Fay Wray
Fay Wray | |
|---|---|
1942 studio publicity portrait | |
| Born | Vina Fay Wray September 15, 1907 Cardston, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | August 8, 2004 (aged 96) New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1923–1980 |
| Spouses | Sanford Rothenberg
(m. 1971; died 1991) |
| Children | 3, 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 the first "scream queen".
She had minor film roles, and gained media attention as one of the "WAMPAS Baby Stars" in 1926. This led to her contract with Paramount Pictures as a teenager, where she made more than a dozen feature films. After leaving Paramount, she signed deals with various film companies, got her first roles in horror films and many other types, including in The Bowery (1933) and Viva Villa! (1934), both of which star Wallace Beery. For RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., Wray starred in her most identifiable film, King Kong (1933). After its success, she had numerous roles in film and television, retiring in 1980.