Marian Hailey

Marian Hailey-Moss is an American actress, author, and humanitarian born on February 1, 1941, in Portland, Oregon. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from the University of Washington and launched her acting career in the early 1960s through performances in Shakespearean festivals. She subsequently relocated to New York City, where she built a career spanning Broadway productions, avant-garde theater, and film.

Hailey-Moss appeared on Broadway between 1965 and 1973, taking part in a succession of plays across that period. Her Broadway credits include Mating Dance (1965), The Best Laid Plans (1966), Keep It in the Family (1967), Harvey (1970), Company (1970), The Castro Complex (1970), and The Women (1973). In March 1965, she married author John Thackray.

Her film work ran concurrently with her stage career. In 1970 she appeared in Jenny, playing the role of Kay, and in Lovers and Other Strangers, in which her portrayal of Brenda earned critical acclaim. She reprised a connection to Harvey on screen in the 1972 film adaptation, playing Myrtle Mae Simmons. Later screen credits include The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979), in which she played Sheila Lerner, and The Survivors (1983), where she appeared as Jack's Wife. She also served as narrator for Why We Need Reading (1975) and provided narration and additional voices for Random House Beginner Book Video between 1989 and 1991.

Beyond performing, Hailey-Moss established herself as a published author. Beginning in 2012, she released a series of books through CreateSpace Independent Publishing. Her titles include A Dog Named Randall (2012, co-authored with Mark Wilk), A Palace for Peepers (2012, co-authored with Andrea End and illustrated by Marc Chalvin), Dreams Need Feet to Walk On (2013), A Flower in my Chest (2013), Teatime with Sophie (2013, illustrated by Marc Chalvin), Milky Whey's Dream (2013), The Chicken in Apartment 15L (2014, illustrated by Marc Chalvin), An Elephant Called Butterfly (2014, co-authored with Lois Meredith), and Mister Pepper's Secret (2014).