Trivia

His daughter, Bridget, committed suicide in 1960 (overdose of sleeping pills). His son, Bill, committed suicide in 2008 (self-inflicted gunshot).

Won four Tony Awards: in 1948 as best producer for Mister Roberts; in 1949 as best producers (musical) with co-producers Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan, for South Pacific; and two in 1960, as best producer (musical) with co-producer Richard Halliday, for ;The Sound of Music in a tie with 'Robert Griffith (IV)' and Harold Prince for ;Fiorello!; and as one of the co-producers in a best musical win, also in a tie with ;Fiorello!.

Former father-in-law of Peter Duchin.

Former father-in-law of Dennis Hopper; grandfather of Marin Hopper.

Father of actress Brooke Hayward.

As a theatrical producer, Hayward was active and extraordinarily successful on Broadway between 1944-1971. Many of his Broadway productions were adapted into highly successful films. These include Mister Roberts (1955), South Pacific (1958) and the blockbuster hit The Sound of Music (1965).

An aviation enthusiast, in 1941, with financial backing from several in the Hollywood entertainment industry, he co-founded Southwest Airways, a regional carrier that linked several cities in California, Nevada and Oregon. In 1958, it became known as Pacific Air Lines and after a series of mergers, became part of Northwest Airlines, which was then bought by Delta in 2008.

Began as a publicist for United Artists and a writer for First National before becoming a successful agent.