Charles Ray

Born

March 15, 1891

Died

November 23, 1943 (52 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Jacksonville, Illinois, USA

From Wikipedia

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 Arizona 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 "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  did not care to be with him when he found it." After leaving Paramount, Ray formed his own production company, Charles Ray Productions, and also used his fortune to purchase a studio in Los Angeles where he began producing and shooting his own films.

On November 23, 1943, Ray died of a mouth and throat infection at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles for which he had been hospitalized six weeks prior.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Charles Ray has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6355 Hollywood Boulevard.

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

Self (archive footage)

0.0

1961

Slightly Dangerous

Slightly Dangerous

Opera patron (uncredited)

6.0

1943

Mrs. Miniver

Mrs. Miniver

Man getting on Bus (uncredited)

7.1

1942

The Mad Martindales

The Mad Martindales

Barbershop Customer (uncredited)

5.0

1942

Rio Rita

Rio Rita

Hotel Guest (uncredited)

5.8

1942

Appointment for Love

Appointment for Love

Butler (uncredited)

5.7

1941

The Lady from Cheyenne

The Lady from Cheyenne

Bit Role

5.2

1941

The Man Who Lost Himself

The Man Who Lost Himself

(uncredited)

4.0

1941

Hollywood Boulevard

Hollywood Boulevard

Charlie Smith - Assistant Director

2.5

1936

Just My Luck

Just My Luck

Homer Crow

0.0

1935

Welcome Home

Welcome Home

Andrew Carr

0.0

1935

Ticket to a Crime

Ticket to a Crime

Courtney Mallory

4.0

1934

By Your Leave

By Your Leave

Leonard Purcell

3.0

1934

The Camera Speaks

The Camera Speaks

Self (archive footage)

4.0

1934

Ladies Should Listen

Ladies Should Listen

Henri, the porter

5.8

1934

School for Girls

School for Girls

Duke

6.0

1934

Stars of Yesterday

Stars of Yesterday

Self

0.0

1931

The House That Shadows Built

The House That Shadows Built

(archive footage)

7.0

1931

The Garden of Eden

The Garden of Eden

Richard Dupont

5.6

1928

Vanity

Vanity

Lt. Lloyd Van Courtland

0.0

1927

Getting Gertie's Garter

Getting Gertie's Garter

Ken Walrick

7.3

1927

Nobody's Widow

Nobody's Widow

Honorable John Clayton

0.0

1927

The American

The American

Bill Smith

0.0

1927

The Fire Brigade

The Fire Brigade

Terry O'Neil

3.5

1926

The Auction Block

The Auction Block

Bob Wharton

0.0

1926

Paris

Paris

Jerry

7.0

1926

Sweet Adeline

Sweet Adeline

Ben Wilson

0.0

1926

Bright Lights

Bright Lights

Tom Corbin

0.0

1925

Percy

Percy

Percival Rogeen

0.0

1925

Dynamite Smith

Dynamite Smith

Gladstone Smith

0.0

1924

The Courtship of Miles Standish

The Courtship of Miles Standish

John Alden

0.0

1923

The Girl I Loved

The Girl I Loved

John Middleton

0.0

1923

A Tailor-Made Man

A Tailor-Made Man

John Paul Bart

0.0

1922

The Deuce of Spades

The Deuce of Spades

Amos

0.0

1922

Gas, Oil and Water

Gas, Oil and Water

George Oliver Watson

0.0

1922

The Old Swimmin' Hole

Ezra Hull

0.0

1921

An Old Fashioned Boy

An Old Fashioned Boy

David Warrington

5.8

1920

A Village Sleuth

A Village Sleuth

William Wells

0.0

1920

45 Minutes from Broadway

45 Minutes from Broadway

Kid Burns

0.0

1920

Homer Comes Home

Homer Comes Home

Homer Cavender

0.0

1920

Paris Green

Paris Green

Luther Green

0.0

1920

Alarm Clock Andy

Alarm Clock Andy

Andrew Gray

0.0

1920

The Egg Crate Wallop

The Egg Crate Wallop

Jim Kelly

0.0

1919

Bill Henry

Bill Henry

Bill Henry Jenkins

0.0

1919

Hay Foot, Straw Foot

Ulysses S. Grant Briggs

0.0

1919

The Busher

The Busher

Ben Harding

5.1

1919

Greased Lightning

Greased Lightning

Andy Fletcher

10.0

1919

The Sheriff's Son

The Sheriff's Son

Royal Beaudry

0.0

1919

The Girl Dodger

The Girl Dodger

Cuthbert Trotman

0.0

1919

String Beans

String Beans

Toby Watkins

0.0

1918

The Law of the North

The Law of the North

Alain de Montcalm

0.0

1918

A Nine O'Clock Town

David Clary

0.0

1918

The Claws of the Hun

The Claws of the Hun

John Stanton

0.0

1918

His Own Home Town

Jimmy Duncan

0.0

1918

Playing the Game

Playing the Game

Larry Prentiss

0.0

1918

The Family Skeleton

The Family Skeleton

Billy Bates

0.0

1918

The Hired Man

The Hired Man

Ezry Hollins

0.0

1918

Staking His Life

Frank Hamilton

0.0

1918

His Mother's Boy

His Mother's Boy

Matthew Denton

0.0

1917

The Son of His Father

The Son of His Father

Gordon Carbhoy

0.0

1917

Sudden Jim

James Ashe, Jr.

0.0

1917

The Clodhopper

The Clodhopper

Everett Nelson

5.8

1917

The Millionaire Vagrant

The Millionaire Vagrant

Steven Du Peyster

0.0

1917

The Pinch Hitter

The Pinch Hitter

Joel Parker

0.0

1917

Back of the Man

Back of the Man

Larry Thomas

0.0

1917

The Weaker Sex

The Weaker Sex

Jack Harding

0.0

1917

Plain Jane

Plain Jane

Mr. 'John Sophomore Adams'

0.0

1916

The Wolf Woman

The Wolf Woman

Rex Walden

0.0

1916

Home

Home

Bob Wheaton

0.0

1916

Honor Thy Name

Honor Thy Name

0.0

1916

The Deserter

The Deserter

Lieutenant Parker

0.0

1916

The Dividend

The Dividend

Frank Steele

0.0

1916

Peggy

Peggy

Colin Cameron

0.0

1916

The Forbidden Adventure

Cecil Weatherby

0.0

1915

The Coward

The Coward

Frank Winslow

5.7

1915

The Lure of Woman

Captain Lane

0.0

1915

The Conversion of Frosty Blake

The Conversion of Frosty Blake

Reverend Horace Brightray

0.0

1915

The Renegade

The Renegade

Captain Marley

0.0

1915

The Cup of Life

John Ward

0.0

1915

The Grudge

The Grudge

Dick Wayne

0.0

1915

In the Tennessee Hills

In the Tennessee Hills

Jim Carson

0.0

1915

The Gangsters and the Girl

The Gangsters and the Girl

Detective John Stone

0.0

1914

For Mother's Sake

0.0

1913

The Quakeress

The Quakeress

John Hart - the Schoolmaster

0.0

1913

Old Mammy's Secret Code

Old Mammy's Secret Code

David

0.0

1913

The Transgressor

Jim

0.0

1913

The Boomerang

The Boomerang

Lt. Calhoun

0.0

1913

The Grey Sentinel

Hal Peters

0.0

1913