After appearing in minor movie roles; Wray was contracted to Paramount Pictures as a teenager; where she made more than a dozen movies. After leaving Paramount; she signed deals with various film companies; being cast in her first horror film roles among many other types of roles; including in The Bowery (1933) and Viva Villa (1934); both huge productions starring Wallace Beery.

For RKO Radio Pictures; Inc.; she starred in the film with which she is most identified; King Kong (1933). After the success of King Kong; Wray made numerous appearances in both film and television before retiring in 1980.