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| occupation = Actress
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1955–1977
| years_active = 1955–1977
| spouse = {{marriage|John Falvo|1949|1954|reason=div}}<br />{{marriage|John Altoon|1959|1962|reason=div}}<br />{{marriage|Imo Ughini|1965|1966|reason=div}}<br />{{marriage|Philip Fulmer<br>|1968}}
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|John Falvo|1949|1954|reason=div}}
* {{marriage|John Altoon|1959|1962|reason=div}}
* {{marriage|Imo Ughini|1965|1966|reason=div}}
* {{marriage|Philip Fulmer<br>|1968}}
}}
| children = 1
| children = 1
}}
}}
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==Theater apprentice==
==Theater apprentice==
Within two months, {{clarify|reason=within 2 months of what?|date=November 2023}} 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.{{Citation needed |date=September 2022}}
She began living alone in her English teacher's attic at the age of 14. {{citation needed|date=March 2009}} 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 [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]". {{citation needed|date=March 2009}}

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.


==Film actress==
==Film actress==
As a film aspirant her first screen test was made with [[James Garner]]. The test was unfavorable and she was not considered photogenic.{{Citation needed|date=June 2017}} She continued to pursue acting, unimpeded by rejection. She accepted any parts which came along, learning the techniques of the acting trade.
Spain pursued acting, unimpeded by rejection. She accepted any parts that came along, learning the techniques of the acting trade.{{Citation needed |date=September 2022}}


In 1955, Spain was one of 15 actresses who were named [[WAMPAS Baby Stars]].<ref>{{cite news|title=15 Wampas Baby Stars Appointed|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11478826/long_beach_independent/|work=Long Beach Independent|agency=Associated Press|date=October 31, 1955|location=California, Long Beach|page=13|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = June 4, 2017}} {{Open access}}</ref> She first came to prominence with movie audiences in the late 1950s. In 1957, she appeared as Carol Smith with [[John Smith (actor)|John Smith]] as Tommy Kelly in the dramatic film ''[[The Crooked Circle (1957 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 (film)|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]].
In 1955, Spain was one of 15 actresses who were named [[WAMPAS Baby Stars]].<ref>{{cite news|title=15 Wampas Baby Stars Appointed|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11478826/long_beach_independent/|work=Long Beach Independent|agency=Associated Press|date=October 31, 1955|location=California, Long Beach|page=13|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = June 4, 2017}} {{Open access}}</ref> She first came to prominence with movie audiences in the late 1950s. In 1957, she appeared as Carol Smith with [[John Smith (actor)|John Smith]] as Tommy Kelly in the dramatic film ''[[The Crooked Circle (1957 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 (film)|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]].


Spain followed this success by playing Maureen Flannery in the film ''[[Al Capone (film)|Al Capone]]'' (1959), and appeared in such films as ''[[The Beat Generation]]'' (1959), ''[[The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (film)|The Private Lives of Adam and Eve]]'' (1960), ''[[Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis]]'' (1961), ''[[Black Gold (1962 film)|Black Gold]]'' (1962), ''[[Thunder Island (1963 film)|Thunder Island]]'' (1963), ''[[Flight to Fury]]'' (1964), ''The Gentle Rain'' (1966), ''[[Welcome to Hard Times (film)|Welcome to Hard Times]]'' (1967) and ''[[The Todd Killings]]'' (1971).
Spain followed this success by playing Maureen Flannery in the film ''[[Al Capone (film)|Al Capone]]'' (1959), and appeared in such films as ''[[The Beat Generation]]'' (1959), ''[[The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (film)|The Private Lives of Adam and Eve]]'' (1960), ''[[Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis]]'' (1961), ''[[Black Gold (1962 film)|Black Gold]]'' (1962), ''[[Thunder Island (1963 film)|Thunder Island]]'' (1963), ''[[Flight to Fury]]'' (1964), ''The Gentle Rain'' (1966), ''[[Welcome to Hard Times (film)|Welcome to Hard Times]]'' (1967), and ''[[The Todd Killings]]'' (1971).


Her final appearance as a film actress came in 1974, when she portrayed the wife of mobster [[Hyman Roth]] ([[Lee Strasberg]]) in ''[[The Godfather Part II]]'' (1974).
Her final appearance as a film actress came in 1974, when she portrayed the wife of mobster [[Hyman Roth]] ([[Lee Strasberg]]) in ''[[The Godfather Part II]]'' (1974).


