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| resting_place = [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]] in Los Angeles, California
| resting_place = [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]] in Los Angeles, California
| years_active = 1923–1980
| years_active = 1923–1980
| spouse = {{marriage|[[John Monk Saunders]]<br />|1928|1939|end=divorced}}<br />{{marriage|[[Robert Riskin]] <br />|1942|1955|end=died}}<br />{{marriage|Sanford Rothenberg<br />|1971|1991|end=died}}
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[John Monk Saunders]]<br />|1928|1939|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Robert Riskin]] <br />|1942|1955|end=died}}
* {{marriage|Sanford Rothenberg<br />|1971|1991|end=died}}
}}
| children = 3, including [[Victoria Riskin]]<br /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eyOCpuGkuykC&pg=PA14 |title=The Films of Fay Wray |author1=Roy Kinnard |author2=Tony Crnkovich |page=14 |date=October 25, 2005 |isbn=9781476604152 |access-date=July 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.today.com/id/5651771/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/king-kong-damsel-fay-wray-dies/#.VuVgKOIrIrg |title='King Kong' damsel Fay Wray dies at 96 |website=TODAY.com |access-date=July 17, 2016}}</ref>
| children = 3, including [[Victoria Riskin]]
}}
}}


'''Vina Fay Wray''' (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian/American actress best remembered for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international recognition as an actress in horror films. She has been dubbed one of the early "[[scream queen]]s".
'''Vina Fay Wray''' (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international recognition as an actress in horror films. She has been dubbed{{by whom?|date=November 2024}} one of the early "[[scream queen]]s".{{cn|date=November 2024}}


After appearing in minor film roles, Wray gained media attention after being selected as one of the "[[WAMPAS Baby Stars]]" in 1926. This led to her being contracted to [[Paramount Pictures]] as a teenager, where she made more than a dozen feature films. After leaving Paramount, she signed deals with various film companies, being cast in her first horror film roles, in addition to many other types of roles, including in ''[[The Bowery (1933 film)|The Bowery]]'' (1933) and ''[[Viva Villa]]'' (1934), both of which starred [[Wallace Beery]]. For [[RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.]], Wray starred in the film she is most identified with, ''King Kong'' (1933). After the success of ''King Kong'', she made numerous appearances in both film and television, retiring in 1980.
After appearing in minor film roles, Wray gained media attention after being selected as one of the "[[WAMPAS Baby Stars]]" in 1926. This led to her being contracted to [[Paramount Pictures]] as a teenager, where she made more than a dozen feature films. After leaving Paramount, she signed deals with various film companies, being cast in her first horror film roles, in addition to many other types of roles, including in ''[[The Bowery (1933 film)|The Bowery]]'' (1933) and ''[[Viva Villa!]]'' (1934), both of which starred [[Wallace Beery]]. For [[RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.]], Wray starred in the film she is most identified with, ''King Kong'' (1933). After the success of ''King Kong'', she made numerous appearances in both film and television, retiring in 1980.


==Early life==
==Life and career==
Wray was born on a ranch near [[Cardston, Alberta]], to parents who were members of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], Elvina Marguerite Jones, who was from [[Salt Lake City, Utah]], and Joseph Heber Wray, who was from [[Kingston upon Hull]], [[England]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wargs.com/other/wrayf.html|title=Ancestry of Fay Wray|publisher=Wargs.com|access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref> She was one of six children<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northernstars.ca/actorsvz/wray_fay_bio.html|title=Fay Wray|publisher=Northern Stars|access-date=March 9, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611015949/http://www.northernstars.ca/actorsvz/wray_fay_bio.html|archive-date=June 11, 2011}}</ref> and was a granddaughter of LDS pioneer [[Daniel Webster Jones (Mormon)|Daniel Webster Jones]]. Her ancestors came from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Wray was never baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


===Early life===
Her family returned to the United States a few years after she was born; they moved to Salt Lake City in 1912<ref>"Utah-Hollywood connection runs deep", p. B2, ''The Salt Lake Tribune'', January 26, 2009.</ref> and moved to [[Lark, Utah]], in 1914. In 1919, the Wray family returned to Salt Lake City, and then relocated to [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]], where Fay attended [[Hollywood High School]].


[[File:Fay Wray and Erich von Stroheim on the set of the film The Wedding March, 1928.jpg|thumb|Erich von Stroheim and Fay Wray on the set of the film ''[[The Wedding March (1928 film)|The Wedding March]]'']]
==Early acting career==
Wray was born on a ranch near [[Cardston, Alberta]], to parents who were members of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], Elvina Marguerite Jones, who was from [[Salt Lake City, Utah]], and Joseph Heber Wray, who was from [[Kingston upon Hull]], [[England]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wargs.com/other/wrayf.html|title=Ancestry of Fay Wray|publisher=Wargs.com|access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref> She was one of six children<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northernstars.ca/actorsvz/wray_fay_bio.html|title=Fay Wray|publisher=Northern Stars|access-date=March 9, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611015949/http://www.northernstars.ca/actorsvz/wray_fay_bio.html|archive-date=June 11, 2011}}</ref> and was a granddaughter of LDS pioneer [[Daniel Webster Jones (Mormon)|Daniel Webster Jones]]. Her ancestors came from England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.{{Citation needed |date=April 2024}}
[[File:Phillips Holmes, William Powell, and Fay Wray in 'Pointed Heels', 1929.jpg|right|thumb|[[Phillips Holmes]], [[William Powell]] and Fay Wray in ''[[Pointed Heels]]'' (1929)]]
In 1923, Wray appeared in her first film at the age of 16, when she landed a role in a short historical film sponsored by a local newspaper.<ref>SL Tribune, January 26, 2009</ref> In the 1920s, Wray landed a major role in the silent film ''The Coast Patrol'' (1925), as well as uncredited bit parts at the [[Hal Roach Studios]].


Her family returned to the United States a few years after she was born; they moved to Salt Lake City in 1912<ref>"Utah-Hollywood connection runs deep", p. B2, ''The Salt Lake Tribune'', January 26, 2009.</ref> and moved to [[Lark, Utah]], in 1914. In 1919, the Wray family returned to Salt Lake City, and then relocated to [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]], where Fay attended [[Hollywood High School]].{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}}
In 1926, the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers selected Wray as one of the "[[WAMPAS Baby Stars]]", a group of women whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. She was at the time under contract to [[Universal Studios]], mostly co-starring in low-budget [[Western (genre)|Westerns]] opposite [[Buck Jones]].


===Early acting career===
The following year, Wray was signed to a contract with [[Paramount Pictures]]. In 1926, director [[Erich von Stroheim]] cast her as the main female lead in his film ''[[The Wedding March (1928 film)|The Wedding March]]'', released by Paramount two years later. While the film was noted for its high budget and production values, it was a financial failure. It also gave Wray her first lead role. Wray stayed with Paramount to make more than a dozen films and made the transition from silent films to "[[Sound film|talkies]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?spid=209593 |title=Fay Wray |publisher=TCM.com |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref>
[[File:Phillips Holmes, William Powell, and Fay Wray in 'Pointed Heels', 1929.jpg|right|thumb|[[Phillips Holmes]], [[William Powell]], and Fay Wray in ''[[Pointed Heels]]'' (1929)]]
[[File:Cheating Cheaters (1934) set 1.jpg|right|thumb|[[Cesar Romero]], Wray, director [[Richard Thorpe]], and cinematographer [[George Robinson (cinematographer)|George Robinson]] (in background) on the set of ''[[Cheating Cheaters (1934 film)|Cheating Cheaters]]'' (1934)]]
In 1923, Wray appeared in her first film at the age of 16, when she landed a role in a short historical film sponsored by a local newspaper.<ref>SL Tribune, January 26, 2009</ref> In the 1920s, Wray appeared in the silent film ''The Coast Patrol'' (1925), as well as uncredited bit parts at the [[Hal Roach Studios]].


In 1926, the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers selected Wray as one of the "[[WAMPAS Baby Stars]]", a group of women whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. She was at the time under contract to [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]], mostly co-starring in low-budget [[Western (genre)|Westerns]] opposite [[Buck Jones]].{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}}
==Horror films and ''King Kong''==
[[File:King Kong Fay Wray 1933.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Fay Wray in the 1933 feature film ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'']]
After leaving Paramount, Wray signed with other film studios. Under these deals, Wray was cast in several horror films, including ''[[Doctor X (film)|Doctor X]]'' (1932) and ''[[Mystery of the Wax Museum]]'' (1933). However, her best known films were produced under her deal with [[RKO Pictures|RKO Radio Pictures]]. Her first film with RKO was ''[[The Most Dangerous Game (film)|The Most Dangerous Game]]'' (1932), co-starring [[Joel McCrea]]. The production was filmed at night on the same jungle sets that were being used for ''King Kong'' during the day, and with Wray and [[Robert Armstrong (actor)|Robert Armstrong]] starring in both movies.


