles, however she remained constantly employed,
and also found work as a model (person)|model. 
During 1963 and 1964 she played a continuing role
in the soap opera General Hospital but by this
time her career was virtually over.  A close
friend of Raymond Burr since filming Count Three
and Pray, she made several guest appearances on
his Perry Mason series during this time.     As
her acting career declined, she began to
experience severe health problems, and was unable
to walk without a cane.  In severe pain, her
usually good natured personality began to change
and she became emotional and volatile, making it
difficult for her to secure acting work.    She
made her final appearances in small roles in such
series as Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. in 1967.

Hayes later said that the pain of her illness
caused her to contemplate suicide, and she found
that her symptoms were not taken seriously by
doctors.  Reading a medical book about the metal
poisoning of factory workers, Hayes recognised the
symptoms described as being similar to her own.  
Hayes began to question the ingredients of a
dietary supplement she had been taking since 1964
and when she employed a toxicology|toxicologist to
test a sample of the product, he determined that
it had an extremely high content of lead and
concluded that Hayes was most likely suffering
from lead poisoning.    Hayes mounted a campaign
to have the Food and Drug Administration|FDA ban
the import or sale of the food supplement, finally
achieving success in 1976 when they advised her
that amendments were being made to the laws
governing the importation of nutritional
supplements, largely as a result of her situation.


An invalid, Hayes moved to San Clemente,
California and her health continued to
deteriorate.  In 1976 she was diagnosed with
leukaemia and was treated regularly at La Jolla,
California|La Jolla. While at the hospital
receiving a blood transfusion, her condition
unexpectedly and rapidly deteriorated as she
experienced chills, flu-like symptoms and intense
pain.   She was transferred to the University of
California, San Diego|University of California
Medical Centre in San Diego, California|San Diego
where she died the following day.

==External links==
*imdb name|id=0370886|name=Allison Hayes
*http://www.horror-wood.com/allison.htm
Horror-wood – The Real Allison Hayes
*http://www.horror-wood.com/hayes.htm Horror-wood
– Scream Queen Allison Hayes
*http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/allisonhayes.
html Brian's Drive-In Theatre - biographical
fansite
*http://www.cultsirens.com/hayes/hayes.htm Cult
Sirens – Allison Hayes