==Marriages==
==Marriages==
When she was 16, Spain married John Falvo, a screenwriter and actor. They had one son, Jock Falvo (born 1954), and divorced in 1954.<ref name="fga" /> In 1959 the actress married west coast [[Abstract art|abstract]] painter [[John Altoon]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Actress Fay Spain, Painter To Marry|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11479303/the_corpus_christi_callertimes/|work=The Corpus Christi Caller-Times|agency=Associated Press|date=January 29, 1959|location=Texas, Corpus Christi|page=18|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = June 4, 2017}} {{Open access}}</ref> They spent their honeymoon in [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]], [[Nevada]]. Both led busy lives and enjoyed their time away from work by relaxing in a home they remodeled in the [[San Fernando Valley]] of [[California]]. Altoon was an art instructor in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]. He contributed art for a series of record album covers.{{Citation needed |date=February 2020}} From 1965 to 1966, she was married to Imo Ughini, a hairdresser.<ref name=fga/>
When she was 16, Spain married John Falvo, a screenwriter and actor. They had one son, Jock Falvo (born 1954), and divorced in 1954.<ref name="fga" /> In 1959, the actress married West Coast [[Abstract art|abstract]] painter [[John Altoon]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Actress Fay Spain, Painter To Marry|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11479303/the_corpus_christi_callertimes/|work=The Corpus Christi Caller-Times|agency=Associated Press|date=January 29, 1959|location=Texas, Corpus Christi|page=18|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|access-date = June 4, 2017}} {{Open access}}</ref> From 1965 to 1966, she was married to Imo Ughini, a hairdresser.<ref name=fga/>


==Television==
==Television==
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She appeared as a contestant in an episode of the [[Groucho Marx]] game show ''[[You Bet Your Life]]'' (episode #56-02, October 4, 1956, Secret Word 'Hand').
She appeared as a contestant in an episode of the [[Groucho Marx]] game show ''[[You Bet Your Life]]'' (episode #56-02, October 4, 1956, Secret Word 'Hand').
By the middle and late 1950s and 1960s, Spain appeared in
By the middle and late 1950s and 1960s, Spain appeared in
''[[Bonanza]]'' (Sue Ellen Terry in "The Sisters"), ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (in 1957 as the title character "Mavis McCloud" (S3E7) & in 1961 as "Bessie" a gang member and killer in "A Man A Day" (S7E14), ''[[Cheyenne (TV western)|Cheyenne]]'', ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]'', ''[[Whirlybirds]]'', ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'', ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' (Charlotte Lynch in "The Case of the Fiery Fingers"), ''[[Tombstone Territory]]'' (episode "Pick up the Gun"), ''[[The Millionaire (TV series)|The Millionaire]]'', ''[[M Squad]]'', ''[[Adventures in Paradise (TV series)|Adventures in Paradise]]'', ''[[The Texan (TV series)|The Texan]]'', ''[[Riverboat (TV series)|Riverboat]]'', ''[[The Rat Patrol]]'', ''[[Gomer Pyle, USMC]]'', ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (episode "Mavis McCloud" (1957) and episode "A Man a Day" (1961)), ''[[Playhouse 90]]'', ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'', ''[[Have Gun - Will Travel]]'' (episode "High Wire," 1957), ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (episode "The Last Dark Step" (1959) and "The Cuckoo Clock" (1960)), ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]'' (episodes "The Naked Gallows" with [[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]] (1957), "The Goose-Drownder" (1959), and "The Cactus Switch" with [[Roger Moore]] (1961)), ''[[Pony Express (TV series)|Pony Express]]'', ''[[The Restless Gun]]'', ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'', ''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]'' and as Angela in Steve McQueen's ''[[Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV series)|Wanted: Dead or Alive]]'' (Season 2, Episode 18 (1959)).
''[[Bonanza]]'' (Sue Ellen Terry in "The Sisters" in the first season chapter 14), ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (in 1957 as the title character "Mavis McCloud" (S3E7) & in 1961 as "Bessie" a gang member and killer in "A Man A Day" (S7E14), ''[[Cheyenne (TV western)|Cheyenne]]'', ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]'', ''[[Whirlybirds]]'', ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'', ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' (Charlotte Lynch in "The Case of the Fiery Fingers"), ''[[Tombstone Territory]]'' (episode "Pick up the Gun"), ''[[The Millionaire (TV series)|The Millionaire]]'', ''[[M Squad]]'', ''[[Adventures in Paradise (TV series)|Adventures in Paradise]]'', ''[[The Texan (TV series)|The Texan]]'', ''[[Riverboat (TV series)|Riverboat]]'', ''[[The Rat Patrol]]'', ''[[Gomer Pyle, USMC]]'', ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (episode "Mavis McCloud" (1957) and episode "A Man a Day" (1961)), ''[[Playhouse 90]]'', ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'', ''[[Have Gun - Will Travel]]'' (episode "High Wire," 1957), ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (episode "The Last Dark Step" (1959) and "The Cuckoo Clock" (1960)), ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]'' (episodes "The Naked Gallows" with [[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]] (1957), "The Goose-Drownder" (1959), and "The Cactus Switch" with [[Roger Moore]] (1961)), ''[[Pony Express (TV series)|Pony Express]]'', ''[[The Restless Gun]]'', ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'', ''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]'' and as Angela in Steve McQueen's ''[[Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV series)|Wanted: Dead or Alive]]'' (Season 2, Episode 18 (1959), as well as the "gold-digging" Amy Williams opposite Royal Dano in Season 2, Episode 3 which aired on 9/18/1959).... starred in 1961 on tales of Wells Fargo in an episode called 'The angry sky' season 6 of tales of Wells Fargo


