Fay Spain
| Fay Spain | |
|---|---|
Spain in 1960
|
|
| Born |
October 6, 1932 Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
| Died | May 8, 1983 (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Cause of death | Lymphatic cancer |
| Occupation | Film/TV actress |
| Years active | 1955–1977 |
| Spouse(s) | John Falvo (1949–1954) (divorced) (1 child) John Altoon (1959–1962) Imo Ughini (1965–1966) Philip Fulmer Westbrook (1968–1983) (her death) |
| Children | Jock Falvo (b. 1954) |
Fay Spain (October 6, 1932 – May 8, 1983) was an American actress in motion pictures and television.
She began living alone in her English teacher's attic at the age of 14. The teacher had a daughter who was affiliated with an acting stock company in Maryland. She gave Spain a job which combined the duties of acting apprentice and babysitting. At sixteen, Miss Spain was in New York City, residing in an $8-a-week room on the Upper West Side. She worked in a tie shop where she became acquainted with an associate of Walter Winchell. The gossip writer mentioned her name in a column and Spain received a call from Columbia Pictures. She was not extended a contract because she "wasn't pretty enough for Hollywood".
Within two months she found work with a stock company in the Catskill Mountains. She obtained an Equity Card which enabled her to continue working as an actress. Spain eschewed a college scholarship after attending high school in White Salmon, Washington. She chose instead to pursue a stock company apprenticeship.
As a film aspirant her first screen test was made with James Garner. The test was unfavorable and she was not considered photogenic. She continued to pursue acting, unimpeded by rejection. She accepted any parts which came along, learning the techniques of the acting trade.
Spain first came to prominence with movie audiences in the late 1950s. In 1957, she appeared as Carol Smith with John Smith as Tommy Kelly in the dramatic film The Crooked Circle in which a young boxer is pressured to throw a fight. In 1958, she was cast as "Darlin Jill" in the film version of God's Little Acre, based on Erskine Caldwell's novel. The film marked the screen debut of Tina Louise and also starred Robert Ryan, Jack Lord, Buddy Hackett, Aldo Ray, and Vic Morrow.
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