The following year, Wray was signed to a contract with [[Paramount Pictures]]. In 1926, director [[Erich von Stroheim]] cast her as the main female lead in his film ''[[The Wedding March (1928 film)|The Wedding March]]'', released by Paramount two years later. While the film was noted for its high budget and production values, it was a financial failure. It also gave Wray her first lead role. Wray stayed with Paramount to make more than a dozen films and made the transition from silent films to "[[Sound film|talkies]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?spid=209593 |title=Fay Wray |publisher=TCM.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305184552/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?spid=209593 |access-date=March 9, 2011|archive-date=March 5, 2011 }}</ref>
''The Most Dangerous Game'' was followed by the release of Wray's best remembered film, ''King Kong''. According to Wray, [[Jean Harlow]] had been RKO's original choice, but because [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] put Harlow under exclusive contract during the pre-production phase of the film, she became unavailable.<ref name=Parish203>{{cite book |last1=Parish |first1=James Robert |last2=Mank |first2=Gregory W. |last3=Stanke |first3=Don E. |title=The Hollywood Beauties |year=1978 |publisher=Arlington House Publishers |location=New Rochelle, New York |isbn=0-87000-412-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hollywoodbeautie00pari/page/203 203] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodbeautie00pari/page/203 }}</ref> Wray was approached by director [[Merian C. Cooper]] to play the blonde captive of King Kong; the role of Ann Darrow for which she was paid $10,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|10000|1933|r=-5}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) to play her.<ref name="wrayreference">{{cite web |url=http://emol.org/film/archives/wray/ |title=Fay Wray |publisher=Emol.org |access-date=March 9, 2011 |archive-date=February 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224002132/http://emol.org/film/archives/wray/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The film was a commercial success and Wray was reportedly proud that the film saved RKO from bankruptcy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/movies/profiles/fay-wray-2.html |title=Fay Wray by Kendahl Cruver |publisher=Things-and-other-stuff.com |date=September 15, 1907 |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref>


===Horror films and ''King Kong''===
==Later career==
[[File:Fay Wray Stars of the Photoplay.jpg|thumb|1930 publicity photograph]]
[[File:King Kong Fay Wray 1933.jpg|thumb|right|Fay Wray (right) in the 1933 feature film ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'']]
[[File:King Kong Re-release Trailer.webm|thumb|Trailer for the 1938 re-release of ''King Kong'' (1:31)]]
Wray continued to star in films, including ''[[The Richest Girl in the World (1934 film)|The Richest Girl in the World]]'', but by the early 1940s, her appearances became less frequent. She retired from acting in 1942 after her second marriage but due to financial exigencies she soon resumed her acting career,<ref name="wrayreference" /> and over the next three decades, Wray appeared in several films and frequently appeared on television. Wray portrayed Catherine Morrison in the 1953–54 sitcom ''[[The Pride of the Family]].''<ref name="etvs">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0-7864-6477-7|page=853|edition=2nd}}</ref> Wray appeared in ''[[Queen Bee (film)|Queen Bee]]'', released in 1955.
After leaving Paramount, Wray signed with other film studios. Under these deals, Wray was cast in several horror films, including ''[[Doctor X (film)|Doctor X]]'' (1932) and ''[[Mystery of the Wax Museum]]'' (1933). However, her best known films were produced under her deal with [[RKO Pictures|RKO Radio Pictures]]. Her first film with RKO was ''[[The Most Dangerous Game (1932 film)|The Most Dangerous Game]]'' (1932), co-starring [[Joel McCrea]]. The production was filmed at night on the same jungle sets that were being used for ''King Kong'' during the day, and with Wray and [[Robert Armstrong (actor)|Robert Armstrong]] starring in both movies.{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}}

''The Most Dangerous Game'' was followed by the release of Wray's best remembered film, ''King Kong''. According to Wray, [[Jean Harlow]] had been RKO's original choice, but because [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] put Harlow under exclusive contract during the pre-production phase of the film, she became unavailable.<ref name=Parish203>{{cite book |last1=Parish |first1=James Robert |last2=Mank |first2=Gregory W. |last3=Stanke |first3=Don E. |title=The Hollywood Beauties |year=1978 |publisher=Arlington House Publishers |location=New Rochelle, New York |isbn=0-87000-412-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hollywoodbeautie00pari/page/203 203] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodbeautie00pari/page/203 }}</ref> Wray was approached by director [[Merian C. Cooper]] to play the blonde captive of King Kong; the role of Ann Darrow for which she was paid $10,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|10000|1933|r=-5}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) to portray.<ref name="wrayreference">{{cite web |url=http://emol.org/film/archives/wray/ |title=Fay Wray |publisher=Emol.org |access-date=March 9, 2011 |archive-date=February 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224002132/http://emol.org/film/archives/wray/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The film was a commercial success and Wray was reportedly proud that the film saved RKO from bankruptcy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com/movies/profiles/fay-wray-2.html |title=Fay Wray by Kendahl Cruver |publisher=Things-and-other-stuff.com |date=September 15, 1907 |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref>

===Later career===
[[File:Fay Wray Stars of the Photoplay.jpg|thumb|right|upright|1930 publicity photograph]]
[[File:Pride of the Family cast photo.jpg|thumb|right|upright|1953 cast of ''Pride of the Family'': Bobby Hyatt, Wray, [[Paul Hartman]], and [[Natalie Wood]]]]
Wray continued to star in films, including ''[[The Richest Girl in the World (1934 film)|The Richest Girl in the World]]'', but by the early 1940s, her appearances became less frequent. She retired in 1942 after her second marriage but due to financial exigencies she soon resumed her acting career,<ref name="wrayreference" /> and over the next three decades, Wray appeared in several films and appeared frequently on television. Wray portrayed Catherine Morrison in the 1953–54 sitcom ''[[The Pride of the Family]]'' <ref name="etvs">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0-7864-6477-7|page=853|edition=2nd}}</ref> with [[Natalie Wood]] playing her daughter. Wray appeared in ''[[Queen Bee (1955 film)|Queen Bee]]'' and ''[[The Cobweb (1955 film)|The Cobweb]]'', both released in 1955.


Wray appeared in [[List of Perry Mason episodes|three episodes]] of ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'': "The Case of the Prodigal Parent" (1958); "The Case of the Watery Witness" (1959), as murder victim Lorna Thomas; and "The Case of the Fatal Fetish" (1965), as voodoo practitioner Mignon Germaine. In 1959, Wray was cast as Tula Marsh in the episode "The Second Happiest Day" of ''[[Playhouse 90]]''. Other roles around this time were in the episodes "Dip in the Pool" (1958) and "The Morning After" of CBS's ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''. In 1960, she appeared as Clara in an episode of ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'', "Who Killed Cock Robin?" Another 1960 role was that of Mrs. Staunton, with [[Gigi Perreau]] as her daughter, in the episode "Flight from Terror" of ''[[The Islanders (TV series)|The Islanders]]''.
Wray appeared in [[List of Perry Mason episodes|three episodes]] of ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'': "The Case of the Prodigal Parent" (1958); "The Case of the Watery Witness" (1959), as murder victim Lorna Thomas; and "The Case of the Fatal Fetish" (1965), as voodoo practitioner Mignon Germaine. In 1959, Wray was cast as Tula Marsh in the episode "The Second Happiest Day" of ''[[Playhouse 90]]''. Other roles around this time were in the episodes "Dip in the Pool" (1958) and "The Morning After" of CBS's ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''. In 1960, she appeared as Clara in an episode of ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'', "Who Killed Cock Robin?" Another 1960 role was that of Mrs. Staunton, with [[Gigi Perreau]] as her daughter, in the episode "Flight from Terror" of ''[[The Islanders (TV series)|The Islanders]]''.


Wray appeared in a 1961 episode of ''[[The Real McCoys]]'' titled "Theatre in the Barn"<!-- S4/Ep23 -->. In 1963, she played Mrs. Brubaker in the episode "You're So Smart, Why Can't You Be Good?" of ''[[The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)|The Eleventh Hour]]''. She ended her acting career in the 1980 made-for-television film ''[[Gideon's Trumpet (1980 film)|Gideon's Trumpet]]''.
Wray appeared in a 1961 episode of ''[[The Real McCoys]]'' titled "Theatre in the Barn"<!-- S4/Ep23 -->. In 1963, she played Mrs. Brubaker in ''[[The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)|The Eleventh Hour]]'' episode "You're So Smart, Why Can't You Be Good?". She ended her acting career with the 1980 made-for-television film ''[[Gideon's Trumpet (1980 film)|Gideon's Trumpet]]''.
[[File:Fay Wray.jpg|thumb|upright|Wray holding her autobiography]]
[[File:Fay Wray.jpg|thumb|upright|Wray holding her autobiography titled ''On the Other Hand'']]
In 1988, she published her autobiography ''On the Other Hand''.<ref>{{cite book|title=On the Other Hand: A Life Story|edition=1st|last=Wray|first=Fay|isbn=978-0-312-02265-5|oclc=17917980|publisher=St. Martin's Press|year=1989}}</ref> In her later years, Wray continued to make public appearances. In 1991, she was crowned Queen of the Beaux Arts Ball, presiding with King [[Herbert Huncke]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Beaux Arts Society: Royal Family|url=http://www.beauxartssociety.org/19356.html|access-date=February 24, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192849/http://beauxartssociety.org/19356.html|archive-date=January 2, 2014}}</ref>
In 1988, she published her autobiography ''On the Other Hand''.<ref>{{cite book|title=On the Other Hand: A Life Story|edition=1st|last=Wray|first=Fay|isbn=978-0-312-02265-5|oclc=17917980|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|location=New York City|year=1989}}</ref> In her later years, Wray continued to make public appearances. In 1991, she was crowned Queen of the Beaux Arts Ball, presiding with King [[Herbert Huncke]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Beaux Arts Society: Royal Family|url=http://www.beauxartssociety.org/19356.html|access-date=February 24, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192849/http://beauxartssociety.org/19356.html|archive-date=January 2, 2014}}</ref>