Spain also appeared on the [[NBC]] interview program ''[[Here's Hollywood]]''. In the 1950s and 1960s she continued to be seen frequently on television series such as ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]'' episodes, "Incident of the Valley in Shadow" (1959) and "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere" (1961) and "Incident of the Lost Woman" (1962), as well as ''[[Stoney Burke (TV series)|Stoney Burke]]'', ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' and ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]''.
Spain also appeared on the [[NBC]] interview program ''[[Here's Hollywood]]''. In the 1950s and 1960s she continued to be seen frequently on television series such as ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]'' episodes, "Incident of the Valley in Shadow" (1959) and "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere" (1961) and "Incident of the Lost Woman" (1962), as well as ''[[Stoney Burke (TV series)|Stoney Burke]]'', ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' and ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]''.


In 1966, she played [[Calamity Jane]] in the episode "A Calamity Called Jane" of the [[Television syndication|syndicated]] series, ''[[Death Valley Days]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0556534/?ref_=tt_ep_nx|title="A Calamity Called Jane" on ''Death Valley Days''|publisher=[[Internet Movie Data Base]]|date=June 2, 2015}}</ref>{{Better source|date=February 2020}}
In 1966, she played [[Calamity Jane]] in the episode "A Calamity Called Jane" of the [[Television syndication|syndicated]] series, ''[[Death Valley Days]]''.


==Death==
==Death==
Fay Spain died of lymphatic cancer in Los Angeles in 1983 at age 50.
Spain died of lymphatic cancer in Los Angeles in 1983 at age 50.{{Citation needed |date=September 2022}}


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
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! Title
! Title
! Role
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|-
|1957|| ''[[Dragstrip Girl]]'' || Louise Blake ||
| rowspan="4" |1957|| ''[[Dragstrip Girl (1957 film)|Dragstrip Girl]]'' || Louise Blake
|-
|-
|1957|| ''[[The Abductors]]'' || ||
| ''[[The Abductors]]'' ||
|-
|-
|1957|| ''[[Teenage Doll]]'' || Helen ||
| ''[[Teenage Doll]]'' || Helen
|-
|-
|1957|| ''[[The Crooked Circle (1957 film)|The Crooked Circle]]'' || Carol Smith ||
| ''[[The Crooked Circle (1957 film)|The Crooked Circle]]'' || Carol Smith
|-
|-
|1958|| ''[[God's Little Acre (film)|God's Little Acre]]'' || Darlin' Jill ||
|1958|| ''[[God's Little Acre (film)|God's Little Acre]]'' || Darlin' Jill
|-
|-
|1959|| ''[[Al Capone (film)|Al Capone]]'' || Maureen Flannery ||
| rowspan="2" |1959|| ''[[Al Capone (film)|Al Capone]]'' || Maureen Flannery
|-
|-
|1959|| ''[[The Beat Generation]]'' || Francee Culloran ||
| ''[[The Beat Generation]]'' || Francee Culloran
|-
|-
|1960|| ''[[The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (film)|The Private Lives of Adam and Eve]]'' || Lil Lewis / Lilith ||
|1960|| ''[[The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (film)|The Private Lives of Adam and Eve]]'' || Lil Lewis / Lilith
|-
|-
|1961|| ''[[Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis]]'' || Queen Antinea of Atlantis ||
|1961|| ''[[Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis]]'' || Queen Antinea of Atlantis
|-
|-
|1962|| ''[[Black Gold (1962 film)|Black Gold]]'' || Julie ||
|1962|| ''[[Black Gold (1962 film)|Black Gold]]'' || Julie
|-
|-
|1963|| ''[[Thunder Island (1963 film)|Thunder Island]]'' || Helen Dodge ||
| rowspan="2" |1963|| ''[[Thunder Island (1963 film)|Thunder Island]]'' || Helen Dodge
|-
|-
|1963|| ''[[The Great Space Adventure]]'' || ||
| ''[[The Great Space Adventure]]'' ||
|-
|-
|1964|| ''[[Flight to Fury]]'' || Destiny Cooper ||
| rowspan="2" |1964|| ''[[Flight to Fury]]'' || Destiny Cooper
|-
|-
|1964|| ''Cordillera'' || ||
| ''Cordillera'' ||
|-
|-
|1965|| ''Choque de Sentimentos'' || ||
|1965|| ''Choque de Sentimentos'' ||
|-
|-
|1966|| ''[[The Gentle Rain (film)|The Gentle Rain]]''|| Nancy Masters ||
|1966|| ''[[The Gentle Rain (film)|The Gentle Rain]]''|| Nancy Masters
|-
|-
|1967|| ''[[Welcome to Hard Times (film)|Welcome to Hard Times]]'' || Jessie ||
|1967|| ''[[Welcome to Hard Times (film)|Welcome to Hard Times]]'' || Jessie
|-
|-
|1970|| ''[[The Naked Zoo]]'' || Pauline ||
|1970|| ''[[The Naked Zoo]]'' || Pauline
|-
|-
|1974|| ''[[The Todd Killings]]'' || Mrs. Mack ||
|1971|| ''[[The Todd Killings]]'' || Mrs. Mack
|-
|-
|1974|| ''[[The Godfather Part II]]'' || Mrs. Marcia Roth ||
|1974|| ''[[The Godfather Part II]]'' || Mrs. Marcia Roth
|}
|}


