FAY BAINTER BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Fay Bainter was born on December 7th, 1893 in Los Angeles, California with the birth name Fay Okell Bainter, born to Charles F. Bainter and Mary Okell.  Her career as an actress began when she was a child at the age of six and then she later traveled with the cast of the Morosco Stock Company in Los Angeles.

By 1912, Bainter was performing on Broadway in such productions as, "The Rose of Panama", "The Bridal Path" (1913), "East is West" (1918-1920), "The Enemy" (1925-1926) and "Dodsworth" (1934-1935).

It was not until she was in her 40's that she was cast in her first film role, "This Side of Heaven" (1934) co-starring Lionel Barrymore, Mae Clarke, Tom Brown, Una Merkel and Mary Carlisle.  Soon she began to add more successful film roles to her resume such as, "Jezebel" (1938) co-starring Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Donald Crisp, Richard Cromwell, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Irving Pichel, John Litel and Spring Byington, a role for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress followed by an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in the film, "White Banners" (1938) also starring starring Claude Rains, Jackie Cooper, Bonita Granville, Edward Pawley, Henry O'Neill, J. Farrell MacDonald and Kay Johnson.

Other film credits she added to her resume included, "Our Town" (1940) also starring Martha Scott, William Holden, Beulah Bondi, Stu Erwin, Thomas Mitchell, Guy Kibbee and Frank Craven, "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch" (1942) starring with Carolyn Lee and Hugh Herbert, "Dark Waters" (1944) starring alongside Merle Oberon, Franchot Tone, Thomas Mitchell, Elisha Cook Jr., John Qualen, Rex Ingram and Nina Mae McKinney, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1947) starring Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Boris Karloff, Thurston Hall, Ann Rutherford and Gordon Jones, "June Bride" (1948) starring Bette Davis, Robert Montgomery, Tom Tully, Jerome Cowan and Ray Montgomery, "Close to My Heart" (1951) starring Ray Milland and Gene Tierney and "The President's Lady" (1953) co-starring Susan Hayward, Charlton Heston, John McIntire and Carl Betz.

For the most part, the latter of her career was focused on television work appearing on such series as, "Danger", "Suspense", "Eye Witness", "The Web", "The Elgin Hour", "Lux Video Theatre", "Kraft Theatre", "Matinee Theatre", "Dr. Kildare", "The Children's Hour", "The Donna Reed Show" and her final role in 1965 on, "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour".

Fay Bainter married only once to Reginald Sidney Hugh Venable in 1921 and they had one child together and remained married until he passed away in 1964.  She did not re-marry and just four years later on April 16th, 1968, Bainter passed away from pneumonia in Los Angeles, California.  Her remains are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Fay Bainter has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the Motion Picture Industry.

Filmography

1965         The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1964         Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre 
1963         Dr. Kildare 
1962         The Donna Reed Show 
1961         The Children's Hour
1960         Thriller 
1960         Adventures in Paradise
1953-1957     Studio One in Hollywood
1956         Matinee Theatre
1956         Kraft Theatre
1955         Damon Runyon Theate
1953-1955     Armstrong Circle Theatre
1952-1955     Robert Montgomery Presents 
1950-1955     Lux Video Theatre
1954         The Elgin Hour
1954         Goodyear Playhouse
1954         The Web
1954         The Ford Television Theatre
1954         The Story of Ruth
1953         The President's Lady
1953         Eye Witness 
1953         Suspense
1951-1953     Schlitz Playhouse
1951         Pulitzer Prize Playhouse 
1951         Close to My Heart
1950         Danger
1948-1949     The Ford Theatre Hour
1949         The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
1948         June Bride
1948         Give My Regards to Broadway
1947         The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
1947         Deep Valley
1946         The Virginian
1946         The Kid from Brooklyn
1945         State Fair
1944         Three Is a Family
1944         Dark Waters
1944         The Heavenly Body
1943         Cry 'Havoc'
1943         Salute to the Marines
1943         Presenting Lily Mars
1943         The Human Comedy
1942         Journey for Margaret
1942         Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
1942         The War Against Mrs. Hadley
1942         Mister Gardenia Jones 
1942         Woman of the Year
1941         Babes on Broadway
1940         Maryland
1940         A Bill of Divorcement
1940         Our Town
1940         Young Tom Edison
1939         Our Neighbors - The Carters
1939         Daughters Courageous
1939         The Lady and the Mob
1939         Yes, My Darling Daughter
1938         The Shining Hour
1938         The Arkansas Traveler
1938         Mother Carey's Chickens
1938         Jezebel
1938         White Banners
1937         Make Way for Tomorrow
1937         The Soldier and the Lady
1937         Quality Street
1934         This Side of Heaven