cast as the first screen incarnation of Simon Templar in Leslie Charteris' The Saint in New York (1938) at RKO. The film was a hit and would eventually lead to a long-running series. However, the next five films in the series starred George Sanders as Templar. Hayward would eventually reprise the role in The Saint's Return in 1953. Hayward supported Danielle Darrieux and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in The Rage of Paris (1938) at Universal. Edward Small In 1938 Hayward starred in The Duke of West Point (1938) for producer Edward Small, who signed him to make three films over the next five years, meaning he was unable to reprise his part as the Saint. However, Small started building Hayward into a star, casting him in a dual role in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) under the direction of James Whale, co-starring with Joan Bennett. The film was a notable success. Small put Hayward into My Son, My Son! (1940) with Madeleine Carroll and Brian Aherne. RKO borrowed him for Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) where he appeared with Maureen O'Hara and Lucille Ball. Small then put him in The Son of Monte Cristo (1940), another swashbuckler with Bennett and a sequel to the 1934 The Count of Monte Cristo. Hayward was loaned to Columbia to co-star with his wife Ida Lupino in Ladies in Retirement (1941). War service During World War II, Hayward enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in July 1942. He commanded a photographic unit that filmed the Battle of Tarawa in the documentary With the Marines at Tarawawinner of the 1944 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Hayward was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. While off-duty in New Zealand he "went under the name of 'Captain Richards' to avoid the rush of the ladies" as recalled by a waiter at the Green Parrot, a Wellington restaurant. Return to Hollywood Returning to Hollywood, he played Philip Lombard in the 1945 film version of And Then There Were None (1945) for René Clair. For Hunt Stromberg, he co-starred with Jane Russell in Young Widow (1946) and supported Hedy Lamarr in The Strange Woman (1946). He returned to the swashbuckler genre for Edward Small with Monte Cristo's Revenge (1947). Hayward made a thriller for Eagle Lion, Repeat Performance (1947), then did The Black Arrow Strikes (1948), another swashbuckler. Eagle Lion used him in Ruthless (1948) with Zachary