Hayley Mills
Vivian or Vivien
It seems the controversy about the spelling of the fourth word in her name just won't end. Is it:
People on each side have strong opinions on why their spelling is the correct one. However, the sources that I've seen so far clearly point to "Vivien" being the correct spelling. And I want to thank the people who have sent me email pointing them out.
The first is from her mother's autobiography "What Shall We Do Tomorrow?", by Mary Hayley Bell, published in 1968 by Cassell. From page 182: "She was called Hayley - she had to be - and she was also called Catherine after Johnnie's mother. She was called Rose, because to me it meant England, and she was called Vivien, because of my beautiful friend." Earlier in the book, her mother tells of her friendship with Vivien Leigh.
The second is from her father's autobiography "Up in the Clouds, Gentlemen Please", published in 1981 by Ticknor & Fields, New Haven and New York. From page 197, paragraph 3, second sentence: "On 18 April 1946 there is an entry in my diary: '11.40 p.m. Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills arrived, very fat, very sweet, told Mary not to put her back, the boy will have to wait.'"
The third is from her biography that was broadcast by A&E on June 22, 1999. Shown within the first few minutes is an Entrance Form from Elmhurst School, Camberley, showing Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills being registered at the age of 9 years, 2 months.
So, unless I receive some word from Hayley; her mother, father, sister or brother; or a copy of her birth certificate, driver's license, marriage license, etc., that shows otherwise, I'm going with the 'e' version.
Last revised: August 18, 1999