Herbert Harrison Heyes was born on August 3, 1889, on a ranch in Cougar Flats, near Vader, in Lewis County, Washington, USA. His ancestors were pioneers who crossed the Oregon Trail, and his father, James Heyes, was a sea captain from Liverpool, England, who sailed around Cape Horn and was a pioneer in the fishing industry in Astoria, Oregon, USA. His mother was Lavena Jane Washburn.
The family moved to Portland, Oregon, USA, when Heyes was just four years old. He began his acting career with the Baker Stock Company in Portland and made his stage debut at the Baker Theater in 1908. On September 12, 1913, he married Mildred Gertrude von Hollen in Eldora, Hardin County, Iowa, USA, and they had two children together.
Heyes's children were Herbert Harrison Heyes Jr., born on July 26, 1915, in Illinois, who died on January 5, 1999, in Laguna Hills, Orange County, California, USA, and Douglas Howard Heyes, born on October 27, 1919, in California, who died on February 8, 1993, in Los Angeles, California, USA.
In addition to his work in theater, Heyes signed with Fox Films in 1916 and starred in many silent films. He entered radio in 1923 and ventured into various business interests in the 1930s. Following his divorce from his first wife, he married Helen Ward on June 15, 1934, in Clark, Washington, USA.
Heyes returned to movie making in the 1940s and took on character roles on television programs in the 1950s. He had significant film roles in A Place in the Sun (1951),Park Row (1952),and The Seven Little Foys (1955). He passed away on May 31, 1958, at his home in North Hollywood, California, USA, following a three-year illness.
