Fay Wray

Fay Wray was a Canadian-American actress whose career spanned nearly six decades. She is best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film *King Kong*, a role that made her an international icon in horror cinema and earned her the title of the first 'scream queen.' Born on a ranch near Cardston, Alberta, to parents who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she was a granddaughter of LDS pioneer Daniel Webster Jones. Her family moved to Salt Lake City and later to Lark, Utah, before relocating to Hollywood, where she attended Hollywood High School. Wray appeared in her first film at age sixteen, a short historical piece sponsored by a local newspaper. In the 1920s, she had uncredited bit parts at Hal Roach Studios and appeared in the silent film *The Coast Patrol*. In 1926, the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers selected her as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, and she was under contract to Universal Studios, co-starring in low-budget Westerns. The following year, she signed with Paramount Pictures. Director Erich von Stroheim cast her as the female lead in *The Wedding March*, her first lead role, though the film was a financial failure. She made more than a dozen films for Paramount, transitioning from silent films to talkies. After leaving Paramount, she signed with other studios and was cast in horror films such as *Doctor X* and *Mystery of the Wax Museum*. Her deal with RKO Radio Pictures produced her most famous work. Her first RKO film was *The Most Dangerous Game*, co-starring Joel McCrea, filmed at night on the same jungle sets used for *King Kong* during the day. *King Kong* was a commercial success that reportedly saved RKO from bankruptcy. Wray continued acting into the 1940s, retired briefly after her second marriage, then resumed her career due to financial needs, appearing in films and television for three more decades. She portrayed Catherine Morrison in the sitcom *The Pride of the Family* with Natalie Wood as her daughter, and appeared in episodes of *Perry Mason*, *Alfred Hitchcock Presents*, and *77 Sunset Strip*, among others.