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.
Career
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 a single 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). Finally, in 1962, Fay appeared as a guest star on The Donna Reed Show.
Fay Bainter and Reginald Venable married on June 8, 1921, in Riverside, California. The couple had one son, Reginald Venable Jr. (1926–1974), who became an actor. Bainter was the aunt of actress Dorothy Burgess.
As her husband, Reginald Venable, was a United States Navy Officer, the couple are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Filmography
Actress
1965
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series) as
Mary Caulfield
- Power of Attorney (1965) - Mary Caulfield
1964
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (TV Series) as
Mrs. Benet
- Out on the Outskirts of Town (1964) - Mrs. Benet
1963
Dr. Kildare (TV Series) as
Sister Mike
- Sister Mike (1963) - Sister Mike
1962
The Donna Reed Show (TV Series) as
Dr. Harriet Robey
- The Baby Buggy (1962) - Dr. Harriet Robey
1961
The Children's Hour as
Mrs. Amelia Tilford
1960
Thriller (TV Series) as
Geraldine Redfern
- Girl with a Secret (1960) - Geraldine Redfern
1960
Adventures in Paradise (TV Series) as
Sister Josephine
- Prisoner in Paradise (1960) - Sister Josephine
1953
Studio One (TV Series) as
Mrs. Morgan / Aunt Valerie
- The Dark Corner (1957) - Mrs. Morgan
- Black Rain (1953) - Aunt Valerie
1956
Matinee Theatre (TV Series) as
Ruth
- The Book of Ruth (1956) - Ruth
1956
Kraft Theatre (TV Series) as
Mrs. Sears
- The Sears Girl (1956) - Mrs. Sears
1955
Damon Runyon Theater (TV Series) as
Emily Grundy
- Teacher's Pet (1955) - Emily Grundy
1953
Armstrong Circle Theatre (TV Series)
- The Hallelujah Corner (1955)
- The Runaway (1954)
- The Piano Tuner (1954)
- Pilgrimage (1953)
1952
Robert Montgomery Presents (TV Series) as
Bella Fleace
- Bella Fleace Gave a Party (1955) - Bella Fleace
- All Things Glad and Beautiful (1953)
- O Evening Star (1952)
1950
Lux Video Theatre (TV Series) as
Innkeeper's Wife / Mrs. Hughes / Mrs. Grier / ...
- My Name Is Julia Ross (1955) - Mrs. Hughes
- Shall Not Perish (1954) - Mrs. Grier
- A Child Is Born (1952) - Innkeeper's Wife
- Ile (1952) - Annie Keeney
- A Child Is Born (1951) - Innkeeper's Wife
- A Child Is Born (1950) - Innkeeper's Wife
1954
The Elgin Hour (TV Series) as
Grandmother
- Family Crisis (1954) - Grandmother
1954
Goodyear Playhouse (TV Series) as
Mrs. Pine
- Guilty Is the Stranger (1954) - Mrs. Pine
1954
The Web (TV Series)
- The Face on the Shadow (1954)
1954
The Ford Television Theatre (TV Series) as
Mrs. Allison
- The Unlocked Door (1954) - Mrs. Allison
1954
The Story of Ruth (TV Movie)
1953
The President's Lady as
Mrs. Donelson
1953
Eye Witness (TV Series) as
Narrator
- Invitation (1953) - Narrator
1953
Suspense (TV Series) as
Natalie MacLaird
- Career (1953) - Natalie MacLaird
1951
Schlitz Playhouse (TV Series) as
Jenny / Mrs. Berger
- Jenny (1953) - Jenny
- Two Living and One Dead (1951) - Mrs. Berger
1951
Close to My Heart as
Mrs. Morrow
1951
Pulitzer Prize Playhouse (TV Series) as
Sarah Yorke Jackson
- Portrait of a President (1951) - Sarah Yorke Jackson
1950
Danger (TV Series)
- The Liquor Glass (1950)
1948
The Ford Theatre Hour (TV Series) as
Rose / Olivia Grayne
- Kind Lady (1949) - Rose
- Night Must Fall (1948) - Olivia Grayne
1949
The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (TV Series)
- The Uncertain Hour (1949)
1948
June Bride as
Paula Winthrop
1948
Give My Regards to Broadway as
Fay Norwick
1947
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as
Mrs. Eunice Mitty
1947
Deep Valley as
Mrs. Saul
1946
The Virginian as
Mrs. Taylor
1946
The Kid from Brooklyn as
Mrs. E. Winthrop LeMoyne
1945
State Fair as
Melissa Frake
1944
Three Is a Family as
Frances Whittaker
1944
Dark Waters as
Aunt Emily
1944
The Heavenly Body as
Margaret Sibyll
1943
Cry 'Havoc' as
Captain Marsh
1943
Salute to the Marines as
Jennie Bailey
1943
Presenting Lily Mars as
Mrs. Thornway
1943
The Human Comedy as
Mrs. Macauley
1942
Journey for Margaret as
Trudy Strauss
1942
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch as
Mrs. Elvira Wiggs
1942
The War Against Mrs. Hadley as
Stella Hadley
1942
Mister Gardenia Jones (Documentary short) as
Emmy Jones
1942
Woman of the Year as
Ellen Whitcomb
1941
Babes on Broadway as
Miss Jones
1940
Maryland as
Charlotte Danfield
1940
A Bill of Divorcement as
Margaret 'Meg' Fairfield
1940
Our Town as
Mrs. Gibbs
1940
Young Tom Edison as
Mrs. Samuel 'Nancy' Edison
1939
Our Neighbors - The Carters as
Ellen Carter
1939
Daughters Courageous as
Nan Masters
1939
The Lady and the Mob as
Hattie Leonard
1939
Yes, My Darling Daughter as
Ann Murray
1938
The Shining Hour as
Hannah Linden
1938
The Arkansas Traveler as
Mrs. Martha Allen
1938
Mother Carey's Chickens as
Mrs. Margaret Carey
1938
Jezebel as
Aunt Belle Massey
1938
White Banners as
Hannah
1937
Make Way for Tomorrow as
Anita Cooper
1937
The Soldier and the Lady as
Strogoff's Mother
1937
Quality Street as
Susan Throssel
1934
This Side of Heaven as
Francene Turner
Soundtrack
1945
State Fair (performer: "Our State Fair", "All I Owe Ioway")
1938
Jezebel (performer: "Etude in E Op.10, No.3" (1829-32) - uncredited)
Self
1962
The 34th Annual Academy Awards (TV Special) as
Self - Nominee
1960
The Linkletter Show (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode dated 21 October 1960 (1960) - Self
1949
The Ed Sullivan Show (TV Series) as
Self - Actress
- Episode #2.36 (1949) - Self - Actress
1941
Meet the Stars #3: Variety Reel #1 (Documentary short) as
Self
1940
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards (Documentary short) as
Self - Presenter of 1939 Oscars for Supporting Roles
1939
Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 1 (Documentary short) as
Self
1938
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 9 (Short documentary) as
Self - Oscar Winner
Archive Footage
2019
You Must Remember This (Podcast Series) as
Self - Presenting the Oscar to Hattie
- Hattie McDaniel (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 2) (2019) - Self - Presenting the Oscar to Hattie
2014
And the Oscar Goes to... (TV Movie documentary) as
