Helen Hayes Hospitalized in New York

NYACK, N.Y. — Actress Helen Hayes was hospitalized Tuesday in critical condition with congestive heart failure, a hospital official said.

Hayes, 92, was brought to Nyack Hospital by ambulance at 2:30 a.m. and was also found to have an irregular heartbeat, spokeswoman Nancy Kriz said.

Hayes’ son, actor James MacArthur, and his wife were expected to arrive at the hospital after flying in from California, Kriz said.

Hayes lives in Nyack, which is north of New York City. Her companion, Eileen Dowd, said Hayes was resting comfortably at the hospital.

Hayes had her first professional role in 1905, when she was 5. Her career spanned eight decades in roles ranging from Little Lord Fauntleroy to Queen Victoria.

She received three Tony awards, two Oscars and an Emmy, and in 1981 she was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement. In 1980, she was selected as one of 10 American artists to be commemorated on a gold medallion issued by the Treasury Department.

Hayes left the theater in 1971 because of allergies to dust that aggravated chronic bronchitis. She concentrated on film and television after that.