Ray Bolger
| Ray Bolger | |
|---|---|
Ray Bolger, c. 1942
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| Born |
Raymond Wallace Bolger January 10, 1904 Dorchester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1987 (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Bladder cancer |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City |
| Occupation | vaudevillian actor singer dancer |
| Years active | 1922–1985 |
| Known for | Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz |
| Spouse(s) | Gwendolyn Rickard (m. 1929–1987; his death) |
Raymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger (January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American actor, singer, and dancer of vaudeville, stage (particularly musical theatre) and screen best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.
Raymond Wallace Bolger was born into a Roman Catholic family of Irish descent in Dorchester, Boston, the son of Anne C. (née Wallace) and James Edward Bolger.
His entertainment aspirations evolved from the vaudeville shows of his youth. He began his career in a vaudeville tap show, creating the act "Sanford & Bolger" with his dance partner. In 1926, he danced at New York City's legendary Palace Theatre, the premier vaudeville theatre in the U.S. His limber body and improvisational dance movement won him many leading roles on Broadway in the 1930s. Eventually, his career would also encompass film, television and nightclub work. In 1932 he was elected to the famous theater club, The Lambs.
Bolger signed his first cinema contract with MGM in 1936 and although The Wizard of Oz was early in his film career he appeared in other movies of note. His best known pre-Oz appearance was The Great Ziegfeld (1936), in which he portrayed himself. He also appeared in Sweethearts (1938), the first MGM film in Technicolor, starring Nelson Eddy, Jeanette MacDonald, and Frank Morgan. He also appeared in the 1937 Eleanor Powell vehicle, Rosalie, which also starred Eddy and Morgan. Following Oz, Bolger moved to RKO.
In 1941, he was a featured act at the Paramount Theatre in New York, working with the Harry James Band. He would do tap dance routines, sometimes in a mock challenge dance with the band's pianist, Al Lerner. One day during this period the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and Bolger's performance was interrupted by President Roosevelt's announcement of the news of the attack. Bolger toured in USO shows with Joe E. Lewis in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and was featured in the United Artists war-time film Stage Door Canteen.
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