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!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|-
| 1955
| rowspan="10" | 1958
| ''[[Big Town (TV series)|Big Town]]''
|
| Episode: "Mental Health"
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1956
| ''[[The NBC Comedy Hour]]''
|
| Episode: Season 1, Episode 17
|-
| ''[[NBC Matinee Theater|Matinee Theatre]]''
|
| Episode: "Backfire"
|-
| ''[[Cheyenne (TV series)|Cheyenne]]''
| Susan Doonevan
| Episode: "The Long Winter"
|-
| ''[[Conflict (American TV series)|Conflict]]''
| Nancy Meadows
| Episode: "The Magic Brew"
|-
| ''[[Dragnet (1951 TV series)|Dragnet]]''
|
| Episode: "The Big Beer"
|-
| ''[[Playhouse 90]]''
| Crystal Vail
| Episode: "The Big Slide"
|-
| rowspan="8" | 1957
| ''[[Wire Service]]''
| Peggy
| Episode: "Chicago Exclusive"
|-
| ''[[NBC Matinee Theater|Matinee Theatre]]''
|
| Episode: "On the Trail of the Klingsfeld"
|-
| ''[[The Brothers (1956 TV series)|The Brothers]]''
| Tracey
| Episode: "The Crush"
|-
| ''[[The Web (1957 TV series)|The Web]]''
| Sadie
| Episode: "Dead Silence"
|-
| ''[[Gunsmoke]]''
| Mavis McCloud
| Episode: "Mavis McCloud"
|-
| ''[[Have Gun – Will Travel]]''
| Rena
| Episode: "High Wire"
|-
| ''[[Sugarfoot]]''
| Susie Tatum
| Episode: "Quicksilver"
|-
| ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]''
| Ruth Overton
| Episode: "The Naked Gallows"
|-
| rowspan="12" | 1958
| ''[[The Restless Gun]]''
| ''[[The Restless Gun]]''
| Helen Rockwood
| Helen Rockwood
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| Lisa Carew
| Lisa Carew
| Episode: "Pick up the Gun"
| Episode: "Pick up the Gun"
|-
| ''[[Whirlybirds]]''
|
| Episode: "Blind Victory"
|-
|-
| ''[[M Squad]]''
| ''[[M Squad]]''
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| Annamay Paul
| Annamay Paul
| Episode: "A Town Has Turned to Dust"
| Episode: "A Town Has Turned to Dust"
|-
| ''[[Whirlybirds]]''
|
| Episode: "The Midnight Show"
|-
|-
| ''[[The Texan (TV series)|The Texan]]''
| ''[[The Texan (TV series)|The Texan]]''
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| Episode: "The Dark Cloud"
| Episode: "The Dark Cloud"
|-
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1959
| rowspan="11" | 1959
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
| Leslie Lenox
| Season 4 Episode 18: "The Last Dark Step"
|-
| ''The Ten Commandments''
|
| Television film
|-
| ''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]''
| Julie Poe
| Episode: "The Tumbleweed Wagon"
|-
| ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]''
| Audrey Franklin
| Episode: "Abra-Cadaver"
|-
| ''[[The Restless Gun]]''
| ''[[The Restless Gun]]''
| Serena
| Serena
| Episode: "A Very Special Investigator"
| Episode: "A Very Special Investigator"
|-
| ''[[Schlitz Playhouse of Stars|Schlitz Playhouse]]''
| Anna Carrick
| Episode: "Ballad to Die For"
|-
| ''[[Wanted Dead or Alive (TV series)|Wanted Dead or Alive]]''
| Amy Williams
| Episode: "The Matchmaker"
|-
| ''[[Adventures in Paradise (TV series)|Adventures in Paradise]]''
| Amy
| Episode: "Paradise Lost"
|-
| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]''
| Winoka
| Episode: "Incident of the Valley in Shadow"
|-
|-
| ''[[Bonanza]]''
| ''[[Bonanza]]''
| Sue Ellen Terry
| Sue Ellen Terry
| Episode: "The Sisters"
| Episode: "The Sisters"
|-
| ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]''
| Stella Legendre
| Episode: "The Goose-Drownder"
|-
| rowspan="16" | 1960
| ''[[Wanted Dead or Alive (TV series)|Wanted Dead or Alive]]''
| Angela
| Episode: "Angela"
|-
| ''[[The Detectives (1959 TV series)|The Detectives]]''
| Marcy Collins
| Episode: "House Call"
|-
| ''[[Markham (TV series)|Markham]]''
| Lucille Barrett
| Episode: "Deadly Promise"
|-
| ''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]''
| Gloria Patterson
| Episode: "Duel at Alta Mesa"
|-
| ''[[The Alaskans]]''
| Janice Collier
| Episode: "Peril at Caribou Crossing"
|-
| ''[[Hawaiian Eye]]''
