Lively, dark-haired star comedienne of the silent screen, former vaudeville and musical comedy actress. Though she had operatic aspirations at the outset, Fay settled on an acting career. She first appeared on the Chicago stage while still finishing her studies. In 1913, she moved to the West Coast, where she was discovered for film by D.W. Griffith . After a few short films, she was cast as a vamp in The Battle of the Sexes (1914). However, it was soon realised that comedy, not drama, was her forte. At Reliance-Mutual, she was featured in the 'Komic Comedies' (1914-15), and successfully created her own regular character, a feisty stenographer named 'Ethel'. Publicity at the time touted her as 'the female Chaplin'. She gained further public notice by winning a bathing suit contest at Venice, California, which led to further job offers. Between 1916 and 1919, Fay starred in two-reelers for Arts-Triangle, Keystone and Al Christie . She even briefly, and unsuccessfully, fronted her own production company. In 1923, she settled at Universal, adopting the character 'Min Gump' in the long-running Andy Gump series, based on the comic strip. The coming of sound, coinciding with the end of the series in 1928, prompted Fay's sudden and permanent departure from the screen.
Interred at Silver Mount Cemetery, Staten Island, New York.
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John Howard Payne leaves home and begins a career in the theater. Despite encouragement from his mother and his sweetheart, Payne begins to lead a life of dissolute habits, and this soon leads to ruin and misery. In deep despair, he thinks of better days, and writes a song that later provides inspiration to several others in their own times of need.