Dorothy Fay

Dorothy Fay
Born	Dorothy Fay Southworth April 4, 1915(1915-04-04) Prescott, Arizona, U.S.
Died	November 5, 2003(2003-11-05) (aged 88) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Dorothy Faye Dorothy Fay Ritter
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1938-1941
Spouse	Tex Ritter (June 14, 1941 - January 2, 1974)

Dorothy Fay (April 4, 1915 – November 5, 2003) was an American actress.

Early life and career

She was born Dorothy Fay Southworth in Prescott, Arizona, the daughter of Harry T. Southworth and Harriet Fay Fox. Her father was a medical doctor. Fay attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She began her motion picture career in the late 1930s, performing in several B grade Westerns. In 1938, she appeared opposite George Houston in Frontier Scout at Grand National Pictures. She also appeared with Western stars Buck Jones and William Elliott.

Fay made four movies with her husband, country singer and actor Tex Ritter, at Monogram Pictures: Song of the Buckaroo (1938), Sundown on the Prairie (1939), Rollin' Westward (1939) and Rainbow Over the Range (1940). She played a heroine in The Green Archer (1940) and White Eagle (1941), both at Columbia Pictures. Fay also made a few small appearances in other genres, such as the crime drama Missing Daughters (1939). In 1940, she asked Monogram to give her a different part and was loaned to MGM for a small role in The Philadelphia Story, which starred Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart. She also appeared as a debutante in the MGM musical Lady Be Good (1941) starring Eleanor Powell, Ann Sothern, Robert Young and Lionel Barrymore.

Later years

Fay married singer/actor Tex Ritter on June 14, 1941; the marriage ended at his death January 2, 1974. They had two sons, Thomas and John, a well known comedic actor. Among her grandchildren is actor Jason Ritter.

Fay made several more movies after she and Ritter married, but then retired from show business in late 1941. In 1965, she and Ritter moved to Nashville, because of his singing and recording career. For a time, she was an official greeter at the Grand Ole Opry. She returned to Southern California in 1981. Fay turned down several offers to return to movie work, including an opportunity to appear on the television series The Love Boat playing the mother of real-life son, John. But she was a frequent guest at Western movie conventions.

In 1987, Fay suffered a stroke that impacted her speech. She moved to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, in 1989. In August 2001, her death was mistakenly reported in the obituary section of The Daily Telegraph in London. This reportedly happened when a nurse at the Motion Picture Hospital returned after a holiday to find her not in her room. When told that she had "gone," as she had, but only to another wing, the nurse promptly called one of Dorothy Fay's friends, who happened to be a regular contributor to the Telegraph obituaries desk. Fay and her family found the blunder amusing and took it in good sport.

Death

Dorothy Fay died of natural causes at the age of 88 in Woodland Hills, California less than two months after the death of her youngest son, John. She is interred with her parents at Mountain View Cemetery, in her hometown, Prescott, Arizona.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1938	Frontier Scout	Julie, Steve's Sweetheart
	The Stranger from Arizona	Ann Turner
	Law of the Texan	Helen Clifford
	Prairie Justice	Anita Benson
	Song of the Buckaroo	Anna Alden
1939	Long Shot	Betty Ralston
	Trigger Pals	Doris Allen	Credited as Dorothy Faye
	Sundown on the Prairie	Ruth Graham	Alternative title: Prairie Sundown
	Rollin' Westward	Betty	Alternative title: Rollin' West
	Missing Daughters	Showgirl	Uncredited
1940	Convicted Woman	Frances	Uncredited
	Sporting Blood	Guest	Uncredited Alternative title: Sterling Metal
	Rainbow Over the Range	Mary Manners
	Glamour for Sale	Trilby	Uncredited
	The Green Archer	Elaine Bellamy
	The Philadelphia Story	Main Line Society Woman	Uncredited
1941	White Eagle	Janet Rand
	North from the Lone Star	Madge Wilson
	Lady Be Good	Debutante	Uncredited

External links

Biography portal

• Dorothy Fay at the Internet Movie Database
• Dorothy Fay at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Fay, Dorothy
Alternative names	Southworth, Dorothy Fay
Short description	Actress
Date of birth	April 4, 1915
Place of birth	Prescott, Arizona, U.S.
Date of death	November 5, 2003
Place of death	Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.