She was approached by [[James Cameron]] to play the part of Rose Dawson Calvert for his blockbuster ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'' (1997) with [[Kate Winslet]] to play her younger self, but she turned down the role, which ended up being played by [[Gloria Stuart]]. She was a special guest at the [[70th Academy Awards]], where the show's host [[Billy Crystal]] introduced her as the "Beauty who charmed the Beast." She was the only 1920s Hollywood actress in attendance that evening with fellow 1930s actress Gloria Stuart nominated for an award. On October 3, 1998, she appeared at the Pine Bluff Film Festival, which showed ''The Wedding March'' with live orchestral accompaniment.
She was approached by [[James Cameron]] to play the part of Rose Dawson Calvert for his blockbuster ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'' (1997) with [[Kate Winslet]] to play her younger self, but she turned down the role, which was subsequently portrayed by [[Gloria Stuart]] in an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Oscar]]-nominated performance. She was a special guest at the [[70th Academy Awards]], where the show's host [[Billy Crystal]] introduced her as the "Beauty who charmed the Beast." She was the only 1920s Hollywood actress in attendance that evening. On October 3, 1998, she appeared at the Pine Bluff Film Festival, which showed ''The Wedding March'' with live orchestral accompaniment.{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}}


In January 2003, the 95-year-old Wray appeared at the 2003 [[Palm Beach International Film Festival]] to celebrate the Rick McKay documentary film ''[[Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There]]'', where she was honored with a "Legend in Film" award. In her later years, she visited the [[Empire State Building]] frequently; in 1991, she was a guest of honor at the building's 60th anniversary, and in May 2004,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/topic/Fay_Wray/photos/pg-1 |title=UPI.com |publisher=UPI.com |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref> she made one of her last public appearances at the ESB. Her final public appearance was at the premiere of the documentary film ''Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There'' in June 2004.
In January 2003, the 95-year-old Wray appeared at the 2003 [[Palm Beach International Film Festival]] to celebrate the Rick McKay documentary film ''[[Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There]]'', where she was honored with a "Legend in Film" award. In her later years, she visited the [[Empire State Building]] frequently; in 1991, she was a guest of honor at the building's 60th anniversary, and in May 2004,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/topic/Fay_Wray/photos/pg-1 |title=UPI.com |publisher=UPI.com |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref> she made one of her last public appearances at the ESB. Her final public appearance was at the premiere of the documentary film ''Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There'' in June 2004.
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{{cite web
{{cite web
| url = https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-fay-wray-20040810-snap-story.html
| url = https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-fay-wray-20040810-snap-story.html
| title = From the Archives: Fay Wray, 96; Actress, Object of Ape’s Desire in ‘King Kong’
| title = From the Archives: Fay Wray, 96; Actress, Object of Ape's Desire in 'King Kong'
| last = Luther
| last = Luther
| first = Claudia
| first = Claudia
| date = August 10, 2004
| date = August 10, 2004
| work = [[The Los Angeles Times]]
| website =
| publisher = Los Angeles Times
| access-date = March 28, 2022
| access-date = March 28, 2022
| quote =
| quote =
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==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Wray married three times – to writers [[John Monk Saunders]] and [[Robert Riskin]] and the neurosurgeon Sanford Rothenberg (January 28, 1919 – January 4, 1991).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com |title=Social Security Death Index |publisher=Ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com |date=July 15, 2010 |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref> She had three children: Susan Saunders, Victoria Riskin, and Robert Riskin Jr.
Wray married three times – to writers [[John Monk Saunders]] and [[Robert Riskin]] and the neurosurgeon Sanford Rothenberg (January 28, 1919 – January 4, 1991).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com |title=Social Security Death Index |publisher=Ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com |date=July 15, 2010 |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref> She had three children: Susan Saunders, Victoria Riskin, and Robert Riskin Jr.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eyOCpuGkuykC&pg=PA14 |title=The Films of Fay Wray |author1=Roy Kinnard |author2=Tony Crnkovich |page=14 |date=October 25, 2005 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9781476604152 |access-date=July 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.today.com/id/5651771/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/king-kong-damsel-fay-wray-dies/#.VuVgKOIrIrg |title='King Kong' damsel Fay Wray dies at 96 |website=TODAY.com |date=August 9, 2004 |access-date=July 17, 2016}}</ref>


After returning to the US after finishing ''[[The Clairvoyant (1935 film)|The Clairvoyant]]'' she became a naturalized citizen of the United States in May 1935.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Riskin |first=Victoria |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qEJeDwAAQBAJ&dq=fay+wray+citizen&pg=PT277 |title=Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir |date=2019-02-26 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-5247-4729-9 |language=en}}</ref>
She became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1933.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}


==Death==
==Death==
[[File:Fay Wray's star on HWF.JPG|thumb|Star on [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6349 Hollywood Blvd.]]
[[File:Fay Wray's star on HWF.JPG|thumb|upright|right|Star on [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6349 Hollywood Blvd.]]
Wray died in her sleep of [[natural causes]] in the night of August 8, 2004, in her apartment on [[Fifth Avenue]] Manhattan.<ref>{{cite web|last=Luther|first=Claudia|date=August 10, 2004|title=From the Archives: Fay Wray, 96; Actress, Object of Ape's Desire in 'King Kong'|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-fay-wray-20040810-snap-story.html|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/09/movies/fay-wray-beauty-to-kongs-beast-dies-at-96.html|title=Fay Wray, Beauty to Kong's Beast, Dies at 96|first=The New York|last=Times|date=August 9, 2004|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> She is interred at the [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]] in Hollywood, California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-77NeaeFG8g|title=A Visit to FAY WRAY's Gravesite (at Hollywood Forever Cemetery) King Kong|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
Wray died in her sleep of [[natural causes]] on the night of August 8, 2004, in her apartment on [[Fifth Avenue]] Manhattan.<ref>{{cite web|last=Luther|first=Claudia|date=August 10, 2004|title=From the Archives: Fay Wray, 96; Actress, Object of Ape's Desire in 'King Kong'|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-fay-wray-20040810-snap-story.html|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/09/movies/fay-wray-beauty-to-kongs-beast-dies-at-96.html|title=Fay Wray, Beauty to Kong's Beast, Dies at 96|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 9, 2004}}</ref> She is interred at the [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]] in Hollywood, California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-77NeaeFG8g|title=A Visit to FAY WRAY's Gravesite (at Hollywood Forever Cemetery) King Kong|date=September 28, 2010 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>


Two days after her death, the lights of the [[Empire State Building]] were lowered for 15 minutes in her memory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/topic/Fay_Wray/photos/pg-3/ |title=Fay Wray – Empire State Building to Dim Lights in Remembrance of Actress Fay Wray |publisher=UPI.com |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref>
Two days after her death, the lights of the [[Empire State Building]] were lowered for 15 minutes in her memory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/topic/Fay_Wray/photos/pg-3/ |title=Fay Wray – Empire State Building to Dim Lights in Remembrance of Actress Fay Wray |publisher=UPI.com |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref>


==Honors==
==Honors==
[[File:Fay-Wray-Fountain.jpg|thumb|Fay Wray Fountain, Cardston, Alberta]]
[[File:Fay-Wray-Fountain.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Fay Wray Fountain, Cardston, Alberta]]
In 1989, Wray was awarded the [[Women in Film Los Angeles|Women in Film]] [[Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards#THE CRYSTAL AWARD|Crystal Award]].<ref name=WIF>{{cite web|title=Past Recipients: Crystal Award |url=http://wif.org/past-recipients |work=Women In Film |access-date=May 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110630083646/http://wif.org/past-recipients |archive-date=June 30, 2011 }}</ref> Wray was honored with a Legend in Film award at the 2003 Palm Beach International Film Festival. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Wray was honored with a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6349 Hollywood Blvd. She received a star posthumously on [[Canada's Walk of Fame]] in Toronto on June 5, 2005. A small park near Lee's Creek on Main Street in [[Cardston, Alberta]], her birthplace, was named Fay Wray Park in her honor. The small sign at the edge of the park on Main Street has a silhouette of King Kong on it, remembering her role in ''King Kong''. A large oil portrait of Wray by Alberta artist Neil Boyle is on display in the [[Empress Theatre (Fort Macleod)|Empress Theatre]] in Fort Macleod, Alberta. In May 2006, Wray became one of the first four entertainers to be honored by [[Canada Post]] by being featured on a postage stamp.{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}}
[[File:Cheating Cheaters (1934) set 1.jpg|right|thumb|[[Cesar Romero]], Wray, director [[Richard Thorpe]] and cinematographer [[George Robinson (cinematographer)|George Robinson]] (in background) on the set of ''[[Cheating Cheaters (1934 film)|Cheating Cheaters]]'' (1934)]]

