John Wray (actor)

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John Wray (* 13. February 1887 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania as John Griffith Malloy , † 5. April 1940 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor.

Life

John Wray made his debut on Broadway at the age of 25 and was to play there in a total of 14 plays between 1913 and 1937. Like many other theater actors of his time, Wray moved to Hollywood in the early years of the talkie and began a career as a film actor there. Due to his grim appearance, he embodied mainly tough villains in supporting roles. His probably best-known role was in 1930 in the anti-war film In the West, nothing new than the friendly postman Himmelstoss , who turns into a sadistic army instructor through his uniform. He also had one of his few leading roles in 1930 in the role of the corrupt politician Mort Bradstreet in Czar of Broadway .

Over the course of the 1930s, Wray's film roles shrank a little, but he remained a busy supporting actor. In 1936 he played in Frank Capra's tragic comedy Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, a starving farmer who almost commits an act of desperation. A year later he was used in a small role as a prison director in Fritz Lang's crime film Gehetzt . Until his untimely death at the age of 53 he starred in over 80 films. John Wray was married to Florence Miller and had one son.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ John Wray on the Internet Broadway Database
personal data
SURNAME Wray, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Malloy, John Griffith (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH February 13, 1887
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH April 5, 1940
Place of death Los Angeles , California