Theater News

Mary Hayley Bell, Author and Actress, Dies at 94

New York City
Mary Hayley Bell, a noted playwright, author, and actress who was the mother of actresses Hayley and Juliet Mills, died in England at age 94 on December 1, just seven months after the death of her husband, Sir John Mills.

Two of her plays, Men in Shadow (1943) and Duet for Two Hands (1947) were seen briefly on Broadway. Bell had a big hit in London with The Uninvited Guest (1952), which starred her husband and Joan Greenwood. As an actress, she appeared on Broadway in The Shrike (1952), repeating her role in the 1955 film version directed by and starring José Ferrer.

She is probably best known as the author of the 1958 novel Whistle Down the Wind, which was adapted for a 1961 film that starred her daughter Hayley. Bell was not involved in the musical version, with a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which was produced in London in 1998.

In addition to her daughters, Bell is survived by her son Jonathan.