Born in Alberta, Fay Wray was raised in Los Angeles, and began her career as a heroine in westerns during the silent era. In 1933 Fay was approached by producer Merian C. Cooper, who told her that he had a part for her in a picture in which she would be working with a tall, dark leading man. The picture turned out to be the classic King Kong. She continued to appear in films until 1958 and television into the 1960s.
Fay Wray died of natural causes at her home in New York City