Faye Margaret Emerson was an American film and stage actress, and television interviewer who gained fame as a film actress in the 1940s, before transitioning to television in the 1950s, hosting her own talk show. Born in Louisiana, Emerson spent the majority of her early life in San Diego, California. She became interested in theater while attending San Diego State College, and subsequently pursued an acting career, appearing in stock theater in California. She subsequently signed a contract Warner Bros., and began appearing in their films in 1941. She starred in several films noir, including Lady Gangster, and Howard Hawks's war film Air Force. In 1944, she played one of her more memorable roles as Zachary Scott's former lover in The Mask of Dimitrios. From 1944 to 1950, she was married to Colonel Elliott Roosevelt, son of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 1949, Emerson began hosting The Faye Emerson Show, a late-night talk show series. She went on to become a prolific television interviewer, which earned her the nickname "The First Lady of Television". Throughout the 1950s, she also appeared in numerous Broadway stage productions. Emerson formally retired from show business in 1963, and retired to Europe. She resided there until 1983, when she died of stomach cancer in Deià, Spain, aged 65. For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Emerson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Her star is located at 6529 Hollywood Blvd.

Filmography

• 1950Guilty Bystander — Georgia
• The Jack Benny Program — Faye Emerson
• Your Show of Shows
• Studio One — Melissa
• The Philco Television Playhouse — The Glamour Girl
• 1946Her Kind of Man — Ruby Marino
• 1946Nobody Lives Forever — Toni Blackburn
• 1945Danger Signal — Hilda Fenchurch
• 1945Hotel Berlin — Tillie Weiler
• 1944Between Two Worlds — Maxine Russell
• 1944Crime by Night — Ann Marlow
• 1944In Our Time — Friend of Count Stephan in Nightclub (uncredited)
• 1944The Desert Song — Hajy
• 1944The Mask of Dimitrios — Irana Preveza
• 1944The Very Thought of You — Cora 'Cuddles' Colton
• 1944Uncertain Glory — Louise
• 1943Air Force — Susan McMartin
• 1943Destination Tokyo — Mrs. Cassidy
• 1943Find the Blackmailer — Mona Vance
• 1943Food and Magic
• 1943The Hard Way — Ice Cream Parlor Waitress
• 1943Women at War — Anastasia 'Stormy' Hart
• 1942Juke Girl — Violet 'Murph' Murphy
• 1942Lady Gangster — Dot Burton
• 1942Murder in the Big House — Gladys Wayne
• 1942Secret Enemies — Paula Fengler
• 1942Wild Bill Hickok Rides — Peg
• 1941At the Stroke of Twelve — Miss LaMond
• 1941Bad Men of Missouri — Martha Adams
• 1941Blues in the Night — Dr. Morse's Nurse (uncredited)
• 1941Manpower — Nurse Who Lost Draw (uncredited)
• 1941Nine Lives Are Not Enough — Rose Chadwick
• 1941The Nurse's Secret — Miss Hill

Appearances as themselves (11)

• Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes — Self - Television Host (archive footage)
• The Match Game — Self - Team Captain
• The David Susskind Show — Self
• Tonight Starring Jack Paar — Self
• The George Gobel Show — Self
• 1953Main Street to Broadway — Self
• I've Got a Secret — Self
• The Colgate Comedy Hour — Self
• What's My Line? — Self
• The Ed Sullivan Show — Self
• 1944Hollywood Canteen — Self