Myrna Fahey

From ski slopes to California sets

Myrna Fahey didn't arrive in Hollywood intending to be a fleeting star. Before stepping in front of a camera, she was a competitive skier in Maine, and that physical endurance helped her survive the industry's frantic pace.

In 1954, she landed her first contract, a brief appearance in A Star Is Born. It wasn't an explosive debut, but it taught her that television was where the bills got paid. So she started racking up episodes in series such as The West Point Story and Matinee Theatre.

And the gamble paid off.

Her face became a familiar sight in American homes during the 1950s. In 1958, she appeared in Zorro, and a year later she showed up in Perry Mason. She worked tirelessly because she knew that back then, relevance was measured by how often you appeared on the TV screen.

Gothic Horror and Media Romance

Her big break came in 1960 under Roger Corman. Playing Madeline Usher in House of Usher put her on screen with a peak-era Vincent Price. In that film she proved she could carry a genre production with an uncommon restraint.

Fahey brought a mix of vulnerability and mystery that fit perfectly with the atmosphere of Edgar Allan Poe.

But the society press preferred to talk about her companions. In 1964, she was in a relationship with baseball player Joe DiMaggio that put her at the center of all eyes. That romance generated a media buzz that sometimes overshadowed her professional achievements in series such as Father of the Bride.

In that production, she appeared in 34 episodes between 1961 and 1962, playing Kay Banks.

A sudden ending in Santa Monica

The 1960s were her most active period. She appeared in 77 Sunset Strip and Laramie while trying to find roles that moved beyond the damsel in distress. But the industry had its own plans and often typecast her as classic beauties with tragic fates.

Her health unexpectedly began to fail in the early 1970s.

She was admitted to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica after months of complications. Myrna Fahey died on May 6, 1973 of cancer at just 40 years old. She was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in her native Maine. Her professional legacy is a filmography of more than 40 productions across film and television.