Bill Hayes

William "Bill" Foster Hayes III, born on June 5, 1925, is a celebrated American actor and a renowned recording artist who topped the Billboard Hot 100. His musical career took off in the late 1940s, and by the early 1950s, he was a familiar face on television as a singer for the iconic variety show, Your Show of Shows, hosted by Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. In 1955, during the Davy Crockett phenomenon, Hayes released the most popular version of the "Ballad of Davy Crockett," which dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, selling over two million copies and earning a gold disc. He also made his mark on Broadway with a role in the 1953 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Me and Juliet, and had several other hits throughout the 1950s, including "The Berry Tree" and "Wringle, Wrangle."

Transitioning to acting, Hayes gained renewed fame in 1970 when he debuted as Doug Williams on NBC's Days of Our Lives, a character he still portrays today. After being written off the show in 2004, Doug was creatively resurrected by head writer James E. Reilly, returning to his on-screen wife after an adventurous plot twist.

In 2017, fans were treated to a documentary about his life titled World by the Tail. That same year, Hayes made a surprise appearance in an interview segment on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, reminiscing about his earlier appearances on the legendary Johnny Carson’s version of the show.