In 1989, Wray was awarded the [[Women in Film Los Angeles|Women in Film]] [[Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards#THE CRYSTAL AWARD|Crystal Award]].<ref name=WIF>{{cite web|title=Past Recipients: Crystal Award |url=http://wif.org/past-recipients |work=Women In Film |access-date=May 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110630083646/http://wif.org/past-recipients |archive-date=June 30, 2011 }}</ref> Wray was honored with a Legend in Film award at the 2003 Palm Beach International Film Festival. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Wray was honored with a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6349 Hollywood Blvd. She received a star posthumously on [[Canada's Walk of Fame]] in Toronto on June 5, 2005. A small park near Lee's Creek on Main Street in Cardston, Alberta, her birthplace, was named Fay Wray Park in her honour. The small sign at the edge of the park on Main Street has a silhouette of King Kong on it, remembering her role in the film ''King Kong''. A large oil portrait of Wray by Alberta artist Neil Boyle is on display in the [[Empress Theatre (Fort Macleod)|Empress Theatre]] in Fort Macleod, Alberta. In May 2006, Wray became one of the first four entertainers to be honored by [[Canada Post]] by being featured on a postage stamp.
== Filmography ==
===Features===
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|1925 ||data-sort-value="Coast Patrol, The" | ''[[The Coast Patrol]]'' ||Beth Slocum ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Lover's Oath, A" | ''[[A Lover's Oath]]'' || ||Uncredited; '''lost film'''
|-
|''[[Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925 film)|Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ]]'' || Slave Girl ||Unconfirmed, uncredited
|-
|rowspan=3|1926 ||data-sort-value="Man in the Saddle, The" | ''[[The Man in the Saddle (1926 film)|The Man in the Saddle]]'' || Pauline Stewart ||'''lost film'''
|-
|data-sort-value="Wild Horse Stampede, The" | ''[[The Wild Horse Stampede]]'' || Jessie Hayden ||
|-
|''[[Lazy Lightning]]''|| Lila Rogers ||
|-
|rowspan=3|1927 ||''[[Loco Luck]]''|| Molly Vernon ||
|-
|data-sort-value="One Man Game, A" | ''[[A One Man Game]]''|| Roberta ||
|-
|''[[Spurs and Saddles]]'' || Mildred Orth ||
|-
|rowspan=4|1928 ||data-sort-value="Legion of the Condemned, The" | ''[[The Legion of the Condemned]]'' ||Christine Charteris ||'''lost film'''
|-
|data-sort-value="Street of Sin, The" | ''[[The Street of Sin]]'' || Elizabeth ||'''lost film'''
|-
|data-sort-value="First Kiss, The" | ''[[The First Kiss (1928 American film)|The First Kiss]]''||Anna Lee ||'''lost film'''
|-
|data-sort-value="Wedding March, The" | ''[[The Wedding March (1928 film)|The Wedding March]]'' || Mitzi / Mitzerl Schrammell ||
|-
|rowspan=3|1929 ||data-sort-value="Four Feathers, The" | ''[[The Four Feathers (1929 film)|The Four Feathers]]'' || Ethne Eustace ||
|-
|''[[Thunderbolt (1929 film)|Thunderbolt]]'' || Ritzie ||
|-
|''[[Pointed Heels]]'' || Lora Nixon ||
|-
|rowspan=7|1930 ||''[[Behind the Make-Up]]'' ||Marie Gardoni ||
|-
|''[[Paramount on Parade]]'' ||Sweetheart (Dream Girl) || Filmed partly in [[Technicolor#Process 3|Technicolor]]
|-
|data-sort-value="Texan, The" | ''[[The Texan (1930 film)|The Texan]]'' || Consuelo ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Border Legion, The" | ''[[The Border Legion (1930 film)|The Border Legion]]'' ||Joan Randall ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Sea God, The" | ''[[The Sea God]]'' || Daisy ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Honeymoon, The" | ''The Honeymoon'' || Mitzi ||Unreleased
|-
|''[[Captain Thunder (film)|Captain Thunder]]'' || Ynez ||
|-
|rowspan=7|1931 ||''Stub Man'' || ||
|-
|''[[Dirigible (film)|Dirigible]]'' || Helen Pierce||
|-
|data-sort-value="Conquering Horde, The" | ''[[The Conquering Horde]]'' || Taisie Lockhart||
|-
|''[[Not Exactly Gentlemen]]''|| Lee Carleton ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Finger Points, The" | ''[[The Finger Points]]'' || Marcia Collins||
|-
|data-sort-value="Lawyer's Secret, The" | ''[[The Lawyer's Secret]]'' || Kay Roberts ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Unholy Garden, The" | ''[[The Unholy Garden (1931 film)|The Unholy Garden]]'' || Camille de Jonghe ||
|-
|rowspan=3|1932 ||''[[Stowaway (1932 film)|Stowaway]]'' || Mary Foster ||
|-
|''[[Doctor X (film)|Doctor X]]'' || Joanne Xavier || Filmed in [[Technicolor#Process 3|Technicolor]]
|-
|data-sort-value="Most Dangerous Game, The" | ''[[The Most Dangerous Game (1932 film)|The Most Dangerous Game]]'' || Eve Trowbridge ||
|-
|rowspan=11|1933 ||data-sort-value="Vampire Bat, The" | ''[[The Vampire Bat]]'' || Ruth Bertin ||
|-
|''[[Mystery of the Wax Museum]]'' || Charlotte Duncan || Filmed in [[Technicolor#Process 3|Technicolor]]
|-
|''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' || Ann Darrow ||
|-
|''[[Below the Sea]]'' || Diana ||
|-
|''[[Ann Carver's Profession]]'' || Ann Carver Graham||
|-
|data-sort-value="Woman I Stole, The" | ''[[The Woman I Stole]]'' || Vida Carew||
|-
|''[[Shanghai Madness]]'' || Wildeth Christie ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Big Brain, The" | ''[[The Big Brain]]'' || Cynthia Glennon||
|-
|''[[One Sunday Afternoon (1933 film)|One Sunday Afternoon]]'' || Virginia Brush||
|-
|data-sort-value="Bowery, The" | ''[[The Bowery (1933 film)|The Bowery]]'' || Lucy Calhoun||
|-
| ''[[Master of Men (film)|Master of Men]]'' || Kay Walling||
|-
|rowspan=10 |1934 ||''[[Madame Spy (1934 film)|Madame Spy]]'' || Marie Franck||
|-
|data-sort-value="Countess of Monte Cristo, The" | ''[[The Countess of Monte Cristo (1934 film)|The Countess of Monte Cristo]]'' || Janet Krueger||
|-
|''[[Once to Every Woman (1934 film)|Once to Every Woman]]'' || Mary Fanshane||
|-
|''[[Viva Villa!]]'' ||Teresa ||
|-
|''[[Black Moon (1934 film)|Black Moon]]'' || Gail Hamilton ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Affairs of Cellini, The" | ''[[The Affairs of Cellini]]'' || Angela ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Richest Girl in the World, The" | ''[[The Richest Girl in the World (1934 film)|The Richest Girl in the World]]''|| Sylvia Lockwood||
|-
|''[[Cheating Cheaters (1934 film)|Cheating Cheaters]]'' || Nan Brockton ||
|-
|''[[Woman in the Dark (1934 film)|Woman in the Dark]]'' || Louise Loring ||
|-
|''Mills of the Gods'' || Jean Hastings ||
|-
|rowspan=4|1935 ||data-sort-value="Clairvoyant, The" | ''[[The Clairvoyant (1935 film)|The Clairvoyant]]'' ||Rene || US title: The Evil Mind
|-
|''[[Bulldog Jack]]'' || Ann Manders ||
|-
|''[[Come Out of the Pantry]]'' || Hilda Beach-Howard ||
|-
|''[[White Lies (1935 film)|White Lies]]''|| Joan Mitchell ||
|-
|rowspan=3|1936 ||''[[When Knights Were Bold (1936 film)|When Knights Were Bold]]''|| Lady Rowena ||
|-
|''[[Roaming Lady]]'' || Joyce Reid ||
|-
|''[[They Met in a Taxi]]'' || Mary Trenton ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1937 ||''[[It Happened in Hollywood]]'' || Gloria Gay||
|-
|''[[Murder in Greenwich Village]]'' || Kay Cabot aka Lucky ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1938||data-sort-value="Jury's Secret, The" | ''[[The Jury's Secret]]'' || Linda Ware ||
|-
|''[[Smashing the Spy Ring]]'' || Eleanor Dunlap ||
|-
|1939 ||''[[Navy Secrets]]'' || Carol Mathews – Posing as Carol Evans ||
|-
|1940 ||''[[Wildcat Bus]]'' || Ted Dawson ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1941 ||''[[Adam Had Four Sons]]'' ||Molly Stoddard ||
|-
|''[[Melody for Three]]'' || Mary Stanley ||
|-
|1942 ||''[[Not a Ladies' Man]]'' || Hester Hunter ||
|-
|1944 ||''[[This Is the Life (1944 film)|This Is the Life]]'' || {{n/a}} || Based on a play by Wray and [[Sinclair Lewis]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1953 ||''[[Treasure of the Golden Condor]]'' ||Annette, Marquise de St. Malo ||
|-
|''[[Small Town Girl (1953 film)|Small Town Girl]]'' || Mrs. Kimbell ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1955 ||data-sort-value="Cobweb, The" | ''[[The Cobweb (1955 film)|The Cobweb]]'' || Edna Devanal ||
|-
|''[[Queen Bee (1955 film)|Queen Bee]]''||Sue McKinnon ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1956 ||''[[Hell on Frisco Bay]]'' || Kay Stanley ||
|-
|''[[Rock, Pretty Baby]]'' || Beth Daley ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1957 ||''[[Crime of Passion (1957 film)|Crime of Passion]]'' || Alice Pope ||
|-
|''[[Tammy and the Bachelor]]'' || Mrs. Brent||
|-
|rowspan=2|1958 ||''[[Summer Love (1958 film)|Summer Love]]'' || Beth Daley ||
|-
|''[[Dragstrip Riot]]'' || Norma Martin / Mrs. Martin ||
|-
|1962 ||''[[Wagon Train]]'' || Mrs. Edward's, The Cole Crawford Story ||
|-
|1980 ||''[[Gideon's Trumpet (1980 film)|Gideon's Trumpet]]'' ||Edna Curtis ||
|-
|1997 ||''[[Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's]]''|| Herself || Documentary
|-
|2003 ||''[[Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There]]''|| Herself || Documentary
|}

