Fay Davis

Fay Davis (1873 – February 27, 1945) was an American stage actress from Boston, Massachusetts who was a star of many Shakespearean plays.

She attended the Winthrop School in Boston and a school of oratory. Davis studied under the monologist Leland Powers. Davis became popular as a reciter in Boston and other places in New England. She also acted as an amateur in her hometown.

Davis came to England in 1895 to join the company of Sir Charles Wyndham. She realized a quick success as "Zoe Nuggetson" in "A Squire of Dames". In 1896 she went to the St. James Theatre where she remained five years. At this time she played her first roles in productions of the works of William Shakespeare.

In 1902 Davis returned to America and made her debut at the Empire Theatre under Charles Frohman. For Frohman, Davis appeared as "Wihlemina" in "Imprudence".

In the first decade of the twentieth century she acted in a number of London plays, namely "Rupert of Hentzau", "A Debt of Honor", "The Wisdom of the Wise", "Iris", and "Caesar's Wife".

She returned to England in 1906, acting in the provinces and then London, England. In the latter she appeared in leading roles in "Henry V", "Romeo and Juliet", "The Merchant of Venice", and "Twelfth Night".

In 1910 she played in "Trelawny of the Wells" in London. During World War I Davis was in "Searchlights" and "Daddy Long-Legs", also performed in the English capitol. Her final London shows were "The Heart of a Child" (1921), "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray" (1922), "Secret Service" (1926), "Hamlet" (1930), and "The Shadow Princess" and "On The Rocks" (1933).

Davis' final stage appearance came at the Winter Garden Theatre in London in 1933. It was remarked that her performance concluded the career of "a first-class actress and a beautiful woman of great charm."

Davis, also known as Mrs. Gerald Lawrence, died in Exmouth, England in 1945.

References

* New York Times, "Fay Davis Is Dead; Noted Actress, 72", February 27, 1945, Page 19.