Fay Wray

Fay Wray

Fay Wray, born Vina Fay Wray, actress, writer (b at Cardston, Alta 15 Sep 1907; d at Manhattan 8 Aug 2004). Fay Wray spent her early childhood on her family's ranch in Alberta before the family moved to Arizona, Utah and then California, where she attended Hollywood High School. She achieved lasting worldwide fame in 1933 as the shrieking heroine in one of the most famous films of all time, King Kong.

Fay Wray's career began when she was only 16 with Hal Roach comedies; then she signed with Universal during the silent era's Golden Age. She was one of the few actresses from that period still performing in the late 1950s and she made 75 films over 35 years. One of her early successes was opposite Erich von Stroheim in The Wedding March (1928). Like Marlene Dietrich, Wray was paired with Gary Cooper in a number of star vehicles between 1928 and 1933. Later she had mostly supporting roles in B-movies.

Fay Wray also acted upon and wrote for the stage throughout her career, and co-authored a play with Sinclair Lewis. She appeared in her last film, Dragstrip Riot, in 1958. She passed away at the age of 96, with all tributes and obituaries acknowledging her signature role as the unemployed actress, Ann Darrow, who is carried off by the giant lovestruck ape in King Kong.

A star on Canada's Walk of Fame was posthumously awarded to Fay Wray in 2005, and in 2006 Canada Post honoured her place in film history by featuring her image on a commemorative postage stamp. There is a fountain named after her on the main street of Cardston, her birthplace.