Charles Ray

Charles Ray

Biography: From Wikipedia Charles Edgar Ray (March 15, 1891 – November 23, 1943) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. Ray rose to fame during the mid-1910s portraying young wholesome hicks in silent comedy films. Ray was born in Jacksonville, Illinois and moved to Springfield as a child where he attended elementary school. He then moved to Arizona for a time before finally relocating to Los Angeles where he finished his education. He initially began his career on the stage before working for director Thomas H. Ince as a film extra in December 1912. He appeared in several bit parts before moving on to supporting roles. Ray's break came in 1915 when he appeared opposite Frank Keenan in the historical war drama The Coward. Ray's popularity increased after appearing in a series of films which cast him in juvenile roles, primarily young hicks or "country bumpkins" that foiled the plans of thieves or con men. In March 1917, he signed with Paramount Pictures and resumed working with director Thomas H. Ince. By 1920, he was earning a reported $11,000 a week. Around this time, he left Paramount after studio head Adolph Zukor refused to give him a pay raise. Zukor later wrote in his autobiography The Public Is Never Wrong, that Ray's ego had gotten out of hand and that Ray "...was headed for trouble and  did not care to be with him when he found it." After leaving Paramount, Ray formed his own production company, Charles Ray Productions, and also used his fortune to purchase a studio in Los Angeles where he began producing and shooting his own films. On November 23, 1943, Ray died of a mouth and throat infection at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles for which he had been hospitalized six weeks prior. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Charles Ray has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6355 Hollywood Boulevard.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: March 15, 1891

Deathday: November 23, 1943

Popularity:

2.637

Known For

The Wolf Woman
The Wolf Woman

1916-09-17

The Family Skeleton
The Family Skeleton

1918-03-31

Sweet Adeline
Sweet Adeline

1926-01-14

Welcome Home
Welcome Home

1935-08-09

Playing the Game
Playing the Game

1918-04-22

Percy
Percy

1925-04-05

The Grudge
The Grudge

1915-02-24

The Conversion of Frosty Blake
The Conversion of Frosty Blake

1915-06-02

Staking His Life
Staking His Life

1918-01-01

The Sheriff's Son
The Sheriff's Son

1919-03-30

Stars of Yesterday
Stars of Yesterday

1931-12-31

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

1961-05-24

The Boomerang
The Boomerang

1913-06-13

The Transgressor
The Transgressor

1913-06-25

Old Mammy's Secret Code
Old Mammy's Secret Code

1913-07-16

For Mother's Sake
For Mother's Sake

1913-11-11

The Renegade
The Renegade

1915-04-28

The Gangsters and the Girl
The Gangsters and the Girl

1914-08-07

The Cup of Life
The Cup of Life

1915-04-26

The Forbidden Adventure
The Forbidden Adventure

1915-12-02

Home
Home

1916-08-27

Honor Thy Name
Honor Thy Name

1916-08-06

The Weaker Sex
The Weaker Sex

1917-01-07

The Courtship of Miles Standish
The Courtship of Miles Standish

1923-12-30

45 Minutes from Broadway
45 Minutes from Broadway

1920-08-30

The Camera Speaks
The Camera Speaks

1934-08-11

Mrs. Miniver
Mrs. Miniver

1942-07-03

The Son of His Father
The Son of His Father

1917-10-22

The Fire Brigade
The Fire Brigade

1926-12-20

The Coward
The Coward

1915-11-14

Just My Luck
Just My Luck

1935-12-30

By Your Leave
By Your Leave

1934-11-09

Ticket to a Crime
Ticket to a Crime

1934-12-14

Getting Gertie's Garter
Getting Gertie's Garter

1927-02-28

The House That Shadows Built
The House That Shadows Built

1931-07-08

The Claws of the Hun
The Claws of the Hun

1918-07-08

Gas, Oil and Water
Gas, Oil and Water

1922-03-01

The Grey Sentinel
The Grey Sentinel

1913-04-09

The Dividend
The Dividend

1916-06-18

The Busher
The Busher

1919-05-17

Vanity
Vanity

1927-05-09

The Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden

1928-02-04

The Auction Block
The Auction Block

1926-07-19

His Own Home Town
His Own Home Town

1918-05-27

String Beans
String Beans

1918-12-22

Sudden Jim
Sudden Jim

1917-07-22

The Hired Man
The Hired Man

1918-01-27

The Millionaire Vagrant
The Millionaire Vagrant

1917-05-27

Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard

1936-08-20

The Lady from Cheyenne
The Lady from Cheyenne

1941-04-11

The Clodhopper
The Clodhopper

1917-06-24

The Quakeress
The Quakeress

1913-08-12

The Lure of Woman
The Lure of Woman

1915-09-27

Ladies Should Listen
Ladies Should Listen

1934-08-10

The Man Who Lost Himself
The Man Who Lost Himself

1941-03-21

Slightly Dangerous
Slightly Dangerous

1943-04-01

The Deuce of Spades
The Deuce of Spades

1922-05-01

The American
The American

1927-01-01

Bright Lights
Bright Lights

1925-11-15

Back of the Man
Back of the Man

1917-03-04

Plain Jane
Plain Jane

1916-10-08

A Village Sleuth
A Village Sleuth

1920-09-12

In the Tennessee Hills
In the Tennessee Hills

1915-02-12

Alarm Clock Andy
Alarm Clock Andy

1920-03-14

An Old Fashioned Boy
An Old Fashioned Boy

1920-10-31

Homer Comes Home
Homer Comes Home

1920-06-27

The Pinch Hitter
The Pinch Hitter

1917-04-28

Bill Henry
Bill Henry

1919-08-17

His Mother's Boy
His Mother's Boy

1917-12-24

Rio Rita
Rio Rita

1942-03-11

Greased Lightning
Greased Lightning

1919-04-27

Paris Green
Paris Green

1920-06-01

Peggy
Peggy

1916-01-02

Paris
Paris

1926-05-24

School for Girls
School for Girls

1934-03-22

Appointment for Love
Appointment for Love

1941-10-31

The Deserter
The Deserter

1916-07-09

A Tailor-Made Man
A Tailor-Made Man

1922-08-05

Hay Foot, Straw Foot
Hay Foot, Straw Foot

1919-06-22

The Old Swimmin' Hole
The Old Swimmin' Hole

1921-02-26

The Egg Crate Wallop
The Egg Crate Wallop

1919-09-28

Dynamite Smith
Dynamite Smith

1924-10-12

The Girl I Loved
The Girl I Loved

1923-02-15

The Mad Martindales
The Mad Martindales

1942-05-15

A Nine O'Clock Town
A Nine O'Clock Town

1918-07-28

The Girl Dodger
The Girl Dodger

1919-02-09

The Law of the North
The Law of the North

1918-09-29