Which actress played the lead in 'The Birds'?

Tippi Hedren played the lead in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963). She made her film debut as Melanie Daniels, a wealthy San Francisco socialite who travels to Bodega Bay and becomes caught in a series of unexplained bird attacks.

The film was adapted loosely from Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 short story, but screenwriter Evan Hunter created new characters and expanded the setting and plot. Hedren’s performance anchors the movie as Melanie shifts from playful pursuer to frightened survivor. Rod Taylor plays Mitch Brenner, while Jessica Tandy and Suzanne Pleshette have major supporting roles.

A common mix-up is confusing Hedren with Grace Kelly, another blonde actor strongly associated with Hitchcock. Kelly starred in three earlier Hitchcock films—Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief—but she did not appear in The Birds. Kim Novak led Vertigo, and Janet Leigh starred in Psycho. Hedren later reunited with Hitchcock for Marnie (1964), her second and final film with the director.