| Honey Shaw
| Episode: "Birthday Boy"
|-
| ''[[The Alaskans]]''
| Ellen Hawley
| Episode: "The Bride Wore Black"
|-
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
| Madeleine Hall
| Season 5 Episode 27: "The Cuckoo Clock"
|-
| ''[[Moment of Fear]]''
|
| Episode: "Fire by Night"
|-
| ''[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]''
| Felice Reynolds
| Episode: "A Succession of Heartbeats"
|-
| ''[[Michael Shayne (TV series)|Michael Shayne]]''
| Marge Jerome
| Episode: "Call for Michael Shayne"
|-
| ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]''
| Angelica Garland
| Episode: "Bolt from the Blue"
|-
| ''[[The Deputy (TV series)|The Deputy]]''
| Sally Tornado
| Episode: "Sally Tornado"
|-
| ''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]''
| Fran Ericson
| Episode: "No Second Chance"
|-
| ''[[Riverboat (TV series)|Riverboat]]''
| Laurie Rawlings
| Episode: "Duel on the River"
|-
| ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]''
| Paula Shay
| Episode: "A Fury Slinging Flame"
|-
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1961
| rowspan="6" | 1961
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| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]''
| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]''
| Barbara Fraser
| Barbara Fraser
| Episode: "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere"
| S3:E22, "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere"
|-
|-
| ''[[Gunsmoke]]''
| ''[[Gunsmoke]]''
Line 213: Line 387:
| Episode: "Incident of the Lost Woman"
| Episode: "Incident of the Lost Woman"
|-
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1963
| 1964
| ''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]''
| Gladys
| Episode: "Vengeance"
|-
| ''[[Going My Way (TV series)|Going My Way]]''
| Helen Bancroft
| Episode: "The Slasher"
|-
| ''[[Stoney Burke (TV series)|Stoney Burke]]''
| Libby Ferris
| Episode: "Cat's Eyes"
|-
| ''[[The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series)|The Greatest Show on Earth]]''
| Alicia
| Episode: "The Hanging Man"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1964
| ''[[Channing (TV series)|Channing]]''
| Phyllis
| Episode: "Swing for the Moon"
|-
| ''[[Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)|Daniel Boone]]''
| ''[[Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)|Daniel Boone]]''
| Kathleen O'Hannrahan
| Kathleen O'Hannrahan
| Episode: "The Sisters O'Hannrahan"
| Episode: "The Sisters O'Hannrahan"
|-
| ''[[Dr. Kildare (TV series)|Dr. Kildare]]''
| Emily Buchanan
| Episode: "Catch a Crooked Mouse"
|-
| 1965
| ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]''
| Nora Keel
| Episode: "Three Cheers for Little Boy Blue"
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1966
| ''[[A Man Called Shenandoah]]''
| Millie Turner
| Episode: "The Accused"
|-
| ''[[I Spy (1965 TV series)|I Spy]]''
| Vanessa
| Episode: "It's All Done with Mirrors"
|-
| ''[[The Rat Patrol]]''
| Fay Morgan
| Episode: "The Gun Runner Raid"
|-
| ''[[Death Valley Days]]''
| [[Calamity Jane]]
| Episode: "A Calamity Called Jane"
|-
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1967
| rowspan="3" | 1967
Line 245: Line 466:
| Episode: "Kidnap"
| Episode: "Kidnap"
|-
|-
|[[Hogan's Heroes|''Hogan's Heroes'']]
| ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]''
|Carla
| Carla
|Episode: "At Last - Schultz Knows Something"
| Episode: "At Last - Schultz Knows Something"
|-
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1971
| rowspan="2" | 1971
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| ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]''
| ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]''
| Mame Dorn
| Mame Dorn
| Episode: "Flowers of Evil"
| Episode: "[[Flowers of Evil (Police Woman)|Flowers of Evil]]"
|-
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1975
| rowspan="2" | 1975
Line 287: Line 508:


{{Portal|Biography|Arizona|New York City|California|Film|Television}}
{{Portal|Biography|Arizona|New York City|California|Film|Television}}



==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Fay Spain}}
{{Commons category|Fay Spain}}
*{{IMDb name|0816670}}
*{{IMDb name}}
*{{Amg name|67061}}
*{{AllMovie name}}
*{{Find a Grave|9918208}}
*{{Find a Grave}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Spain, Fay}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spain, Fay}}
[[Category:Actresses from Phoenix, Arizona]]
[[Category:Actresses from Phoenix, Arizona]]
[[Category:Deaths from lymphoma]]
[[Category:Deaths from lymphoma in California]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in California]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]

Latest revision as of 03:56, 29 March 2024

Fay Spain
Spain in 1959
Born
Lona Fay Spain

(1932-10-06)October 6, 1932
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.[1]
DiedMay 8, 1983(1983-05-08) (aged 50)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesLona May Spain
OccupationActress
Years active1955–1977
Spouses
John Falvo
​
​
(m. 1949; div. 1954)​
John Altoon
​
​
(m. 1959; div. 1962)​
Imo Ughini
​
​
(m. 1965; div. 1966)​
Philip Fulmer
​
​
(m. 1968)​
Children1

Lona Fay Spain[2] (October 6, 1932 – May 8, 1983) was an American actress in motion pictures and television.

Early years[edit]

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Fay Spain was the younger of two daughters born to Robert C. Spain and Arminta Frances "Mickie" Cochran.[2] When she was 17 years old, Spain worked as a dealer in a casino in Reno, Nevada. Years later, she said, "I lied about my age and got a job as a dealer – and made big money, much more than my husband, who was a shill."[3]

Theater apprentice[edit]

Within two months, [clarification needed] 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.[citation needed]

Film actress[edit]

Spain pursued acting, unimpeded by rejection. She accepted any parts that came along, learning the techniques of the acting trade.[citation needed]

In 1955, Spain was one of 15 actresses who were named WAMPAS Baby Stars.[4] She 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.

Spain followed this success by playing Maureen Flannery in the film Al Capone (1959), and appeared in such films as The Beat Generation (1959), The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960), Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis (1961), Black Gold (1962), Thunder Island (1963), Flight to Fury (1964), The Gentle Rain (1966), Welcome to Hard Times (1967), and The Todd Killings (1971).

Her final appearance as a film actress came in 1974, when she portrayed the wife of mobster Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg) in The Godfather Part II (1974).

Marriages[edit]

When she was 16, Spain married John Falvo, a screenwriter and actor. They had one son, Jock Falvo (born 1954), and divorced in 1954.[2] In 1959, the actress married West Coast abstract painter John Altoon.[5] From 1965 to 1966, she was married to Imo Ughini, a hairdresser.[2]

Television[edit]

Spain starred in 11 episodes of NBC Matinee Theater.[6]

She appeared as a contestant in an episode of the Groucho Marx game show You Bet Your Life (episode #56-02, October 4, 1956, Secret Word 'Hand'). By the middle and late 1950s and 1960s, Spain appeared in Bonanza (Sue Ellen Terry in "The Sisters" in the first season chapter 14), Gunsmoke (in 1957 as the title character "Mavis McCloud" (S3E7) & in 1961 as "Bessie" a gang member and killer in "A Man A Day" (S7E14), Cheyenne, Rawhide, Whirlybirds, Hogan's Heroes, Perry Mason (Charlotte Lynch in "The Case of the Fiery Fingers"), Tombstone Territory (episode "Pick up the Gun"), The Millionaire, M Squad, Adventures in Paradise, The Texan, Riverboat, The Rat Patrol, Gomer Pyle, USMC, Gunsmoke (episode "Mavis McCloud" (1957) and episode "A Man a Day" (1961)), Playhouse 90, 77 Sunset Strip, Have Gun - Will Travel (episode "High Wire," 1957), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (episode "The Last Dark Step" (1959) and "The Cuckoo Clock" (1960)), Maverick (episodes "The Naked Gallows" with Jack Kelly (1957), "The Goose-Drownder" (1959), and "The Cactus Switch" with Roger Moore (1961)), Pony Express, The Restless Gun, The Fugitive, Bat Masterson and as Angela in Steve McQueen's Wanted: Dead or Alive (Season 2, Episode 18 (1959), as well as the "gold-digging" Amy Williams opposite Royal Dano in Season 2, Episode 3 which aired on 9/18/1959).... starred in 1961 on tales of Wells Fargo in an episode called 'The angry sky' season 6 of tales of Wells Fargo