===Short subjects===
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=2|1923 ||''Gasoline Love'' || ||
|-
|''Speed Bugs'' || ||
|-
|1924 ||''Just A Good Guy'' || Girl Getting Into Car ||
|-
|rowspan=11|1925 ||''Sure-Mike'' || Salesgirl at Department Store ||
|-
|''What Price Goofy'' || Concerned Girl with Perfume ||Uncredited
|-
|''[[Isn't Life Terrible?]]'' || Potential Pen-Buyer ||Uncredited
|-
|''Thundering Landlords'' || The Wife ||
|-
|''[[Chasing the Chaser]]'' || Nursemaid ||
|-
|''Madame Sans Jane'' || ||
|-
|''[[No Father to Guide Him]]'' || Beach House Cashier ||Uncredited
|-
|''Unfriendly Enemies''||The Girl ||
|-
|''[[Your Own Back Yard]]'' || Woman in Quarrelsome Couple ||
|-
|''[[Moonlight and Noses]]'' ||Miss Sniff, the Professor's Daughter ||
|-
|''[[Should Sailors Marry?]]'' ||Herself ||
|-
|rowspan=6|1926 ||''WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1926'' ||Herself ||
|-
|''One Wild Time'' || ||
|-
|''Don Key (A Son of a Burro)'' || ||
|-
|''Don't Shoot'' || Nancy Burton ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Saddle Tramp, The" | ''The Saddle Tramp'' || ||
|-
|data-sort-value="Show Cowpuncher, The" | ''The Show Cowpuncher''|| ||
|-
|1927 ||data-sort-value="Trip Through the Paramount Studio, A" | ''A Trip Through the Paramount Studio'' || Herself ||
|-
|1931 ||data-sort-value="Slippery Pearls, The" | ''[[The Slippery Pearls]]''|| Herself ||
|-
|1932 ||''[[Hollywood on Parade]]'' || Herself ||
|}


==Partial filmography==
===Partial Television Credits===
{{div col}}
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header"
*''Gasoline Love'' (1923 short subject)
|-
*''[[The Coast Patrol]]'' (1925) as Beth Slocum
! Year
*''Sure-Mike'' (1925 short) as Salesgirl at Department Store
! Title
*''What Price Goofy'' (1925 short) as Concerned Girl with Perfume (uncredited)
! Role
*''[[Isn't Life Terrible?]]'' (1925 short) as Potential Pen-Buyer (uncredited)
! Notes
*''Thundering Landlords'' (1925 short) as The Wife
|-
*''[[Chasing the Chaser]]'' (1925 short) as Nursemaid
|1953 || ''[[Cavalcade of America]]'' ||Mrs. Jefferson Davis || Episode: "One Nation Indivisible"
*''Madame Sans Jane'' (1925 short)
|-
*''[[No Father to Guide Him]]'' (1925 short) as Beach House Cashier (uncredited)
|1953-1954 ||data-sort-value="Pride of the Family, The" | ''[[The Pride of the Family]]''|| Catherine Morrison|| 27 episodes
*''Unfriendly Enemies'' (1925 short) as The Girl
|-
*''[[Your Own Back Yard]]'' (1925 short) as Woman in Quarrelsome Couple
|1958 ||''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' ||Mrs. Renshaw ||Episode: "Dip in the Pool"
*''[[A Lover's Oath]]'' (1925) (uncredited) *lost film
|-
*''[[Moonlight and Noses]]'' (1925 short) as Miss Sniff, the Professor's Daughter
|rowspan=2|1959 ||''[[Playhouse 90]]'' ||Tula Marsh || Episode: "The Second Happiest Day"
*''[[Should Sailors Marry?]]'' (1925 short) as Herself
|-
*''[[Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925 film)|Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ]]'' (1925) as Slave Girl (unconfirmed, uncredited)
|''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' ||Mrs. Nelson || Episode: "The Morning After"
*''WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1926'' (1926 short) as Herself
|-
*''One Wild Time'' (1926 short)
|1962 || ''[[Wagon Train]]'' ||Mrs. Edwards ||Episode: "The Cole Crawford Story"
*''Don Key (A Son of a Burro)'' (1926 short)
|-
*''[[The Man in the Saddle (1926 film)|The Man in the Saddle]]'' (1926) as Pauline Stewart *lost film
|1964 || data-sort-value="Eleventh Hour, The" | ''[[The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)|The Eleventh Hour]]'' || Mrs. Brubaker ||Episode: "You're So Smart, Why Can't You Be Good?"
*''Don't Shoot'' (1926 short) as Nancy Burton
|-
*''[[The Wild Horse Stampede]]'' (1926) as Jessie Hayden
|rowspan=2|1965 ||''[[Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre]]''|| Mrs. White || Episode: "Double Jeopardy"
*''The Saddle Tramp'' (1926 short)
|-
*''The Show Cowpuncher'' (1926 short)
| ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' ||Mignon Germaine || Episode: "The Case of the Fatal Fetish"
*''[[Lazy Lightning]]'' (1926) as Lila Rogers
|}
*''[[Loco Luck]]'' (1927) as Molly Vernon
*''[[A One Man Game]]'' (1927) as Roberta
*''[[Spurs and Saddles]]'' (1927) as Mildred Orth
*''A Trip Through the Paramount Studio'' (1927 short) as Herself
*''[[The Legion of the Condemned]]'' (1928) as Christine Charteris *lost film
*''[[Street of Sin]]'' (1928) as Elizabeth *lost film
*''[[The First Kiss (American film)|The First Kiss]]'' (1928) as Anna Lee *lost film
*''[[The Wedding March (1928 film)|The Wedding March]]'' (1928) as Mitzi / Mitzerl Schrammell
*''[[The Four Feathers (1929 film)|The Four Feathers]]'' (1929) as Ethne Eustace
*''[[Thunderbolt (1929 film)|Thunderbolt]]'' (1929) as Ritzie
*''[[Pointed Heels]]'' (1929) as Lora Nixon
*''[[Behind the Make-Up]]'' (1930) as Marie Gardoni
*''[[Paramount on Parade]]'' (1930) as Sweetheart (Dream Girl)
*''[[The Texan (1930 film)|The Texan]]'' (1930) as Consuelo
*''[[The Border Legion (1930 film)|The Border Legion]]'' (1930) as Joan Randall
*''[[The Sea God]]'' (1930) as Daisy
*''The Honeymoon'' (1930, unreleased) as Mitzi
*''[[Captain Thunder (film)|Captain Thunder]]'' (1930) as Ynez
*''Stub Man'' (1931)
*''[[The Slippery Pearls]]'' (1931 short) as Herself
*''[[Dirigible (film)|Dirigible]]'' (1931) as Helen Pierce
*''[[The Conquering Horde]]'' (1931) as Taisie Lockhart
*''[[Not Exactly Gentlemen]]'' (1931) as Lee Carleton
*''[[The Finger Points]]'' (1931) as Marcia Collins
*''[[The Lawyer's Secret]]'' (1931) as Kay Roberts
*''[[The Unholy Garden (1931 film)|The Unholy Garden]]'' (1931) as Camille de Jonghe
*''[[Hollywood on Parade]]'' (1932 short subject) as Herself
*''[[Stowaway (1932 film)|Stowaway]]'' (1932) as Mary Foster
*''[[Doctor X (film)|Doctor X]]'' (1932) as Joanne Xavier
*''[[The Most Dangerous Game (film)|The Most Dangerous Game]]'' (1932) as Eve Trowbridge
*''[[The Vampire Bat]]'' (1933) as Ruth Bertin
*''[[Mystery of the Wax Museum]]'' (1933) as Charlotte Duncan
*''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' (1933) as Ann Darrow
*''[[Below the Sea]]'' (1933) as Diana
*''[[Ann Carver's Profession]]'' (1933) as Ann Carver Graham
*''[[The Woman I Stole]]'' (1933) as Vida Carew
*''[[Shanghai Madness]]'' (1933) as Wildeth Christie
*''[[The Big Brain]]'' (1933) as Cynthia Glennon
*''[[One Sunday Afternoon]]'' (1933) as Virginia Brush
*''[[The Bowery (1933 film)|The Bowery]]'' (1933) as Lucy Calhoun
* ''[[Master of Men (film)|Master of Men]]'' (1933) as Kay Walling
*''[[Madame Spy (1934 film)|Madame Spy]]'' (1934) as Marie Franck
*''[[The Countess of Monte Cristo (1934 film)|The Countess of Monte Cristo]]'' (1934) as Janet Krueger
*''[[Once to Every Woman]]'' (1934) as Mary Fanshane
*''[[Viva Villa!]]'' (1934) as Teresa
*''[[Black Moon (1934 film)|Black Moon]]'' (1934) as Gail Hamilton
*''[[The Affairs of Cellini]]'' (1934) as Angela
*''[[The Richest Girl in the World (1934 film)|The Richest Girl in the World]]'' (1934) as Sylvia Lockwood
*''[[Cheating Cheaters (1934 film)|Cheating Cheaters]]'' (1934) as Nan Brockton
*''[[Woman in the Dark (1934 film)|Woman in the Dark]]'' (1934) as Louise Loring
*''Mills of the Gods'' (1934) as Jean Hastings
*''[[The Clairvoyant (1935 film)|The Clairvoyant]]'' (1935) (US title: The Evil Mind) as Rene
*''[[Bulldog Jack]]'' (1935) as Ann Manders
*''[[Come Out of the Pantry]]'' (1935) as Hilda Beach-Howard
*''[[White Lies (1935 film)|White Lies]]'' (1935) as Joan Mitchell
*''[[When Knights Were Bold (1936 film)|When Knights Were Bold]]'' (1936) as Lady Rowena
*''[[Roaming Lady]]'' (1936) as Joyce Reid
*''[[They Met in a Taxi]]'' (1936) as Mary Trenton
*''[[It Happened in Hollywood]]'' (1937) as Gloria Gay
*''[[Murder in Greenwich Village]]'' (1937) as Kay Cabot aka Lucky
*''[[The Jury's Secret]]'' (1938) as Linda Ware
*''[[Smashing the Spy Ring]]'' (1938) as Eleanor Dunlap
*''[[Navy Secrets]]'' (1939) as Carol Mathews – Posing as Carol Evans
*''[[Wildcat Bus]]'' (1940) as Ted Dawson
*''[[Adam Had Four Sons]]'' (1941) as Molly Stoddard
*''[[Melody for Three]]'' (1941) as Mary Stanley
*''[[Not a Ladies' Man]]'' (1942) as Hester Hunter
*''[[This Is the Life (1944 film)|This Is the Life]]'' (1944, co-author of play with [[Sinclair Lewis]])
*''[[Treasure of the Golden Condor]]'' (1953) as Annette, Marquise de St. Malo
*''[[Small Town Girl (1953 film)|Small Town Girl]]'' (1953) as Mrs. Kimbell
*''[[The Cobweb (1955 film)|The Cobweb]]'' (1955) as Edna Devanal
*''[[Queen Bee (film)|Queen Bee]]'' (1955) as Sue McKinnon
*''[[Hell on Frisco Bay]]'' (1956) as Kay Stanley
*''[[Rock, Pretty Baby]]'' (1956) as Beth Daley
*''[[Crime of Passion (1957 film)|Crime of Passion]]'' (1957) as Alice Pope
*''[[Tammy and the Bachelor]]'' (1957) as Mrs. Brent
*''[[Summer Love (1958 film)|Summer Love]]'' (1958) as Beth Daley
*''[[Dragstrip Riot]]'' (1958) as Norma Martin / Mrs. Martin
*''[[Gideon's Trumpet (1980 film)|Gideon's Trumpet]]'' (1980) as Edna Curtis
*''[[Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's]]'' (1997 documentary) as Herself
*''[[Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There]]'' (2003 documentary) as Herself
{{div col end}}


