The life of Anthony Dion Fay: Barbara Stanwyck's only adopted son
Anthony Dion Fay was 10 months old when Barbara Stanwyck and her ex-husband, Frank Fay, adopted him. However, he became estranged from the late Hollywood star after his childhood, allegedly due to her "demanding expectations". Even on her deathbed, Barbara refused to reconnect with him. On their last encounter, Fay recalled:
As politely as a stranger, I asked about her career. As the movie queen she was, she answered vaguely.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Anthony Dion Fay's name before his adoption was John Charles Greene.
- Barbara Stanwyck won custody of Dion after her divorce from Frank Fay was finalised in 1935.
- Anthony and her adoptive mother became permanently estranged in the early 1950s after she sent him to a military school in Indiana.
Anthony Dion Fay's profile summary
Full name | Anthony Dion Fay |
Date of birth | 5 February 1932 |
Date of death | 17 May 2006 |
Age at death | 74 years old |
Birthplace | Los Angeles, California, USA |
Nationality | American |
Marital status | Married |
Children | 1 |
Adoptive parents | Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Fay |
Barbara purportedly adopted Anthony Dion Fay to "save her marriage"
Barbara married her Burlesque co-star Frank Fay in August 1928. However, the couple never had children, reportedly due to a botched abortion at 15 that rendered the actress infertile. The couple became Anthony's legal adoptive parents on 5 December 1932.
Nonetheless, Stanwyck's alleged reason for taking the child in was not because she wanted to be a mother, but because she thought he would stabilise her home life.
At the time, Frank was reportedly physically abusive towards Barbara, struggled with alcoholism and was bitter about her rising Hollywood stardom. He purportedly once threw the toddler into a swimming pool. Ultimately, Stanwyck filed for divorce, and Dion became the subject of a public, lengthy custody battle.
Source: Original
A look at Barbara Stanwyck's "tough love" parenting style
After Barbara won custody of Dion, she raised him with a strict, authoritarian hand. Having grown up in foster homes, she reportedly expected perfection and became frustrated when he did not meet his expectations. From a young age, Stanwyck sent Dion away to boarding schools and summer camps, straining their relationship.
Film critic Richard Corliss once wrote, "the child resembled Barbara in only one respect: both were, effectively, orphans." When Anthony was 12, he was hospitalised after suffering a severe injury during a camp. In the Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman book, Dion narrated his mom's reaction to the accident, revealing:
The doctors phoned her, and I waited for her to visit me, but she never so much as called.
Anthony blamed himself for his estranged relationship with Barbara
At 15, Anthony became a delinquent to get his mom's attention. Together with her then-husband, Robert Taylor, Barbara lectured him about his future. Taylor said the teenager "was not a bad kid, but he got bad grades". Dion and Stanwyck's rift reportedly became permanent in 1951, when he was about.
They never saw or talked to each other except for a brief lunch date organised by his Uncle Buck in 1952. In 1960, Anthony expressed regret for not taking the school opportunities that his mother offered him seriously. He said:
I am sorry that I never took advantage of the offer. It was more my fault than hers about how we went our separate ways.
Source: Getty Images
According to Closer Weekly, the Night Nurse star once commented on his estranged relationship with Dion, stating:
Some children are born with bad blood, just like horses.
Barbara never attended Dion's wedding nor saw her grandson
Barbara declined Anthony's wedding invitation and instead gifted the newlyweds a bathroom set. When the couple welcomed a child, she sent them baby furniture and $100.
In 1960, at 28, Dion was arrested for selling explicit literature to teenagers while working at a motel. After pleading innocent to the charges, his bail was set at $500. Anthony said of his legal woes:
I have never been in trouble before, but I have done something wrong and will have to pay for it.
He also told reporters, "My mother and I do not speak."
Anthony tried to mend the broken relationship with his mom
In adulthood, Dion once asked his Uncle Buck if he could come home to see his mom, but he discouraged him from doing so. In the book, he recalled his uncle's response, revealing:
He told me to forget that Barbara Stanwyck was my mother. He said, "She wants nothing to do with you."
Source: Getty Images
He passed away 16 years after his adoptive mother
Barbara passed away on 20 January 1990, at the age of 82, due to congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. At the time, she had not talked to Anthony for years.
However, the actress allegedly left Tony a small sum of money as an inheritance on the condition that he never speak publicly about her. According to Find a Grave records, Dion passed away on 17 May 2006. However, the cause of death and his burial details remain unknown.
FAQs
Barbara was best known for her versatility and realistic screen presence. Here are some frequently asked questions about her:
Who are Barbara Stanwyck's parents?
Stanwyck's parents were Kathryn Ann and Byron Stevens. The former passed away in 1911 after suffering a fatal sepsis, while the latter passed away a few years later in an epidemic while digging the Panama Canal.
Source: Getty Images
How rich was Barbara Stanwyck?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Barbara had an estimated net worth of $10 million at the time of her death. She had amassed this wealth from her multi-decade illustrious acting career.
Conclusion
Anthony Dion Fay was widely recognised as Barbara Stanwyck's only adopted child. However, the pair had an estranged relationship, reportedly due to his delinquency and her strict parenting style.
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At age 12, he moved in with Alan and Sally Hickford, the parents of his close friend and teammate. In 2016, he dropped the name "Alli" from his jersey, formally distancing himself from his biological parents.
Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
