Gordon MacRae

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Albert Gordon MacRae (born March 12, 1921 in East Orange , New Jersey , † January 24, 1986 in Lincoln , Nebraska ) was an American singer and actor.

MacRae was active as a singer and actor in his school's drama club in high school and learned to play the piano, clarinet and saxophone. At the age of nineteen he took part in a singing competition and won a two-week engagement at The World's Fair in New York, where he performed with the bands of Harry James and Les Brown . From 1940 to 1942 he was a singer in Horace Heidt's band. This was followed by a two-year service as a navigator with the Army Air Corps .

After the war, MacRae made his Broadway debut on the Junior Miss show . In 1946 he appeared in Ray Bolger's Broadway revue Three To Make Ready , which brought him a contract with the Capitol Records label , with which he remained associated for twenty years. In 1948 he started the radio show The Railroad Hour , which ran first on ABC and then until 1954 on NBC . Also in 1948 he signed a contract with Warner Brothers and made his debut alongside Lois Maxwell in the film The Big Punch .

This was followed by a number of musicals (including Star of Broadway with June Haver and Ray Bolger ) and five films with Doris Day (including Bewitching Woman , 1950). MacRae's best films were made in the mid-1950s: Oklahoma (1955) and Carousel (1956), both written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . He appeared in both films with newcomer Shirley Jones .

Already at this time MacRaes had a drinking problem, but he continued to record albums as a singer and appeared on television shows. In 1978 he had to cancel a concert because he could not remember the lyrics of his songs. In 1979 he made his last film appearance in The Pilot with Cliff Robertson . In 1982 he suffered a stroke. Even after that, he performed as far as his state of health allowed. In 1986 he died of complications from cancer.

Gordon MacRae was first married to actress Sheila MacRae (1921-2014). He often performed with her and also recorded an album with her. Her daughters Meredith and Heather MacRae also became known as actresses.

Filmography (selection)

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personal data
SURNAME MacRae, Gordon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES MacRae, Albert Gordon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer and actor
DATE OF BIRTH March 12, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH East Orange
DATE OF DEATH January 24, 1986
Place of death Lincoln (Nebraska)