Fay Kanin Dies: Award-Winning Screenwriter Passes At 95


Oscar-nominated screenwriter Fay Kanin has died at the age of 95. Kanin was also the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The screenwriter and her husband, Michael Kanin, were one of the most popular husband-and-wife screenwriting teams in Hollywood history.

The couple shared an Oscar nomination for Teacher’s Pet (1958), a spunky romantic comedy. The movie starred Clark Gable and newspaper editor Doris Day.

In addition to the big screen, Fay Kanin also wrote for the stage. She and her husband wrote Broadway hits like Fashomon and The Gay Life, which starred Barbara Cook.

The screenwriter went solo in the early 1970s after the couple’s writing partnership became stressful. During that time, Fay Kanin penned Tell Me Where It Hurts, which captured two Emmys. She also wrote Hustling and Heat of Anger during that time.

Kanin once wrote of her life, “I am interested in growth. To me, that’s the most interesting thing, that people change, grow. I guess that’s been present, in some form or other, in almost every movie that I’ve done.” Fay Kanin succeeded Howard W. Koch as Academy president in 1979. She served the first of four terms and was only the second woman to hold that role.

Fay was born in New York City on May 9, 1917. Her family supported her efforts to break into show business so much that the whole family moved to Los Angeles. Once there, Kanin attended USC and completed a bachelor’s degree. She started as a script reader at RKO, where she was able to learn about the business. She also made several friends and met her future husband.

The pair spent their honeymoon in 1940 penning a screenplay together. During her time as a screenwriter, Kanin also received kudos from the Writers Guild. She received the Valentine Davies award in 1975 for contributions to the entertainment industry and community at large.

There is no word on what Fay Kanin’s funeral arrangements will be.

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