---
name: "Nanette Fabray"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/nanette-fabray"
fi1m_id: "nanette-fabray"
imdb_id: "nm0264660"
tmdb_id: 160239
wikidata_id: "Q1291104"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "27 October 1920"
died: "22 February 2018"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-25T05:26:20.290134+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Nanette Fabray

## Identity

Nanette Fabray

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/nanette-fabray
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** nanette-fabray
- **IMDb ID:** nm0264660
- **TMDB ID:** 160239
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1291104
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanette_Fabray, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1291104, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0264660/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/160239

Actor. Born 27 October 1920 in San Diego, California, USA. Died 22 February 2018.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 27 October 1920, San Diego, California, USA
- **Died:** 22 February 2018
- **Also known as:** Nanette Fabares, Ruby Bernadette Nanette Theresa Fabares
- **Primetime Emmy Awards:** 2 Emmys (2 won)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanette_Fabray, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1291104, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0264660/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/160239

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The Band Wagon*](https://film.one/film/the-band-wagon.md) (84)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Nanette Fabray was an American actress, singer and dancer. Born Ruby Bernadette Nanette Theresa Fabares on 27 October 1920 in San Diego, California, she began performing in vaudeville as a child and made her Broadway debut in the 1940s. She starred in musicals including *High Button Shoes* (1947) and won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for *Love Life* (1949).

In 1953 she appeared as Lily Marton opposite Fred Astaire in the MGM musical *The Band Wagon*. On television she was a regular on *Caesar's Hour* in the mid-1950s, winning three Emmy Awards, and later played recurring roles including Katherine Romano on *One Day at a Time* (1975–1984). She also guest-starred on series such as *The Mary Tyler Moore Show* and *Coach*. Fabray was the aunt of actress Shelley Fabares.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com, variety.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Band Wagon* (1953), Fi1m 84, as Lily Marton — [page](https://film.one/film/the-band-wagon.md)

## Complete filmography (39)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *That's Entertainment! III* (1994), as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- *Teresa's Tattoo* (1994), as Martha Mae
- *The Golden Palace* (1992), series, as Fern
- *Personal Exemptions* (1989), Actor
- *Coach* (1989), series, as Mildred Armstrong, Christine's Mom
- *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), series, as Emmaline Bristow
- *Hotel* (1982), series, as Harriet Gold
- *Amy* (1981), as Malvina
- *Aloha Paradise* (1981), series, Actor
- *The Man in the Santa Claus Suit* (1979), as Dora Dayton
- *All Star Secrets* (1979), series, Actor
- *Harper Valley P.T.A.* (1978), as Alice Finely
- *The Love Boat* (1977), series, as Mitzy Monroe, Maggie O'Brien, Shirley Simpson
- *That's Entertainment, Part II* (1976), as (archive footage)
- *One Day at a Time* (1975), series, as Katherine Romano
- *Happy Anniversary and Goodbye* (1974), as Fay
- *The Couple Takes a Wife* (1972), as Marion Randolph
- *Magic Carpet* (1972), as Virginia Wolfe
- *But I Don't Want to Get Married!* (1970), as Mrs. Vale
- *The Mary Tyler Moore Show* (1970), series, as Dottie Richards — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mary-tyler-moore-show.md)
- *George M!* (1970), as Nellie Cohan
- *The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County* (1970), as Sadie
- *The Happy Ending* (1969), as Agnes
- *Love, American Style* (1969), series, as Cindy, Phyllis, Casey
- *Fame Is the Name of the Game* (1966), as Pat
- *Alice Through the Looking Glass* (1966), as The White Queen
- *The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.* (1966), series, as Desiree
- *Burke's Law* (1963), series, as Amanda Tribble, Rowena Coolidge
- *Westinghouse Playhouse* (1961), series, as Nan McGovern
- *The Subterraneans* (1960), as Society Woman (uncredited)
- *Startime* (1959), series, as Sally
- *Laramie* (1959), series, Actor
- *The Family Nobody Wanted* (1956), as Helen Doss
- *The Band Wagon* (1953), as Lily Marton — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-band-wagon.md)
- *Your Show of Shows* (1950), series, Actor
- *A Child is Born* (1939), as Gladys Norton
- *The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex* (1939), as Mistress Margaret Radcliffe
- *The Monroe Doctrine* (1939), as Rosita De La Torre
- *Animal Catchers* (1927), as Girl wearing overalls

## Gallery

- ![Publicity photo of Nanette Fabray (1950)](https://film.one/media/person/3869691/gallery-ed8218ac625d.jpg) Publicity photo of Nanette Fabray (1950) — Marcus Blechman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Nanette_Fabray_-_1950.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Nanette Fabray in The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (1957)](https://film.one/media/person/3869691/gallery-3a6259594fa5.jpg) Nanette Fabray in The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (1957) — NBC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Nanette_Fabray_1957.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Nanette Fabray](https://film.one/media/person/3869691/gallery-4b4ca163e4e3.jpg) Nanette Fabray — NBC Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Nanette_Fabray_1963.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Photo of Pearl Bailey and Nanette Fabray in a scene from the 1950 Broadway musical Arms and the Girl.](https://film.one/media/person/3869691/gallery-c2bf1a4b39c4.jpg) Photo of Pearl Bailey and Nanette Fabray in a scene from the 1950 Broadway musical Arms and the Girl. — Photo by Vandamm, New York, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Pearl_Bailey_Nanette_Fabray_Arms_and_the_Girl_1950.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Nanette Fabray](https://film.one/media/person/3869691/gallery-091728908f57.jpg) Nanette Fabray — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 2 won

- 1957: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (won), for *Caesar's Hour*
- 1956: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (won), for *Caesar's Hour*

### Other awards — 2 won, 1 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical 1963: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (nominated)
- Emmy Award 1955: Emmy Award (won)
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical 1949: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/nanette-fabray