Fay Okell Bainter (December 7, 1893 â€" April 16, 1968) was an
American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actress for Jezebel (1938) and has a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame.She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of
Charles F. Bainter and Mary Okell. In 1910, she was a traveling stage
actress. She made her first appearance on stage in 1908 in The County
Chairman at Morosco's Theater in Burbank, California and her Broadway
debut was in the role of Celine Marinter in The Rose of Panama (1912).
She appeared in a number of successful plays in New York like East Is
West, The Willow Tree, and Dodsworth. In 1926, she appeared with
Walter Abel in a Broadway production of Channing Pollock's The
Enemy.MGM persuaded her to try films and her movie debut was in This
Side of Heaven (February 1934), the same year she appeared in
Dodsworth on Broadway and in the film It Happened One Day (July 1934).
Bainter quickly achieved success, and in 1938 she became the first
performer nominated in the same year for both the Academy Award for
Best Actress for White Banners (1938) and the Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actress for Jezebel (1938), winning for the latter. Since
then, only nine other actors have won dual nominations in the same
year. In 1940, she played Mrs. Gibbs in the film production of the
Thornton Wilder play Our Town. In 1945, she played Melissa Frake in
the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical State Fair. She was again
nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Children's
Hour (1961). In 1962, Fay appeared as a guest star on The Donna Reed
Show.
American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actress for Jezebel (1938) and has a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame.She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of
Charles F. Bainter and Mary Okell. In 1910, she was a traveling stage
actress. She made her first appearance on stage in 1908 in The County
Chairman at Morosco's Theater in Burbank, California and her Broadway
debut was in the role of Celine Marinter in The Rose of Panama (1912).
She appeared in a number of successful plays in New York like East Is
West, The Willow Tree, and Dodsworth. In 1926, she appeared with
Walter Abel in a Broadway production of Channing Pollock's The
Enemy.MGM persuaded her to try films and her movie debut was in This
Side of Heaven (February 1934), the same year she appeared in
Dodsworth on Broadway and in the film It Happened One Day (July 1934).
Bainter quickly achieved success, and in 1938 she became the first
performer nominated in the same year for both the Academy Award for
Best Actress for White Banners (1938) and the Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actress for Jezebel (1938), winning for the latter. Since
then, only nine other actors have won dual nominations in the same
year. In 1940, she played Mrs. Gibbs in the film production of the
Thornton Wilder play Our Town. In 1945, she played Melissa Frake in
the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical State Fair. She was again
nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Children's
Hour (1961). In 1962, Fay appeared as a guest star on The Donna Reed
Show.
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