Fay Templeton
| Fay Templeton | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 25, 1865 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | October 3, 1939 (aged 73) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1870-1934 |
| Spouse(s) |
William H. West William J. Patterson |
Fay Templeton (December 25, 1865 – October 3, 1939) was an American actress, singer and comedian.
Her parents were actors/vaudevillians and she followed in their footsteps, making her Broadway debut in 1900. Templeton excelled on the legitimate and vaudeville stages for more than half a century. She was a favorite headliner and heroine of popular theater, appearing until 1934. For a time she dated Sam Shubert, of the Shubert family of theatre owners, up until his death in a railroad accident.
Some of her notable performances were in H.M.S. Pinafore and Roberta. In an age of buxom beauties, she was particularly buxom, playing romantic leads despite her weight.
Templeton was born on December 25, 1865, in Little Rock, Arkansas, where her parents were starring with the Templeton Opera Company. Her father, John Templeton, was a well-known Southern theatre manager, comedian, and author. Her mother, Helen Alice Vane, starred with her husband. At age three, Templeton, dressed as Cupid, sang fairy tale songs between the acts of her father’s plays. Gradually, she was incorporated into the productions as a bit player and then, at five, had actual lines to recite. At eight, she played Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, making her New York debut at Grand Opera House.
At fifteen, Templeton joined a light opera company, playing in a juvenile version of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore. She also played in The Mascot and Billee Taylor. The same year, she eloped with Billy West, a blackface minstrel performer, but they separated after a honeymoon of six weeks. On October 7, 1885, Templeton had her formal debut in a revival of Evangeline. The play ran for 201 performances. In this show, she displayed talent as both a comedian and mimic. After several years on the road playing in various melodramas and musical farces, Templeton was given the title role in Hendrik Hudson, which opened at the 14th Street Theater on August 18, 1890. It was a “trouser role,” one in which an actress appears in male clothing, then a popular feature of operettas. Her role was of a faithless husband. She won accolades singing “The Same Old Thing,” but the show itself lasted only sixteen performances.
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