==Cultural references==
==Cultural references==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2020}}
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2022}}
*In ''[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]'', Fay Wray is referenced by name in two songs. At the beginning of the movie, "Science Fiction/Double Feature" contains "Then something went wrong / For Fay Wray and King Kong / They got caught in a celluloid jam", and near the end extraterrestrial transvestite mad scientist Frank N. Furter sings in the song, "Don't Dream It": "Whatever happened to Fay Wray? / That delicate satin-draped frame / As it clung to her thigh / How I started to cry / 'Cause I wanted to be dressed just the same".<ref>
*In ''[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]'', Fay Wray is referenced by name in two songs. At the beginning of the movie, "Science Fiction/Double Feature" contains "Then something went wrong / For Fay Wray and King Kong / They got caught in a celluloid jam", and near the end extraterrestrial transvestite mad scientist Frank N. Furter sings in the song, "Don't Dream It": "Whatever happened to Fay Wray? / That delicate satin-draped frame / As it clung to her thigh / How I started to cry / 'Cause I wanted to be dressed just the same".<ref>
{{cite web
{{cite web
Line 212: Line 377:
*Mentioned repeatedly in [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s ''[[Gravity's Rainbow]].''
*Mentioned repeatedly in [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s ''[[Gravity's Rainbow]].''
* Fay Wray is briefly mentioned in the [[Bruce Cockburn]] song "Mama Just Wants to Barrelhouse All Night Long" on the 1973 ''[[Night Vision (Bruce Cockburn album)|Night Vision]]'' album in its second verse: "I hear the city singing like a siren choir / Some fool tried to set this town on fire / TV preacher screams 'come on along' / I feel like Fay Wray face to face with King Kong / But Mama just wants to barrelhouse all night long."
* Fay Wray is briefly mentioned in the [[Bruce Cockburn]] song "Mama Just Wants to Barrelhouse All Night Long" on the 1973 ''[[Night Vision (Bruce Cockburn album)|Night Vision]]'' album in its second verse: "I hear the city singing like a siren choir / Some fool tried to set this town on fire / TV preacher screams 'come on along' / I feel like Fay Wray face to face with King Kong / But Mama just wants to barrelhouse all night long."
* Fay Wray has been mentioned in the ''[[Peanuts]]'' comic strip a couple of times, mostly involving characters [[Snoopy]] and [[Woodstock (Peanuts)|Woodstock]] in reenacting the iconic scenes from ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]''. The first one was in a September 11, 1976 strip with Snoopy playing as King Kong while holding Woodstock as [[Ann Darrow]] (with a brief mention of her co-star [[Bruce Cabot]]);<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1976/08/29|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for August 29, 1976 &#124; GoComics.com|first=Charles|last=Schulz|date=August 29, 1976|website=GoComics}}</ref> and in a August 29, 1976 Sunday strip format where Snoopy is dreaming that his nose is the [[Empire State Building]] and Woodstock, as King Kong, is climbing atop of it in real time. Waking up from it, Snoopy complains afterwards that "Fay Wray didn't even show up" in it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1976/09/11|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for September 11, 1976 &#124; GoComics.com|first=Charles|last=Schulz|date=September 11, 1976|website=GoComics}}</ref>
* Fay Wray has been mentioned in the ''[[Peanuts]]'' comic strip a couple of times, mostly involving characters [[Snoopy]] and [[Woodstock (Peanuts)|Woodstock]] in reenacting the iconic scenes from ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]''. The first one was in a September 11, 1976 strip with Snoopy playing as King Kong while holding Woodstock as [[Ann Darrow]] (with a brief mention of her co-star [[Bruce Cabot]]);<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1976/08/29|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for August 29, 1976 |first=Charles|last=Schulz|date=August 29, 1976|website=GoComics}}</ref> and in an August 29, 1976 Sunday strip format where Snoopy is dreaming that his nose is the [[Empire State Building]] and Woodstock, as King Kong, is climbing atop of it in real time. Waking up from it, Snoopy complains afterwards that "Fay Wray didn't even show up" in it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1976/09/11|title=Peanuts by Charles Schulz for September 11, 1976 |first=Charles|last=Schulz|date=September 11, 1976|website=GoComics}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 266: Line 431:
[[Category:People from Cardston]]
[[Category:People from Cardston]]
[[Category:RKO Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:RKO Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:WAMPAS Baby Stars]]
[[Category:Western (genre) film actresses]]
[[Category:Western (genre) film actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]

Latest revision as of 18:01, 29 November 2024

Not to be confused with Fayray or Fay Ray.