Spain also appeared on the NBC interview program Here's Hollywood. In the 1950s and 1960s she continued to be seen frequently on television series such as Rawhide episodes, "Incident of the Valley in Shadow" (1959) and "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere" (1961) and "Incident of the Lost Woman" (1962), as well as Stoney Burke, Hogan's Heroes and The Fugitive.

In 1966, she played Calamity Jane in the episode "A Calamity Called Jane" of the syndicated series, Death Valley Days.

Death[edit]

Spain died of lymphatic cancer in Los Angeles in 1983 at age 50.[citation needed]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role
1957 Dragstrip Girl Louise Blake
The Abductors
Teenage Doll Helen
The Crooked Circle Carol Smith
1958 God's Little Acre Darlin' Jill
1959 Al Capone Maureen Flannery
The Beat Generation Francee Culloran
1960 The Private Lives of Adam and Eve Lil Lewis / Lilith
1961 Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis Queen Antinea of Atlantis
1962 Black Gold Julie
1963 Thunder Island Helen Dodge
The Great Space Adventure
1964 Flight to Fury Destiny Cooper
Cordillera
1965 Choque de Sentimentos
1966 The Gentle Rain Nancy Masters
1967 Welcome to Hard Times Jessie
1970 The Naked Zoo Pauline
1971 The Todd Killings Mrs. Mack
1974 The Godfather Part II Mrs. Marcia Roth

