Hayley Barr (born April 27, 1971)[1] is an Austrian-Australian actress and photographer. She is best known for playing the role of Courtney Baxter Dixon on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns from 1990 to 1993. She received three Soap Opera Digest Award nominations for her role on As the World Turns.
Early life
Barr was born in Salzburg, Austria to Australian parents who were stationed at a nearby military base. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a teacher. She is the second of four children. As of 1992, she maintained dual citizenship.[1]
When she was four years old, Barr's family settled in Portland, Oregon. She began studying ballet at the age of five. When she was eleven, she was cast as Pepper in a Portland Civic Center production of Annie. She also appeared in Ballet West's production of The Nutcracker and worked as a model.[2]
Barr appeared in New York stage productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Addict, Peter Pan, and West Side Story. After her first semester at NYU, she found that she couldn't afford to continue paying her tuition. She moved to Los Angeles to look for acting work, but she ended up landing a role in New York instead.[2] After unsuccessfully auditioning for the role of Lily Walsh on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (which went to Heather Rattray), she won the role of Courtney Baxter.[1][3] She was nominated for Soap Opera Digest Awards in 1991, 1992, and 1993.[4] Barr stayed with the show from 1990 to 1993.