Kathryn Hays (born July 26, 1933) is an American actress. She was born in Princeton, Illinoisand grew up in Joliet, Illinois.
In the 1966-1967 television season, Hays appeared as Elizabeth Reynolds Pride in the NBCwestern series The Road West, with co-stars Barry Sullivan, Andrew Prine, Kelly Corcoran, andGlenn Corbett. She played Sullivan's wife and Prine's stepmother though she is only three years his senior. Corbett appeared as her brother, Chance Reynolds.
Hays played bit parts in many sitcoms and drama series throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. In 1972, she was cast as Kim Sullivan Hughes on CBS's As the World Turns. She has remained an As the World Turns cast member since her debut.
Long-known for her pixie-length brown hairdo, Hays has, in recent years, stopped coloring it, opting for a natural gray. The character of Kim was has been 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.
In 1968, she appeared on Star Trek in the episode "The Empath" portraying "Gem", a mute alien capable of assuming the pain and the injuries of others, and thereby healing them. It was this appearance that inspired creator Gene Roddenberry to write a role for her in all of his projects, in case she wanted to return. This was not the first time that she worked with Roddenberry. Billed as "and introducing Kathryn Hays", she had a major role in a June 1962 episode of Naked City, "The Ryedecker Case", which was written by Roddenberry.[1] In 1963, Hays appeared on Roddenberry's series The Lieutenant in the episode, "Cool of the Evening".[2]
Prior to her role on As the World Turns, Hays played the role of Leslie Bauer on Guiding Light. Hays is also respected for her work on the stage, having appeared on Broadway several times, including Dames at Sea with Bernadette Peters.