Editing Helen Hayes (section)

== Personal life ==
Hayes was a Catholic<ref>Hayes, Helen. ''My Life in Three Acts''. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich: San Diego, CA, 1990, p. unknown</ref><ref>Hevesi, Dennis. "Helen Hayes Is Remembered in Church She Loved", ''The New York Times'', March 21, 1993, p.&nbsp;45</ref> and a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] who attended many [[Republican National Conventions]] (including the one held in New Orleans [[1988 Republican National Convention|in 1988]]), but she was not as politically vocal as several other Republicans (e.g., [[Adolphe Menjou]], [[Ginger Rogers]], [[John Wayne]], [[Ronald Reagan]], etc.) in the Hollywood community of that time.

Hayes delivered a seconding speech to [[George H. W. Bush]]'s nomination during the roll call at the 1988 Republican National Convention.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Saker |first1=Anne |title=Taking the time for a foregone conclusion – UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/08/18/Taking-the-time-for-a-foregone-conclusion/1401587880000/ |website=United Press International |access-date=April 28, 2023 |language=en |date=August 18, 1988}}</ref>

Hayes wrote three memoirs: ''A Gift of Joy'', ''On Reflection'', and ''My Life in Three Acts''. Some of these books' themes include her return to Roman Catholicism (she had been denied communion from the Church for the duration of her marriage to [[Charles MacArthur]], who was a [[divorce]]d Protestant); and the [[polio]]-related death of her 19-year-old daughter, [[Mary MacArthur (actress)|Mary]] (1930–1949), an aspiring actress. Hayes's adopted son, [[James MacArthur]] (1937–2010), had a successful career in acting, including as co-star to Jack Lord in ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Kenneth|date=October 28, 2010|title=Actor James MacArthur, Son of American Theatre Royalty, Dies at Age 72|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/actor-james-macarthur-son-of-american-theatre-royalty-dies-at-age-72-com-173161|access-date=September 29, 2020|website=Playbill|language=en}}</ref> Hayes guest-starred on ''Hawaii Five-O'' in the 1975 episode "Retire in Sunny Hawaii... Forever". She and her son appeared in ''[[The Love Boat]]'' episode "No Girls for Doc/Marriage of Convenience/The Caller/The Witness".

Hayes was hospitalized a number of times for [[asthma]], which was aggravated by stage dust, forcing her to retire from theater in 1971, at age 71.<ref>Anderson, Ruth Nathan. "Helen Hayes Discovers She's Allergic to Dust", ''[[Boca Raton News]]'', November 23, 1980</ref><ref name="Britannica" />

Her last Broadway show was a 1970 revival of ''[[Harvey (play)|Harvey]]'', in which she co-starred with [[James Stewart]]. [[Clive Barnes]] wrote, "She epitomizes flustered charm almost as if it were a style of acting&nbsp;... She is one of those actors&nbsp;... where to watch how she is doing something is almost as pleasurable as what she is doing."<ref>Barnes, Clive. "Stage:Unseen White Rabbit Returns:James Stewart Stars in Phoenix's 'Harvey'", ''The New York Times'', February 25, 1970, p.&nbsp;41</ref> She spent most of her last years writing and raising money for organizations that fight asthma.