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1955 Big Town Episode: "Mental Health"
1956 The NBC Comedy Hour Episode: Season 1, Episode 17
Matinee Theatre Episode: "Backfire"
Cheyenne Susan Doonevan Episode: "The Long Winter"
Conflict Nancy Meadows Episode: "The Magic Brew"
Dragnet Episode: "The Big Beer"
Playhouse 90 Crystal Vail Episode: "The Big Slide"
1957 Wire Service Peggy Episode: "Chicago Exclusive"
Matinee Theatre Episode: "On the Trail of the Klingsfeld"
The Brothers Tracey Episode: "The Crush"
The Web Sadie Episode: "Dead Silence"
Gunsmoke Mavis McCloud Episode: "Mavis McCloud"
Have Gun – Will Travel Rena Episode: "High Wire"
Sugarfoot Susie Tatum Episode: "Quicksilver"
Maverick Ruth Overton Episode: "The Naked Gallows"
1958 The Restless Gun Helen Rockwood Episode: "A Pressing Engagement"
The Court of Last Resort Episode: "The Court of Last Resort"
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Trina Greco Episode: "A Grave Undertaking"
The Millionaire Aileen Evans Episode: "The Tony Drummond Story"
Perry Mason Charlotte Lynch Episode: "The Case of the Fiery Fingers"
Tombstone Territory Lisa Carew Episode: "Pick up the Gun"
Whirlybirds Episode: "Blind Victory"
M Squad Ruth Reardon Episode: "Accusation"
Playhouse 90 Annamay Paul Episode: "A Town Has Turned to Dust"
Whirlybirds Episode: "The Midnight Show"
The Texan Ann Dowd Episode: "The Easterner"
Pursuit Andrea Episode: "The Dark Cloud"
1959 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Leslie Lenox Season 4 Episode 18: "The Last Dark Step"
The Ten Commandments Television film
Bat Masterson Julie Poe Episode: "The Tumbleweed Wagon"
77 Sunset Strip Audrey Franklin Episode: "Abra-Cadaver"
The Restless Gun Serena Episode: "A Very Special Investigator"
Schlitz Playhouse Anna Carrick Episode: "Ballad to Die For"
Wanted Dead or Alive Amy Williams Episode: "The Matchmaker"
Adventures in Paradise Amy Episode: "Paradise Lost"
Rawhide Winoka Episode: "Incident of the Valley in Shadow"
Bonanza Sue Ellen Terry Episode: "The Sisters"
Maverick Stella Legendre Episode: "The Goose-Drownder"
1960 Wanted Dead or Alive Angela Episode: "Angela"
The Detectives Marcy Collins Episode: "House Call"
Markham Lucille Barrett Episode: "Deadly Promise"
Laramie Gloria Patterson Episode: "Duel at Alta Mesa"
The Alaskans Janice Collier Episode: "Peril at Caribou Crossing"
Hawaiian Eye Honey Shaw Episode: "Birthday Boy"
The Alaskans Ellen Hawley Episode: "The Bride Wore Black"
Alfred Hitchcock Presents Madeleine Hall Season 5 Episode 27: "The Cuckoo Clock"
Moment of Fear Episode: "Fire by Night"
Naked City Felice Reynolds Episode: "A Succession of Heartbeats"
Michael Shayne Marge Jerome Episode: "Call for Michael Shayne"
Maverick Angelica Garland Episode: "Bolt from the Blue"
The Deputy Sally Tornado Episode: "Sally Tornado"
Laramie Fran Ericson Episode: "No Second Chance"
Riverboat Laurie Rawlings Episode: "Duel on the River"
Route 66 Paula Shay Episode: "A Fury Slinging Flame"
1961 Maverick Lana Cane Episode: "The Cactus Switch"
Gunslinger Martha Episode: "The Buried People"
Adventures in Paradise Julie Episode: "Captain Butcher"
The Untouchables Julie Duvall Episode: "Testimony of Evil"
Rawhide Barbara Fraser S3:E22, "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere"
Gunsmoke Bessie Episode: "A Man a Day"
1962 Cain's Hundred Enid Lazzo Episode: "Murder by Proxy: Earl Klegg"
Ben Casey Lisa Delman Episode: "Odyssey of a Proud Suitcase"
Dr. Kildare Sally Winters Episode: "The Roaring Boy-O"
Hawaiian Eye Barbara Mason Episode: "Payoff"
Tales of Wells Fargo Marie Jarnier Episode: "The Angry Sky"
Rawhide Lissa Hobson Episode: "Incident of the Lost Woman"
1963 Laramie Gladys Episode: "Vengeance"
Going My Way Helen Bancroft Episode: "The Slasher"
Stoney Burke Libby Ferris Episode: "Cat's Eyes"
The Greatest Show on Earth Alicia Episode: "The Hanging Man"
1964 Channing Phyllis Episode: "Swing for the Moon"
Daniel Boone Kathleen O'Hannrahan Episode: "The Sisters O'Hannrahan"
Dr. Kildare Emily Buchanan Episode: "Catch a Crooked Mouse"
1965 The Fugitive Nora Keel Episode: "Three Cheers for Little Boy Blue"
1966 A Man Called Shenandoah Millie Turner Episode: "The Accused"
I Spy Vanessa Episode: "It's All Done with Mirrors"
The Rat Patrol Fay Morgan Episode: "The Gun Runner Raid"
Death Valley Days Calamity Jane Episode: "A Calamity Called Jane"
1967 Iron Horse Marian Elwood Episode: "Six Hours to Sky High"
Mannix Gladys Episode: "A Catalogue of Sins"
Gunsmoke Willy Episode: "Wonder"
1968 Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Lila St. Clair Episode: "Gomer and the Queen of Burlesque"
Hogan's Heroes Myra Episode: "How to Catch a Papa Bear"
1969 My Friend Tony Episode: "Kidnap"
Hogan's Heroes Carla Episode: "At Last - Schultz Knows Something"
1971 The Man and the City Lois Niles Episode: "I Should Have Let Him Die"
Medical Center Linda Episode: "The Nowhere Child"
1972 Mannix Mrs. Welch Episode: "Cry Silence"
Night Gallery Molly Mitchell Episode: "Rare Objects"
1974 Ironside Alice Schmidt Episode: "Class of '40"
Police Woman Mame Dorn Episode: "Flowers of Evil"
1975 Caribe Connie James Episode: "Assault on the Calavera"
Police Woman Nadine Hummel Episode: "The Hit"

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Fay Spain". Glamour Girls. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Wagner, Laura (Spring 2019). "Fay Spain". Films of the Golden Age (96): 56–57.
  3. ^ "Fay Spain Really Veteran Gambler". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Texas, Lubbock. Associated Press. November 16, 1958. p. 64. Retrieved June 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "15 Wampas Baby Stars Appointed". Long Beach Independent. California, Long Beach. Associated Press. October 31, 1955. p. 13. Retrieved June 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Actress Fay Spain, Painter To Marry". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Texas, Corpus Christi. Associated Press. January 29, 1959. p. 18. Retrieved June 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ Johnson, Erskine (March 6, 1959). "Hollywood Today". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Texas, Corpus Christi. p. 40. Retrieved June 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

Sources[edit]

  • The Fremont Argus, "Fay Spain", May 17, 1975, Page 40.
  • Reno Evening Gazette, "Fay Spain Comes Back To Reno", Friday, February 6, 1959, Page 22.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fay Spain.
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