Fay Wray
1942 studio publicity portrait
Born
Vina Fay Wray

(1907-09-15)September 15, 1907
Cardston, Alberta, Canada
DiedAugust 8, 2004(2004-08-08) (aged 96)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California
OccupationActress
Years active1923–1980
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1928; div. 1939)​
​
​
(m. 1942; died 1955)​
Sanford Rothenberg
​
​
(m. 1971; died 1991)​
Children3, including Victoria Riskin

Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film King Kong. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international recognition as an actress in horror films. She has been dubbed[by whom?] one of the early "scream queens".[citation needed]

After appearing in minor film roles, Wray gained media attention after being selected as one of the "WAMPAS Baby Stars" in 1926. This led to her being contracted to Paramount Pictures as a teenager, where she made more than a dozen feature films. After leaving Paramount, she signed deals with various film companies, being cast in her first horror film roles, in addition to many other types of roles, including in The Bowery (1933) and Viva Villa! (1934), both of which starred Wallace Beery. For RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., Wray starred in the film she is most identified with, King Kong (1933). After the success of King Kong, she made numerous appearances in both film and television, retiring in 1980.

Life and career

[edit]

Early life

[edit]
Erich von Stroheim and Fay Wray on the set of the film The Wedding March

Wray was born on a ranch near Cardston, Alberta, to parents who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elvina Marguerite Jones, who was from Salt Lake City, Utah, and Joseph Heber Wray, who was from Kingston upon Hull, England.[1] She was one of six children[2] and was a granddaughter of LDS pioneer Daniel Webster Jones. Her ancestors came from England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.[citation needed]

Her family returned to the United States a few years after she was born; they moved to Salt Lake City in 1912[3] and moved to Lark, Utah, in 1914. In 1919, the Wray family returned to Salt Lake City, and then relocated to Hollywood, where Fay attended Hollywood High School.[citation needed]

Early acting career

[edit]
Phillips Holmes, William Powell, and Fay Wray in Pointed Heels (1929)
Cesar Romero, Wray, director Richard Thorpe, and cinematographer George Robinson (in background) on the set of Cheating Cheaters (1934)

In 1923, Wray appeared in her first film at the age of 16, when she landed a role in a short historical film sponsored by a local newspaper.[4] In the 1920s, Wray appeared in the silent film The Coast Patrol (1925), as well as uncredited bit parts at the Hal Roach Studios.

In 1926, the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers selected Wray as one of the "WAMPAS Baby Stars", a group of women whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. She was at the time under contract to Universal Studios, mostly co-starring in low-budget Westerns opposite Buck Jones.[citation needed]

The following year, Wray was signed to a contract with Paramount Pictures. In 1926, director Erich von Stroheim cast her as the main female lead in his film The Wedding March, released by Paramount two years later. While the film was noted for its high budget and production values, it was a financial failure. It also gave Wray her first lead role. Wray stayed with Paramount to make more than a dozen films and made the transition from silent films to "talkies".[5]

Horror films and King Kong

[edit]
Fay Wray (right) in the 1933 feature film King Kong
Trailer for the 1938 re-release of King Kong (1:31)

After leaving Paramount, Wray signed with other film studios. Under these deals, Wray was cast in several horror films, including Doctor X (1932) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933). However, her best known films were produced under her deal with RKO Radio Pictures. Her first film with RKO was The Most Dangerous Game (1932), co-starring Joel McCrea. The production was filmed at night on the same jungle sets that were being used for King Kong during the day, and with Wray and Robert Armstrong starring in both movies.[citation needed]

The Most Dangerous Game was followed by the release of Wray's best remembered film, King Kong. According to Wray, Jean Harlow had been RKO's original choice, but because MGM put Harlow under exclusive contract during the pre-production phase of the film, she became unavailable.[6] Wray was approached by director Merian C. Cooper to play the blonde captive of King Kong; the role of Ann Darrow for which she was paid $10,000 ($200,000 in 2023 dollars) to portray.[7] The film was a commercial success and Wray was reportedly proud that the film saved RKO from bankruptcy.[8]

Later career

[edit]
1930 publicity photograph
1953 cast of Pride of the Family: Bobby Hyatt, Wray, Paul Hartman, and Natalie Wood

Wray continued to star in films, including The Richest Girl in the World, but by the early 1940s, her appearances became less frequent. She retired in 1942 after her second marriage but due to financial exigencies she soon resumed her acting career,[7] and over the next three decades, Wray appeared in several films and appeared frequently on television. Wray portrayed Catherine Morrison in the 1953–54 sitcom The Pride of the Family [9] with Natalie Wood playing her daughter. Wray appeared in Queen Bee and The Cobweb, both released in 1955.

Wray appeared in three episodes of Perry Mason: "The Case of the Prodigal Parent" (1958); "The Case of the Watery Witness" (1959), as murder victim Lorna Thomas; and "The Case of the Fatal Fetish" (1965), as voodoo practitioner Mignon Germaine. In 1959, Wray was cast as Tula Marsh in the episode "The Second Happiest Day" of Playhouse 90. Other roles around this time were in the episodes "Dip in the Pool" (1958) and "The Morning After" of CBS's Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1960, she appeared as Clara in an episode of 77 Sunset Strip, "Who Killed Cock Robin?" Another 1960 role was that of Mrs. Staunton, with Gigi Perreau as her daughter, in the episode "Flight from Terror" of The Islanders.

Wray appeared in a 1961 episode of The Real McCoys titled "Theatre in the Barn". In 1963, she played Mrs. Brubaker in The Eleventh Hour episode "You're So Smart, Why Can't You Be Good?". She ended her acting career with the 1980 made-for-television film Gideon's Trumpet.

Wray holding her autobiography titled On the Other Hand

In 1988, she published her autobiography On the Other Hand.[10] In her later years, Wray continued to make public appearances. In 1991, she was crowned Queen of the Beaux Arts Ball, presiding with King Herbert Huncke.[11]

She was approached by James Cameron to play the part of Rose Dawson Calvert for his blockbuster Titanic (1997) with Kate Winslet to play her younger self, but she turned down the role, which was subsequently portrayed by Gloria Stuart in an Oscar-nominated performance. She was a special guest at the 70th Academy Awards, where the show's host Billy Crystal introduced her as the "Beauty who charmed the Beast." She was the only 1920s Hollywood actress in attendance that evening. On October 3, 1998, she appeared at the Pine Bluff Film Festival, which showed The Wedding March with live orchestral accompaniment.[citation needed]

In January 2003, the 95-year-old Wray appeared at the 2003 Palm Beach International Film Festival to celebrate the Rick McKay documentary film Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There, where she was honored with a "Legend in Film" award. In her later years, she visited the Empire State Building frequently; in 1991, she was a guest of honor at the building's 60th anniversary, and in May 2004,[12] she made one of her last public appearances at the ESB. Her final public appearance was at the premiere of the documentary film Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There in June 2004. [13]

Personal life

[edit]

Wray married three times – to writers John Monk Saunders and Robert Riskin and the neurosurgeon Sanford Rothenberg (January 28, 1919 – January 4, 1991).[14] She had three children: Susan Saunders, Victoria Riskin, and Robert Riskin Jr.[15][16]

After returning to the US after finishing The Clairvoyant she became a naturalized citizen of the United States in May 1935.[17]

Death

[edit]
Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6349 Hollywood Blvd.

Wray died in her sleep of natural causes on the night of August 8, 2004, in her apartment on Fifth Avenue Manhattan.[18][19] She is interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.[20]

Two days after her death, the lights of the Empire State Building were lowered for 15 minutes in her memory.[21]

Honors

[edit]
Fay Wray Fountain, Cardston, Alberta

In 1989, Wray was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award.[22] Wray was honored with a Legend in Film award at the 2003 Palm Beach International Film Festival. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Wray was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6349 Hollywood Blvd. She received a star posthumously on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto on June 5, 2005. A small park near Lee's Creek on Main Street in Cardston, Alberta, her birthplace, was named Fay Wray Park in her honor. The small sign at the edge of the park on Main Street has a silhouette of King Kong on it, remembering her role in King Kong. A large oil portrait of Wray by Alberta artist Neil Boyle is on display in the Empress Theatre in Fort Macleod, Alberta. In May 2006, Wray became one of the first four entertainers to be honored by Canada Post by being featured on a postage stamp.[citation needed]

Filmography

[edit]

