FAY WRAY (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) THE ORIGINAL SCREAM QUEEN

Fay Wray was a Canadian/American actress best remembered for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film King Kong. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international recognition as an actress in horror films. She has been dubbed one of the early "scream queens". After appearing in minor film roles, Wray gained media attention after being selected as one of the "WAMPAS Baby Stars" in 1926. This led to her being contracted to Paramount Pictures as a teenager, where she made more than a dozen feature films.

After leaving Paramount, Wray signed with other film studios. Under these deals, Wray was cast in several horror films, including Doctor X (1932) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933). However, her best known films were produced under her deal with RKO Radio Pictures. Her first film with RKO was The Most Dangerous Game (1932). The production was filmed at night on the same jungle sets that were being used for King Kong during the day, and with Wray and Robert Armstrong starring in both movies. The Most Dangerous Game was followed by the release of Wray's best remembered film, King Kong. According to Wray, Jean Harlow had been RKO's original choice, but because MGM put Harlow under exclusive contract during the pre-production phase of the film, she became unavailable. Wray was approached by director Merian C. Cooper to play the blonde captive of King Kong; the role of Ann Darrow for which she was paid $10,000 to play her. The film was a commercial success and Wray was reportedly proud that the film saved RKO from bankruptcy. After the success of King Kong, she made numerous appearances in both film and television, retiring in 1980. In the film King Kong during the final scenes it show's Kong scaling up the side of the Empire State Building with Ann Darrow in his grasp. During her later years, she visited the Empire State Building frequently; in 1991, she was a guest of honor at the building's 60th anniversary. August 8, 2004 Fay passed away in her sleep, aged 96. Two days after her death, the lights of the Empire State Building were lowered for 15 minutes in her memory.