Hilda Fay Biography: Age, Husband, Children, Net Worth, Parents, Height, Fair City, Movies, Awards

Hilda Fay is an accomplished Irish actress renowned for her work in theatre, television, and film.

She is best known for her long-running role as Tracey McGuigan in the RTÉ soap opera Fair City, as well as acclaimed performances in The Woman in the Wall (2023), Float Like a Butterfly (2018), Let the Wrong One In (2022), House of Guinness (2025), and Trespasses (2024).

She has received two IFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actress in Television for Whistleblower (2009) and The Woman in the Wall (2024).

Quick Facts

• Full Name: Hilda Fay
• Stage Name: Hilda Fay
• Born: 1973
• Age: 53 years old
• Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
• Nationality: Irish
• Ethnicity: Irish
• Occupation: Actress
• Height: 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
• Religion: Unknown
• Parents: Mr. Fay and Mrs. Fay
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: Alan Vale
• Children: Nancy Vale and Pearl Vale
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: $3 million USD

Early Life and Education

Hilda Fay was born in 1973 in Dublin, Ireland, to parents Mr. Fay and Mrs. Fay. She grew up in the Artane area of north Dublin in a working-class family with roots in Dublin’s East Wall.

From a young age, she attended dance classes six days a week and trained at the Billie Barry Stage School, working professionally as a child performer. She later studied Theatre Studies at Trinity College Dublin’s Samuel Beckett Centre, graduating and training further at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York.

Her early career involved scraping by as an actor and dancer for several years before establishing herself professionally. Her ethnicity is Irish. Her religion is Unknown.

Career

Hilda Fay has worked extensively in Irish theatre, film, and television for over 30 years. She played Tracey McGuigan in Fair City for a decade before leaving around 2015 to focus on diverse roles.

Notable screen credits include Ordinary Decent Criminal (1999), Saltwater (2000), Kisses (2008), The Clinic, Proof, The Cured (2017), Float Like a Butterfly (2018), Let the Wrong One In (2022), The Woman in the Wall (2023), House of Guinness (2025), and Trespasses (2024).

In theatre, she has starred in productions like The Plough and the Stars, Juno and the Paycock, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. She has also done voice work, audiobooks, and radio.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: @fay.hilda
• Facebook: Hilda Fay Actor

Personal Life

Hilda Fay is married to Alan Vale since 2007, after meeting him (she initially told him she was an air hostess). They have two daughters, Nancy Vale and Pearl Vale, who attended Gaelscoil (Irish-language schools) and have assisted her with Irish-language dialogue for roles like in House of Guinness.

No past relationships are publicly known. She raised her family in a flat in Dublin, prioritizing a grounded family life while pursuing her acting career. She remains proud of her daughters’ Irish-language skills and keeps her personal life relatively private.

Net Worth

Hilda Fay‘s net worth is estimated at $3 million USD. Her income primarily comes from acting roles in long-running television series like Fair City and recent high-profile shows on BBC, Showtime, Netflix, and Apple TV+; feature films and independent Irish cinema; extensive theatre productions across major Irish venues; voice work and audiobook narration; and residuals from international broadcasts and streaming platforms.

Filmography

• Ordinary Decent Criminal (1999)
• Saltwater (2000)
• Kisses (2008)
• Whistleblower (2008, TV)
• The Cured (2017)
• Float Like a Butterfly (2018)
• Let the Wrong One In (2022)
• The Woman in the Wall (2023, TV series)
• House of Guinness (2025, TV series)
• Trespasses (2024, TV series)
• Fair City (recurring role, TV series)