Nanette Fabray

Biography

Nanette Fabray was an American actress, singer and dancer who worked as a child in vaudeville and later built a career in musical theater during the 1940s and 1950s. Born in San Diego, she made her feature film debut in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939). On Broadway, she was acclaimed for High Button Shoes and won a Tony Award for Love Life. In the mid-1950s she was Sid Caesar's comic partner on Caesar's Hour and won three Emmy Awards. She appeared with Fred Astaire in the musical The Band Wagon (1953), and her later films included The Happy Ending (1969) and Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978). On television, she played Katherine Romano on One Day at a Time from 1979 to 1984 and the mother of Christine Armstrong on Coach. In 1986, the Screen Actors Guild gave her a Life Achievement award.

97years old at death

Born October 27, 1920San Diego
Died February 22, 2018Palos Verdes Peninsula
Star sign: ScorpioThe sign runs October 23 to November 21
Ruby Bernadette Nanette Therese Fabares (birth name)Also credited as Ruby Bernadette Nanette Fabares and Nanette Fabares

Movie Career

Films: 8
Career span: 64 years1939 to 2003

Genres

Drama50%, 4 films
Comedy38%, 3 films
History25%, 2 films
Biography13%, 1 film
Crime13%, 1 film

First and latest

Did you know?!

About the name
Fabray changed the spelling of her surname from Fabares to Fabray after Ed Sullivan mispronounced it while she performed at a Madison Square Garden benefit.
Early training
Artur Rodzinski, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, offered to sponsor operatic vocal training for Fabray at Juilliard, where she studied with Lucia Dunham in 1941 before withdrawing after about five months.

Nanette Fabray movies on Netflix

Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There2003IMDb rating 8.3as Himself
Teresa's Tattoo1994IMDb rating 4.5as Martha Mae
The Man in the Santa Claus Suit1979IMDb rating 6.5as Dora Dayton
Harper Valley P.T.A.1978IMDb rating 5.8as Alice Finely
The Happy Ending1969IMDb rating 6.3as Agnes
Fame Is the Name of the Game1966IMDb rating 6.9as Pat
The Band Wagon1953IMDb rating 7.4as Lily Marton
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex1939IMDb rating 7.0as Mistress Margaret Radcliffe

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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The Band Wagon1953 Comedy, Musical, Romanceas Lily Marton
IMDb rating 7.414K votes
Harper Valley P.T.A.1978 Comedyas Alice Finely
IMDb rating 5.81.4K votes
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex1939as Mistress Margaret Radcliffe
IMDb rating 7.06.7K votes
The Happy Ending1969as Agnes
IMDb rating 6.31.5K votes
The Man in the Santa Claus Suit1979as Dora Dayton
IMDb rating 6.5396 votes
Fame Is the Name of the Game1966as Pat
IMDb rating 6.9229 votes
Teresa's Tattoo1994as Martha Mae
IMDb rating 4.5580 votes
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There2003as Himself
IMDb rating 8.3519 votes

Worked with

Nanette Fabray shares two films with Fred Astaire, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Fred Astaire

Majel Barrett

Alec Baldwin

Woody Harrelson

Vincent Price

Robert Duvall

Vincente MinnelliDirector, 1 film Michael CurtizDirector, 1 film

Richard BrooksDirector, 1 film

Films together

Fred Astaire2 films together, 1953 to 1979
Fred Astaire's page
- The Man in the Santa Claus Suit1979IMDb rating 6.5Fabray as Dora DaytonAstaire as Santa Claus
- The Band Wagon1953IMDb rating 7.4Fabray as Lily MartonAstaire as Tony Hunter
Majel Barrett2 films together, 1979 to 1994
Majel Barrett's page
- Teresa's Tattoo1994IMDb rating 4.5Fabray as Martha MaeBarrett as Henrietta
- The Man in the Santa Claus Suit1979IMDb rating 6.5Fabray as Dora DaytonBarrett as Miss Forsythe
Alec Baldwin1 film together, 2003
Alec Baldwin's page
- Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There2003IMDb rating 8.3Fabray as HimselfBaldwin as Himself
Woody Harrelson1 film together, 1978
Woody Harrelson's page
- Harper Valley P.T.A.1978IMDb rating 5.8Fabray as Alice FinelyHarrelson as Extra
Vincent Price1 film together, 1939
Vincent Price's page
- The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex1939IMDb rating 7.0Fabray as Mistress Margaret RadcliffePrice as Sir Walter Raleigh
Robert Duvall1 film together, 1966
Robert Duvall's page
- Fame Is the Name of the Game1966IMDb rating 6.9Fabray as PatDuvall as Eddie Franchot
Vincente MinnelliDirector, 1 film, 1953
All films by Vincente Minnelli
- The Band Wagon1953IMDb rating 7.4Fabray as Lily Marton
Michael CurtizDirector, 1 film, 1939
All films by Michael Curtiz
- The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex1939IMDb rating 7.0Fabray as Mistress Margaret Radcliffe
Richard BrooksDirector, 1 film, 1969
All films by Richard Brooks
- The Happy Ending1969IMDb rating 6.3Fabray as Agnes

Awards

Six awards and honors from 1949 to 1957, five of them major.

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Nanette Fabray's awards and nominations, grouped by award
Year	Award	Film	Result
Emmy Awards
1957	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	Caesar's Hour	Won
1956	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Caesar's Hour	Won
1955	Emmy Award		Won
SAG Awards
	Life Achievement Award		Won
Tony Awards
1949	Best Actress in a Musical		Won
Other honors
	Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame		Honored

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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