Fay Spain, a quintessential B-movie drive-in bad girl, characterized by her striking blonde and brunette hairstyles, and a penchant for being a tease, a taunt, and a temptress throughout her career. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1932, as Lona May Spain to R.C. Spain and Arminta Frances Cochran, Fay initially pursued summer stock work and television exposure in New York.
Her early television appearances included a stint as a contestant on the popular game show "You Bet Your Life" (1950),hosted by the inimitable Groucho Marx. By 1956, Fay had secured recurring roles on notable television shows such as "Perry Mason" (1957),"Cheyenne" (1955),and "Gunsmoke" (1955),as well as gracing the covers of magazines.
Fay's early film career was marked by her appearance in low-budget productions, including "Dragstrip Girl" (1957),"Teenage Doll" (1957),"The Crooked Circle" (1957),and "The Abductors" (1957),solidifying her reputation as the quintessential party girl. Her performances often centered around her portrayal of amoral sexpots and femme fatales.
In 1958, Fay made a deliberate effort to transition to more reputable films with Erskine Caldwell's adaptation of his best-selling novel, "God's Little Acre," where she played the role of "Darlin' Jill." She continued to take on more significant roles, including a turn as Rod Steiger's moll in "Al Capone" (1959). However, Fay soon found herself back in Grade Z territory with films like "The Beat Generation" (1959),"The Private Lives of Adam and Eve" (1960),and a 1962 Italian spectacle where she played an evil queen.
Despite her efforts to revive her television career, Fay's professional trajectory had largely plateaued by the mid-1960s. One of her final notable roles was a minor part as a mafioso matriarch in "The Godfather Part II" (1974). Fay Spain passed away at the age of 50 in 1983 due to cancer.
