# Fay Holden > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fay_Holden > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fay_Holden.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay_Holden > Source revision: 1325915430 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American actress (1893–1973) Fay Holden Publicity still from about 1940 Born Dorothy Fay Hammerton (1893-09-26)26 September 1893 Birmingham, Warwickshire, England Died 23 June 1973(1973-06-23) (aged 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Resting place Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale Occupation Actress Years active 1935–1958 Spouse David Clyde (1914–1945; his death) **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.[1] They co-owned The [Empress Theatre](/source/Empress_Theatre_(Montreal)) until 1933,[1] and they created a theatre company, The British Guild Players, that specialized in comedies during the depression era.[2] Eventually they left Vancouver and moved to Hollywood.[1] Holden appeared in 46 motion pictures between 1935 and 1958, and she is best known for her recurring role as Emily Hardy, mother of [Mickey Rooney](/source/Mickey_Rooney)'s character in the *[Andy Hardy](/source/Andy_Hardy)* film series.[3] 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](/source/Hazzelelponi), the mother of [Samson](/source/Samson) ([Victor Mature](/source/Victor_Mature)), in [Cecil B. DeMille](/source/Cecil_B._DeMille)'s *[Samson and Delilah](/source/Samson_and_Delilah_(1949_film))*,[4] 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.[5] She died in Los Angeles, California, aged 79, from cancer.[6] ## Partial filmography - *[The Pace That Kills](/source/The_Pace_That_Kills_(1935_film))* (1935) as Madame / Henchwoman - *[I Married a Doctor](/source/I_Married_a_Doctor)* (1936) as Ella Stowbody - *[The White Angel](/source/The_White_Angel_(1936_film))* (1936) as Queen Victoria (uncredited) - *[Wives Never Know](/source/Wives_Never_Know)* (1936) as Mrs. Gossamer - *[Polo Joe](/source/Polo_Joe)* (1936) as Aunt Minnie - *[The Accusing Finger](/source/The_Accusing_Finger)* (1936) as Little Old Lady (uncredited) - *[Guns of the Pecos](/source/Guns_of_the_Pecos)* (1937) as Aunt Carrie Burton - *[Bulldog Drummond Escapes](/source/Bulldog_Drummond_Escapes)* (1937) as Natalie - *[Internes Can't Take Money](/source/Internes_Can't_Take_Money)* (1937) as Mother Teresa - *[King of Gamblers](/source/King_of_Gamblers)* (1937) as Nurse - *[Exclusive](/source/Exclusive_(film))* (1937) as Mrs. Swain - *[Souls at Sea](/source/Souls_at_Sea)* (1937) as Mrs. Martin (uncredited) - *[Double or Nothing](/source/Double_or_Nothing_(1937_film))* (1937) as Martha Sewell Clark - *[You're Only Young Once](/source/You're_Only_Young_Once)* (1937) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Love Is a Headache](/source/Love_Is_a_Headache)* (1938) as Mary, Peter's Secretary - *[Judge Hardy's Children](/source/Judge_Hardy's_Children)* (1938) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Test Pilot](/source/Test_Pilot_(film))* (1938) as Lingerie Saleslady (uncredited) - *[Hold That Kiss](/source/Hold_That_Kiss)* (1938) as Mrs. Evans - *[Love Finds Andy Hardy](/source/Love_Finds_Andy_Hardy)* (1938) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Out West with the Hardys](/source/Out_West_with_the_Hardys)* (1938) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Sweethearts](/source/Sweethearts_(1938_film))* (1938) as Hannah - *[Sergeant Madden](/source/Sergeant_Madden)* (1939) as Mary Madden - *[The Hardys Ride High](/source/The_Hardys_Ride_High)* (1939) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever](/source/Andy_Hardy_Gets_Spring_Fever)* (1939) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Judge Hardy and Son](/source/Judge_Hardy_and_Son)* (1939) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Andy Hardy Meets Debutante](/source/Andy_Hardy_Meets_Debutante)* (1940) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Bitter Sweet](/source/Bitter_Sweet_(operetta))* (1940) as Mrs. Millick - *[Andy Hardy's Private Secretary](/source/Andy_Hardy's_Private_Secretary)* (1941) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[The Penalty](/source/The_Penalty_(1941_film))* (1941) (scenes deleted) - *[Washington Melodrama](/source/Washington_Melodrama)* (1941) as Mrs. Claymore - *[Ziegfeld Girl](/source/Ziegfeld_Girl_(film))* (1941) as Mrs. Regan - *[I'll Wait for You](/source/I'll_Wait_for_You_(film))* (1941) as Mrs. Miller - *[Blossoms in the Dust](/source/Blossoms_in_the_Dust)* (1941) as Mrs. Kahly - *[Life Begins for Andy Hardy](/source/Life_Begins_for_Andy_Hardy)* (1941) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[H.M. Pulham, Esq.](/source/H.M._Pulham%2C_Esq.)* (1941) as Mrs. John Pulham - *[The Courtship of Andy Hardy](/source/The_Courtship_of_Andy_Hardy)* (1942) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Andy Hardy's Double Life](/source/Andy_Hardy's_Double_Life)* (1942) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble](/source/Andy_Hardy's_Blonde_Trouble)* (1944) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Canyon Passage](/source/Canyon_Passage)* (1946) as Mrs. Overmire - *[Little Miss Big](/source/Little_Miss_Big)* (1946) as Mary Jane Baxter - *[Love Laughs at Andy Hardy](/source/Love_Laughs_at_Andy_Hardy)* (1946) as Mrs. Emily Hardy - *[Whispering Smith](/source/Whispering_Smith)* (1948) as Emmy Dansing - *[Samson and Delilah](/source/Samson_and_Delilah_(1949_film))* (1949) as Hazelelponit - *[The Big Hangover](/source/The_Big_Hangover)* (1950) as Martha Belney - *[Andy Hardy Comes Home](/source/Andy_Hardy_Comes_Home)* (1958) as Mrs. Emily Hardy (final film role) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-empress_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-empress_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-empress_1-2) ["The Clydes, the Butlers and the Empress Theatre"](http://evelazarus.com/the-clydes-the-butlers-and-the-empress-theatre/). *Eve Lazarus*. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Szloboda, Sarah (10 June 2011). ["Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood North"](http://vancouverisawesome.com/2011/06/10/mr-and-mrs-hollywood-north/). *@VIAwesome*. Retrieved 3 January 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Fay Holden – Brief Entry About the Hardy Family Matriarch"](http://immortalephemera.com/58471/fay-holden/). *Immortal Ephemera*. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Kozlovic, Anton Karl (31 January 2006). ["Constructing the Motherliness of Manoah's Wife in Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949)"](http://wjudaism.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/wjudaism/article/view/230/315). *Women in Judaism: A Multidisciplinary e-Journal*. Retrieved 3 January 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["David Clyde: Stage and film actor"](http://www.helensburgh-heritage.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=711:david-clyde-stage-and-film-actor&catid=81:the-arts&Itemid=458). *www.helensburgh-heritage.co.uk*. 4 April 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 2001). [*Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory*](https://books.google.com/books?id=ZraJCgAAQBAJ&q=fay+holden+cancer&pg=PA54). McFarland. p. 54. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0786409839](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0786409839). Retrieved 3 January 2017. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Fay Holden](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fay_Holden). - [Fay Holden](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0390189/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) - [Fay Holden](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4780) at [Find a Grave](/source/Find_a_Grave) - [Fay Holden](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/40256) at the [Internet Broadway Database](/source/Internet_Broadway_Database) (as Gaby Fay) Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States Other SNAC Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fay Holden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay_Holden) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fay_Holden?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.