Charles Ray (actor)
| Charles Ray | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
March 15, 1891 Jacksonville, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | November 23, 1943 (aged 52) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Mouth and throat infection |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor, director, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1911–1943 |
| Spouse(s) |
Clara Grant (m. 1915; div. 1935) Yvonne Guerin (m. 1941; d. 1942) |
Charles Edgar Ray (March 15, 1891 – November 23, 1943) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. Ray rose to fame during the mid-1910s portraying young, wholesome hicks in silent comedy films.
Ray was born in Jacksonville, Illinois and moved to Springfield as a child where he attended elementary school. He then moved to Needles, California for a time before finally relocating to Los Angeles where he finished his education. He initially began his career on the stage before working for director Thomas H. Ince as a film extra in December 1912. He appeared in several bit parts before moving on to supporting roles. Ray's break came in 1915 when he appeared opposite Frank Keenan in the historical war drama The Coward.
Ray's popularity increased after appearing in a series of films which cast him in juvenile roles, primarily young hicks or naive "country bumpkins" that foiled the plans of thieves or con men. In March 1917, he signed with Paramount Pictures and resumed working with director Thomas H. Ince. By 1920, he was earning a reported $11,000 a week. Around this time, he left Paramount after studio head Adolph Zukor refused to give him a pay raise. Zukor later wrote in his autobiography, The Public Is Never Wrong, that Ray's ego had gotten out of hand and that Ray "... was headed for trouble and [I] did not care to be with him when he found it." After leaving Paramount, Ray formed his own production company, Charles Ray Productions, and used his fortune to purchase a studio on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles (now known as the KCET Studios) where he began producing and shooting his own films.
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