Fay Wray

Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress, who was born Vina Fay Wray on a ranch near Cardston, Alberta, Canada. Her family moved to the United States when she was three. Although Wray's autobiography discusses her Mormon parentage and makes it clear that she was an ethnic Mormon, she was apparently never baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Wray's family lived in predominantly Mormon communities in Alberta, Arizona and Salt Lake City, Utah before settling in Los Angeles, California, where she got her first film work in Hal Roach comedy shorts and in low-budget westerns in the early 1920s.

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Wray gained media attention when she was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1926, which landed her a contract at Paramount Pictures.

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In 1928, director Erich Von Stroheim cast Wray as the main female lead in his troubled production of The Wedding March, which sent Hollywood in a buzz for its high budget and production values. It was a massive failure (due to the fact that it was silent in a world of new talking pictures), but it gave Wray her first lead role. He also was romantically interested in the lovely Wray, and arranged a rendezvous in Hollywood, but she changed her mind and never showed.

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She is best remembered for her role as Ann Darrow, the blonde seductress of a gigantic, prehistoric gorilla in the classic horror/adventure film King Kong (1933), although she never produced the piercing scream for which she was famous. That scream emanated from actress Julie Haydon, and it was dubbed to Wray.

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Wray also appeared in over a hundred other films, mostly in the 1930s, including The Four Feathers (1929), Doctor X (1932), The Most Dangerous Game (1932), The Vampire Bat (1933), and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933). She also appeared in Viva Villa, The Texan, The Conquering Horde, and One Sunday Afternoon. Later in her career, Wray appeared in Small Town Girl, Tammy and the Bachelor, and Summer Love.

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Wray was married to John Monk Saunders, Robert Riskin, and Dr. Sanford Rothenberg. She is the mother of Susan Saunders, Victoria Riskin and Robert Riskin Jr.

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Her autobiography, On the Other Hand (ISBN 0312022654), was published in 1988.

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Wray has a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. She received a posthumous star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto on June 5, 2005.

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Wray died at her apartment in Manhattan, New York at the age of 96 of natural causes on August 8, 2004, and was interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

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September 15: September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). There are 107 days remaining....

1907: 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar)....

August 8: August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining....

Fay Wray related Images and Photos (experimental)

Four Feathers Fay Wray Richard Arlen on Window Card 1929	Countess of Monte Cristo Fay Wray Paul Lukas 1934	Master of Men Jack Holt Fay Wray on Midget Window Card 1933	The Vampire Bat Lionel Atwill Fay Wray Lionel Atwill 1933
The Woman I Stole Jack Holt Fay Wray on Midget Window Card 1933	The Unholy Garden Ronald Colman Fay Wray 1931	Ann Carver's Profession Gene Raymond Fay Wray on Midget Window Card 1933	The Countess of Monte Cristo Fay Wray 1934
Doctor X Lee Tracy Lionel Atwill Fay Wray 1932	Border Legion Richard Arlen Jack Holt Fay Wray 1930	Fay Spain	Fay Spain