Born and raised in
Joliet, Illinois, Fay was a featured cast member with Chicago's
The Second City in the early 1980s. Fay's first television role was in the 1987 television series
Ohara. She has guest-starred on numerous shows including
Thirtysomething,
Roseanne,
Mad About You,
Seinfeld,
Dharma & Greg,
Gilmore Girls,
Suddenly Susan,
Charmed and
Freaks and Geeks. She starred in
Carol & Company,
The Home Court,
Tales of the City, and
Woops!, as well as appearing in
Magnolia (1999). In 2004, she starred in
Stephen King's
Kingdom Hospital. She has also had recurring roles on
Malcolm in the Middle and
The Bernie Mac Show, and has guest starred on
Six Feet Under,
Nip/Tuck,
Desperate Housewives,
The Big Bang Theory, and as Chelsea's mother on several episodes of
Two and a Half Men. She made her directorial debut with playwright Jeffrey Sweet's play
Kunstler at the 59 East 59 Theaters in Manhattan. ==Personal life==