Features

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1925 The Coast Patrol Beth Slocum
A Lover's Oath Uncredited; lost film
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ Slave Girl Unconfirmed, uncredited
1926 The Man in the Saddle Pauline Stewart lost film
The Wild Horse Stampede Jessie Hayden
Lazy Lightning Lila Rogers
1927 Loco Luck Molly Vernon
A One Man Game Roberta
Spurs and Saddles Mildred Orth
1928 The Legion of the Condemned Christine Charteris lost film
The Street of Sin Elizabeth lost film
The First Kiss Anna Lee lost film
The Wedding March Mitzi / Mitzerl Schrammell
1929 The Four Feathers Ethne Eustace
Thunderbolt Ritzie
Pointed Heels Lora Nixon
1930 Behind the Make-Up Marie Gardoni
Paramount on Parade Sweetheart (Dream Girl) Filmed partly in Technicolor
The Texan Consuelo
The Border Legion Joan Randall
The Sea God Daisy
The Honeymoon Mitzi Unreleased
Captain Thunder Ynez
1931 Stub Man
Dirigible Helen Pierce
The Conquering Horde Taisie Lockhart
Not Exactly Gentlemen Lee Carleton
The Finger Points Marcia Collins
The Lawyer's Secret Kay Roberts
The Unholy Garden Camille de Jonghe
1932 Stowaway Mary Foster
Doctor X Joanne Xavier Filmed in Technicolor
The Most Dangerous Game Eve Trowbridge
1933 The Vampire Bat Ruth Bertin
Mystery of the Wax Museum Charlotte Duncan Filmed in Technicolor
King Kong Ann Darrow
Below the Sea Diana
Ann Carver's Profession Ann Carver Graham
The Woman I Stole Vida Carew
Shanghai Madness Wildeth Christie
The Big Brain Cynthia Glennon
One Sunday Afternoon Virginia Brush
The Bowery Lucy Calhoun
Master of Men Kay Walling
1934 Madame Spy Marie Franck
The Countess of Monte Cristo Janet Krueger
Once to Every Woman Mary Fanshane
Viva Villa! Teresa
Black Moon Gail Hamilton
The Affairs of Cellini Angela
The Richest Girl in the World Sylvia Lockwood
Cheating Cheaters Nan Brockton
Woman in the Dark Louise Loring
Mills of the Gods Jean Hastings
1935 The Clairvoyant Rene US title: The Evil Mind
Bulldog Jack Ann Manders
Come Out of the Pantry Hilda Beach-Howard
White Lies Joan Mitchell
1936 When Knights Were Bold Lady Rowena
Roaming Lady Joyce Reid
They Met in a Taxi Mary Trenton
1937 It Happened in Hollywood Gloria Gay
Murder in Greenwich Village Kay Cabot aka Lucky
1938 The Jury's Secret Linda Ware
Smashing the Spy Ring Eleanor Dunlap
1939 Navy Secrets Carol Mathews – Posing as Carol Evans
1940 Wildcat Bus Ted Dawson
1941 Adam Had Four Sons Molly Stoddard
Melody for Three Mary Stanley
1942 Not a Ladies' Man Hester Hunter
1944 This Is the Life — Based on a play by Wray and Sinclair Lewis
1953 Treasure of the Golden Condor Annette, Marquise de St. Malo
Small Town Girl Mrs. Kimbell
1955 The Cobweb Edna Devanal
Queen Bee Sue McKinnon
1956 Hell on Frisco Bay Kay Stanley
Rock, Pretty Baby Beth Daley
1957 Crime of Passion Alice Pope
Tammy and the Bachelor Mrs. Brent
1958 Summer Love Beth Daley
Dragstrip Riot Norma Martin / Mrs. Martin
1962 Wagon Train Mrs. Edward's, The Cole Crawford Story
1980 Gideon's Trumpet Edna Curtis
1997 Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's Herself Documentary
2003 Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There Herself Documentary

Short subjects

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1923 Gasoline Love
Speed Bugs
1924 Just A Good Guy Girl Getting Into Car
1925 Sure-Mike Salesgirl at Department Store
What Price Goofy Concerned Girl with Perfume Uncredited
Isn't Life Terrible? Potential Pen-Buyer Uncredited
Thundering Landlords The Wife
Chasing the Chaser Nursemaid
Madame Sans Jane
No Father to Guide Him Beach House Cashier Uncredited
Unfriendly Enemies The Girl
Your Own Back Yard Woman in Quarrelsome Couple
Moonlight and Noses Miss Sniff, the Professor's Daughter
Should Sailors Marry? Herself
1926 WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1926 Herself
One Wild Time
Don Key (A Son of a Burro)
Don't Shoot Nancy Burton
The Saddle Tramp
The Show Cowpuncher
1927 A Trip Through the Paramount Studio Herself
1931 The Slippery Pearls Herself
1932 Hollywood on Parade Herself

Partial Television Credits

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1953 Cavalcade of America Mrs. Jefferson Davis Episode: "One Nation Indivisible"
1953-1954 The Pride of the Family Catherine Morrison 27 episodes
1958 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Mrs. Renshaw Episode: "Dip in the Pool"
1959 Playhouse 90 Tula Marsh Episode: "The Second Happiest Day"
Alfred Hitchcock Presents Mrs. Nelson Episode: "The Morning After"
1962 Wagon Train Mrs. Edwards Episode: "The Cole Crawford Story"
1964 The Eleventh Hour Mrs. Brubaker Episode: "You're So Smart, Why Can't You Be Good?"
1965 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Mrs. White Episode: "Double Jeopardy"
Perry Mason Mignon Germaine Episode: "The Case of the Fatal Fetish"

Cultural references

[edit]
  • In The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Fay Wray is referenced by name in two songs. At the beginning of the movie, "Science Fiction/Double Feature" contains "Then something went wrong / For Fay Wray and King Kong / They got caught in a celluloid jam", and near the end extraterrestrial transvestite mad scientist Frank N. Furter sings in the song, "Don't Dream It": "Whatever happened to Fay Wray? / That delicate satin-draped frame / As it clung to her thigh / How I started to cry / 'Cause I wanted to be dressed just the same".[23]
  • Mentioned in the chorus of the Jimmy Ray song, "Are You Jimmy Ray?"
  • Type O Negative, on their album Bloody Kisses, has a track titled "Fay Wray Come Out to Play."
  • Mentioned repeatedly in Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow.
  • Fay Wray is briefly mentioned in the Bruce Cockburn song "Mama Just Wants to Barrelhouse All Night Long" on the 1973 Night Vision album in its second verse: "I hear the city singing like a siren choir / Some fool tried to set this town on fire / TV preacher screams 'come on along' / I feel like Fay Wray face to face with King Kong / But Mama just wants to barrelhouse all night long."
  • Fay Wray has been mentioned in the Peanuts comic strip a couple of times, mostly involving characters Snoopy and Woodstock in reenacting the iconic scenes from King Kong. The first one was in a September 11, 1976 strip with Snoopy playing as King Kong while holding Woodstock as Ann Darrow (with a brief mention of her co-star Bruce Cabot);[24] and in an August 29, 1976 Sunday strip format where Snoopy is dreaming that his nose is the Empire State Building and Woodstock, as King Kong, is climbing atop of it in real time. Waking up from it, Snoopy complains afterwards that "Fay Wray didn't even show up" in it.[25]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ancestry of Fay Wray". Wargs.com. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  2. ^ "Fay Wray". Northern Stars. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  3. ^ "Utah-Hollywood connection runs deep", p. B2, The Salt Lake Tribune, January 26, 2009.
  4. ^ SL Tribune, January 26, 2009
  5. ^ "Fay Wray". TCM.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  6. ^ Parish, James Robert; Mank, Gregory W.; Stanke, Don E. (1978). The Hollywood Beauties. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House Publishers. p. 203. ISBN 0-87000-412-3.
  7. ^ a b "Fay Wray". Emol.org. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  8. ^ "Fay Wray by Kendahl Cruver". Things-and-other-stuff.com. September 15, 1907. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  9. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 853. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  10. ^ Wray, Fay (1989). On the Other Hand: A Life Story (1st ed.). New York City: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-02265-5. OCLC 17917980.
  11. ^ "Beaux Arts Society: Royal Family". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  12. ^ "UPI.com". UPI.com. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  13. ^ Luther, Claudia (August 10, 2004). "From the Archives: Fay Wray, 96; Actress, Object of Ape's Desire in 'King Kong'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  14. ^ "Social Security Death Index". Ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com. July 15, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  15. ^ Roy Kinnard; Tony Crnkovich (October 25, 2005). The Films of Fay Wray. McFarland. p. 14. ISBN 9781476604152. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  16. ^ "'King Kong' damsel Fay Wray dies at 96". TODAY.com. August 9, 2004. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  17. ^ Riskin, Victoria (February 26, 2019). Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-5247-4729-9.
  18. ^ Luther, Claudia (August 10, 2004). "From the Archives: Fay Wray, 96; Actress, Object of Ape's Desire in 'King Kong'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  19. ^ "Fay Wray, Beauty to Kong's Beast, Dies at 96". The New York Times. August 9, 2004.
  20. ^ "A Visit to FAY WRAY's Gravesite (at Hollywood Forever Cemetery) King Kong". September 28, 2010 – via www.youtube.com.
  21. ^ "Fay Wray – Empire State Building to Dim Lights in Remembrance of Actress Fay Wray". UPI.com. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  22. ^ "Past Recipients: Crystal Award". Women In Film. Archived from the original on June 30, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  23. ^ McHorse, Shawn. "Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack: 19 song lyrics". RockyMusic.org. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  24. ^ Schulz, Charles (August 29, 1976). "Peanuts by Charles Schulz for August 29, 1976". GoComics.
  25. ^ Schulz, Charles (September 11, 1976). "Peanuts by Charles Schulz for September 11, 1976". GoComics.
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