Trivia

On August 10, 2004, two days after her death, the lights on the Empire State Building in New York City (scene of the climax from her most popular film, King Kong (1933), were dimmed for 15 minutes in her memory.

Miss Wray was originally offered the role of the elderly Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic (1997), which she turned down.

She spent time with and became friends with Peter Jackson, a major fan, while he was in the process of developing his remake of King Kong (1933). Before she passed on, Wray also met and became friendly with Naomi Watts, whom she also approved to play the part that Wray originated, 'Ann Darrow'.

For the remake of King Kong (2005), director Peter Jackson wanted Fay to say the closing line of the film. Wray was offered the role during spring 2004 but ultimately passed on the opportunity (she died a few months later while the film was still in production) and the line went to Jack Black.

She drove a car into her 90s.

She was offered a cameo role in King Kong (1976), a remake of her most famous film (King Kong (1933)), but turned down because she did not like the script.

She is regarded as Hollywood's first "scream queen". This was due to the 1932-1933 season when she made the early Technicolor thrillers Doctor X (1932) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) (both at Warner Brothers with Lionel Atwill). She also costarred in The Vampire Bat (1933) at Majestic (again with Atwill) and at RKO she made The Most Dangerous Game (1932) and, of course, King Kong (1933).

Described King Kong as her "little man".

She is referenced twice in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). During the Floorshow, Frank says, 'Whatever happened to Fay Wray/that delicate, satin-draped frame/as it clung to her thigh, how I started to cry/cause I wanted to be dressed just the same'; and in the opening song: 'then something went wrong/for Fay Wray and King Kong/they got caught in a celluloid jam'.

On The 70th Annual Academy Awards (1998). Billy Crystal introduced a clip of her in King Kong (1933) and then came offstage and stood next to Miss Wray in the audience, and introduced her as the "Beauty who charmed the Beast, the Legendary Fay Wray". Miss Wray was completely caught off guard, appearing to have not even noticed that Crystal had moved near her when the lights were turned down for the clip from "King Kong", then rose from her seat to rapturous applause and waved. Normally, the audience would have given her a standing ovation, but sensing her discombobulation at being caught off-guard on live, worldwide television, they did not. In retrospect, given Miss Wray's advanced age, perhaps the producers should have let her know their plans in advance. Crystal gently teased her that she was on This Is Your Life (1950) and thanked her for being a part of the evening. Miss Wray smiled with gratitude.

Her film King Kong (1933) saved its studio, RKO Radio Pictures, from bankruptcy.

She was "almost" a vegetarian and always stuck to her rule not to eat late at night. She woke up long before sunrise and spent a lot of time writing.

Third husband, Dr. Sanford Rothenberg, was a brain surgeon.

In January 2003, a 95-year-old Fay Wray was awarded the "Legend in Film" Award at the Palm Beach International Film Festival when she appeared there in person to celebrate Rick McKay's film Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003), which she also appeared in. In addition to her honor, McKay's film was honored with the Audience Award "Best Documentary" of the festival by unanimous vote. Adrien Brody and Robert Evans won awards in addition to Wray and McKay at the same festival.

Was guest of honor in 1991, at the 60th birthday of the Empire State Building in New York City.

She was nominated to be WAMPAS (Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers) Baby Star of 1926 along with such young actresses as Mary Astor, Joan Crawford, Dolores Costello, Marceline Day, Dolores Del Río and Janet Gaynor.

Along with Ginger Rogers and actress Marie Blake (Blossom Rock), she was a bridesmaid in Jeanette MacDonald's 1937 wedding to Gene Raymond.

Pictured on one of four 51¢ Canadian commemorative postage stamps honoring "Canadians in Hollywood" issued 22 May 2006. Others honored in this set are John Candy, Lorne Greene and Mary Pickford.

Only saw King Kong (1933) four times.

Following her death, she was interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. This cemetery is near downtown Hollywood just blocks from Hollywood and Vine Streets. The cemetery is behind the Paramount Studios, surrounded by many businesses, and is easy to miss for first-time travelers.

On the main street of Cardston, Alberta, Canada, her birthplace, there is the "Fay Wray Fountain". Cardston is also home to the first Mormon Temple in Canada.

She had a daughter, Susan Riskin, by her first marriage to writer John Monk Saunders and two children, Robert Riskin Jr. and Victoria Riskin, by her second marriage to the writer Robert Riskin.

Gothic metal band Type O Negative wrote a song about her called "Fay Wray Come Out and Play".

Best remembered as the girl held in the hand of RKO Radio Pictures' King Kong (1933).

She was posthumously awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario on June 5, 2005.

Despite leaving Canada at an early age, she often visited Cardston, Alberta, her hometown.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6349 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.

Her image appears on the cover of the 2012 music CD Electro Swing V.

Sideline: playwright ("Angela Is Twenty-Two" and "The Meadowlark").

The actress's nose became somewhat misaligned during the shooting of an early Western.

Referenced in the 1998 song "Are You Jimmy Ray?" by Jimmy Ray.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 584-587. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.

Faye met Arthur L. Bernstein in 2004 in Boca Raton and was in his documentary with Robert Evans.