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Fay Holden

1893 – 1973

American actress

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About Fay Holden

Lived 1893 – 1973 (aged 79). Fay Holden was a British stage actor, film actor and actor.

Dorothy Fay Hammerton (26 September 1893 – 23 June 1973), known professionally as Fay Holden, was a British-born, American-based actress. She was known as Gaby Fay early in her career.

Biography Holden was born in Birmingham, England. After leaving England in 1929, Holden and her husband moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for a time. They co-owned The Empress Theatre until 1933, Eventually they left Vancouver and moved to Hollywood. The series was enormously popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and Holden was in 15 of the 16 Hardy movies, surpassed only by Rooney, who was in all 16.

Holden is remembered for her performance as Hazel, the mother of Samson (Victor Mature), in Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah, in which she utters her character's most notable line: "He wants to marry a Philistine!"

She was married to David Clyde from 1914 until his death in 1945. She died in Los Angeles, California, aged 79, from cancer.

Partial filmography

The Pace That Kills (1935) as Madame / Henchwoman I Married a Doctor (1936) as Ella Stowbody The White Angel (1936) as Queen Victoria (uncredited) Wives Never Know (1936) as Mrs. Gossamer Polo Joe (1936) as Aunt Minnie The Accusing Finger (1936) as Little Old Lady (uncredited) Guns of the Pecos (1937) as Aunt Carrie Burton Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937) as Natalie Internes Can't Take Money (1937) as Mother Teresa King of Gamblers (1937) as Nurse Exclusive (1937) as Mrs. Swain Souls at Sea (1937) as Mrs. Martin (uncredited) Double or Nothing (1937) as Martha Sewell Clark You're Only Young Once (1937) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Love Is a Headache (1938) as Mary, Peter's Secretary Judge Hardy's Children (1938) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Test Pilot (1938) as Lingerie Saleslady (uncredited) Hold That Kiss (1938) as Mrs. Evans Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Out West with the Hardys (1938) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Sweethearts (1938) as Hannah Sergeant Madden (1939) as Mary Madden The Hardys Ride High (1939) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever (1939) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Judge Hardy and Son (1939) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Bitter Sweet (1940) as Mrs. Millick Andy Hardy's Private Secretary (1941) as Mrs. Emily Hardy The Penalty (1941) (scenes deleted) Washington Melodrama (1941) as Mrs. Claymore Ziegfeld Girl (1941) as Mrs. Regan I'll Wait for You (1941) as Mrs. Miller Blossoms in the Dust (1941) as Mrs. Kahly Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941) as Mrs. Emily Hardy H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941) as Mrs. John Pulham The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Canyon Passage (1946) as Mrs. Overmire Little Miss Big (1946) as Mary Jane Baxter Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946) as Mrs. Emily Hardy Whispering Smith (1948) as Emmy Dansing Samson and Delilah (1949) as Hazelelponit The Big Hangover (1950) as Martha Belney Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) as Mrs. Emily Hardy (final film role)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Dorothy Fay Hammerton

People in Fay Holden's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Fay Holden's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Fay Holden?

American actress (1893-1973)

When was Fay Holden born?

Fay Holden was born on 26 September 1893 in Birmingham.

When did Fay Holden die?

Fay Holden died on 23 June 1973 in Los Angeles.

What was Fay Holden's occupation?

Fay Holden was a stage actor, film actor and actor.

What nationality was Fay Holden?

Fay Holden was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Fay Holden

· Wikidata: Q511274

· DBpedia: Fay Holden

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Fay Holden. https://biography.guide/fay-holden/

MLA: "Fay Holden." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/fay-holden/.

Chicago: "Fay Holden." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/fay-holden/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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