Ray Bolger

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Ray Bolger (left) with Eleanor Powell and Senator George LP Radcliffe (1938)

Ray Bolger , actually Raymond Wallace Bulcao , (born January 10, 1904 in Dorchester , Massachusetts , † January 15, 1987 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor , singer and dancer .

life and career

Ray Bolger began his career in vaudeville shows at the age of 19 as one half of the duo Sanford and Bolger . In 1926 he first appeared on Broadway with the revue The Merry World . Bolger's appearances were a mixture of dance, singing and acting. One of his trademarks was his flexibility.

After making a name for himself on Broadway, Bolger signed a contract with the MGM film studio in 1936 and began working as an actor. He had his first MGM role in the musical The Great Ziegfeld (1936), where he played himself in a supporting role. In addition, he interpreted songs for the soundtracks of various films. He celebrated his greatest commercial success as an actor in 1939 with Victor Fleming's classic film The Wizard of Oz , in which he played the role of the scarecrow alongside Judy Garland . He then focused again on his career on Broadway and won several Tony Awards .

From the 1950s onwards, Bolger appeared more frequently on US television. Between 1953 and 1955 he starred in the sitcom Where's Raymond? . In the last few years of his career, he has made supporting roles in the television series The Partridge Family , Love Boat , Our Little Farm, and Battle Star Galactica .

On January 15, 1987, at the age of 83, Bolger died of cancer. He was married from 1929 until his death. He was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Ray Bolger was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Ray Bolger  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Obituary in the New York Times
  2. ^ Ray Bolger at the Internet Broadway Database
  3. ^ Obituary in the New York Times
personal data
SURNAME Bolger, Ray
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bulcao, Raymond Wallace (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor, singer and dancer
DATE OF BIRTH January 10, 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH Dorchester , Massachusetts, United States
DATE OF DEATH January 15, 1987
Place of death Los Angeles , California, United States