Aldo Ray

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1954 in the quiz show Twenty Questions

Aldo Ray (actually Aldo Da Re , born September 25, 1926 in Pen Argyl , Pennsylvania , † March 27, 1991 in Martinez , California ) was an American actor .

Life

Aldo Ray was born one of five children into an Italian-American family. From 1944 to 1946 Ray served in the US Navy as a combat swimmer and also took part in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 . He then studied political science at the University of California, Berkeley . He then wanted to pursue a career in the police. But one day when Ray brought his brother to a film casting, he was discovered by director David Miller , who showed an interest in Ray's unusually hoarse voice. Miller gave him a supporting role as a football player in his film Saturday's Hero, alongside Donna Reed and John Derek .

Ray had his first leading role in 1952 in the comedy Happy-End ... and then what's next with Judy Holliday . In the same year he starred alongside Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in the comedy Pat and Mike and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Young Actor for his role . He had his greatest successes in the 1950s with his portrayal of die-hard, at the same time lovable guys. He often played officers of all kinds, for example in Purgatory (1953) alongside Rita Hayworth and directed by Raoul Walsh in the war films Urlaub bis zum Wecken (1955) and The Naked and the Dead (1958). At the side of Humphrey Bogart and Peter Ustinov he appeared in 1955 as an escaped convict in We Are Not Angels .

After its main sponsor, Columbia boss Harry Cohn , died in 1958, Columbia Pictures did not renew its contract with Ray. He was also dissatisfied with his roles, which mostly limited him to the representation of soldiers. He now turned more to European film and played, for example, in the English crime film Bank Robbery of the Century (1959) and in the Italian adventure film The Three Musketeers of the Seas (1961). In Hollywood, on the other hand, he was hardly in demand, his most important film role during the 1960s was probably in the war film The Green Devils . After financial problems arose, he had to take part in second- or third-rate productions towards the end of his career. In addition, there were alcohol problems for a few years. In 1979 he caused a minor scandal when he took on a role without sex scenes in the porn film Sweet Savage . His last appearance was in 1991 in the B-movie Shock 'Em Dead alongside Traci Lords .

Ray was married and divorced a total of three times: with Johanna Ray (1960-1967), Jean Marie Donnell (better known as Jeff Donnell ) (1954-1956) and Shirley Green (1947-1953). His son Eric Da Re comes from his marriage to Johanna Ray , who appeared in the series Twin Peaks . In March 1991, Aldo Ray died of throat cancer at the age of 64 .

Filmography (selection)

  • 1951: Saturday's Hero
  • 1952: happy ending ... and what comes next? (The Marrying Kind)
  • 1952: Pat and Mike (Pat and Mike)
  • 1953: Let's Do It Again
  • 1953: Purgatory (Miss Sadie Thompson)
  • 1955: Banned for Americans? (Three Stripes in the Sun)
  • 1955: Vacation Until You Wake Up (Battle Cry)
  • 1955: We're No Angels (We're No Angels)
  • 1956: Day without End (Men in War)
  • 1957: When the Night Falls (Nightfall)
  • 1958: The Naked and the Dead (The Naked and the Dead)
  • 1958: God's Little Acre
  • 1959: The Day They Robbed the Bank of England
  • 1959: To hell with Sydney (The Siege of Pinchgut)
  • 1960: The Shot from Nowhere (Johnny Nobody)
  • 1961: The three musketeers of the seas (I moschettieri del mare)
  • 1963: Hunting in Chains (Nightmare in the Sun)
  • 1964: Sylvia
  • 1964: Bonanza (TV series, episode A Husband on the Run )
  • 1966: Whenever He Smelled Dollars (Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round)
  • 1966: What did you do in the war, Daddy? (What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?)
  • 1967: The Green Berets (The Green Berets)
  • 1967: Arkansas Murder Burners (Welcome to Hard Times)
  • 1967: Nitro (Kill a Dragon)
  • 1967: We ... The Wild On Sunset Strip (Riot on Sunset Strip)
  • 1968: The Six Suspects (The Power)
  • 1968: Burning Eagle commando (Comando suicida)
  • 1969: Angel Unchained
  • 1969: dead track (deadlock)
  • 1972: Driven hunt (La Course du lièvre à travers les champs)
  • 1974: The Dynamite Brothers (The Dynamite Brothers)
  • 1974: The Razor Killer (The Centerfold Girls)
  • 1975: Ghost Rider (Gone With the West)
  • 1975: Inside Out - A brilliant bluff (Inside Out)
  • 1975: Psychic Killer
  • 1975: Seven Alone
  • 1976: Miami Connection (The Man Who Would not Die)
  • 1976: Scream from Beyond (Haunted)
  • 1976: Won Ton Ton ... the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood)
  • 1978: The Great Skycopter Rescue
  • 1978: Bog
  • 1979: The Lone Fighter (Death Dimension)
  • 1980: Brainwashing (Human Experiments)
  • 1981: The Curse of Eternal Life (Don't Go Near the Park)
  • 1984: Biohazard
  • 1986: Mongrel
  • 1986: Terror in Alcatraz (Terror on Alcatraz)
  • 1987: The Sicilian (The Sicilian)
  • 1987: California Cops (Hollywood Cop)
  • 1987: Prisoners in Space (Star Slammer)
  • 1987: Hate Man (Pop's Oasis)
  • 1989: Sexy Platoon (The Shooters)
  • 1989: Crime of Crimes
  • 1990: The Pact with the Devil (Shock 'em Dead)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Obituary in the New York Times
  2. ↑ Stein, Mark (January 8, 1981): "Gravel-Voiced Actor: Aldo Ray Recalls Career Ups, Downs"; Los Angeles Times. P. 14.
  3. ↑ a b obituary in the New York Times; the Times describes his role model as Lovable Tough Guys
  4. ^ Obituary in the Los Angeles Times
personal data
SURNAME Ray, Aldo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Da Re, Aldo (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH September 25, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Pen Argyl , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH March 27, 1991
Place of death Martinez , California