Charles Ray
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.
Filmography
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
as Self (archive footage)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
as Self (archive footage)
Slightly Dangerous
as Opera patron (uncredited)
Slightly Dangerous
as Opera patron (uncredited)
Mrs. Miniver
as Man getting on Bus (uncredited)
Mrs. Miniver
as Man getting on Bus (uncredited)
The Mad Martindales
as Barbershop Customer (uncredited)
The Mad Martindales
as Barbershop Customer (uncredited)
Rio Rita
as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Rio Rita
as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Appointment for Love
as Butler (uncredited)
Appointment for Love
as Butler (uncredited)
The Lady from Cheyenne
as Bit Role
The Lady from Cheyenne
as Bit Role
The Man Who Lost Himself
as (uncredited)
The Man Who Lost Himself
as (uncredited)
Hollywood Boulevard
as Charlie Smith - Assistant Director
Hollywood Boulevard
as Charlie Smith - Assistant Director
Just My Luck
as Homer Crow
Just My Luck
as Homer Crow
Welcome Home
as Andrew Carr
Welcome Home
as Andrew Carr
Ticket to a Crime
as Courtney Mallory
Ticket to a Crime
as Courtney Mallory
By Your Leave
as Leonard Purcell
By Your Leave
as Leonard Purcell
The Camera Speaks
as Self (archive footage)
The Camera Speaks
as Self (archive footage)
Ladies Should Listen
as Henri
Ladies Should Listen
as Henri
School for Girls
as Duke
School for Girls
as Duke
Stars of Yesterday
as Self
Stars of Yesterday
as Self
The House That Shadows Built
as (archive footage)
The House That Shadows Built
as (archive footage)
The Count of Ten
as Johnny McKinney
The Count of Ten
as Johnny McKinney
The Garden of Eden
as Richard Dupont
The Garden of Eden
as Richard Dupont
Vanity
as Lt. Lloyd Van Courtland
Vanity
as Lt. Lloyd Van Courtland
Getting Gertie's Garter
as Ken Walrick
Getting Gertie's Garter
as Ken Walrick
Nobody's Widow
as Honorable John Clayton
Nobody's Widow
as Honorable John Clayton
The American
as Bill Smith
The American
as Bill Smith
The Fire Brigade
as Terry O'Neil
The Fire Brigade
as Terry O'Neil
The Auction Block
as Bob Wharton
The Auction Block
as Bob Wharton
Paris
as Jerry
Paris
as Jerry
Sweet Adeline
as Ben Wilson
Sweet Adeline
as Ben Wilson
Bright Lights
as Tom Corbin
Bright Lights
as Tom Corbin
Some Pun'kins
as Lem Blossom
Some Pun'kins
as Lem Blossom
Percy
as Percival Rogeen
Percy
as Percival Rogeen
Dynamite Smith
as Gladstone Smith
Dynamite Smith
as Gladstone Smith
The Courtship of Miles Standish
as John Alden
The Courtship of Miles Standish
as John Alden
The Girl I Loved
as John Middleton
The Girl I Loved
as John Middleton
A Tailor-Made Man
as John Paul Bart
A Tailor-Made Man
as John Paul Bart
Alias Julius Caesar
as Billy Barnes
Alias Julius Caesar
as Billy Barnes
The Deuce of Spades
as Amos
The Deuce of Spades
as Amos
Gas, Oil and Water
as George Oliver Watson
Gas, Oil and Water
as George Oliver Watson
Two Minutes to Go
as Chester Burnett
Two Minutes to Go
as Chester Burnett
Scrap Iron
as John Steel
Scrap Iron
as John Steel
The Old Swimmin' Hole
as Ezra Hull
The Old Swimmin' Hole
as Ezra Hull
An Old Fashioned Boy
as David Warrington
An Old Fashioned Boy
as David Warrington
Peaceful Valley
as Hosiah Howe
Peaceful Valley
as Hosiah Howe
A Village Sleuth
as William Wells
A Village Sleuth
as William Wells
45 Minutes from Broadway
as Kid Burns
45 Minutes from Broadway
as Kid Burns
Homer Comes Home
as Homer Cavender
Homer Comes Home
as Homer Cavender
Paris Green
as Luther Green
Paris Green
as Luther Green
Alarm Clock Andy
as Andrew Gray
Alarm Clock Andy
as Andrew Gray
Red Hot Dollars
as Tod Burke
Red Hot Dollars
as Tod Burke
Crooked Straight
as Ben Trimble
Crooked Straight
as Ben Trimble
The Egg Crate Wallop
as Jim Kelly
The Egg Crate Wallop
as Jim Kelly
Bill Henry
as Bill Henry Jenkins
Bill Henry
as Bill Henry Jenkins
Hay Foot, Straw Foot
as Ulysses S. Grant Briggs
Hay Foot, Straw Foot
as Ulysses S. Grant Briggs
The Busher
as Ben Harding
The Busher
as Ben Harding
Greased Lightning
as Andy Fletcher
Greased Lightning
as Andy Fletcher
The Sheriff's Son
as Royal Beaudry
The Sheriff's Son
as Royal Beaudry
The Girl Dodger
as Cuthbert Trotman
The Girl Dodger
as Cuthbert Trotman
String Beans
as Toby Watkins
String Beans
as Toby Watkins
The Law of the North
as Alain de Montcalm
The Law of the North
as Alain de Montcalm
A Nine O'Clock Town
as David Clary
A Nine O'Clock Town
as David Clary
The Claws of the Hun
as John Stanton
The Claws of the Hun
as John Stanton
His Own Home Town
as Jimmy Duncan
His Own Home Town
as Jimmy Duncan
Playing the Game
as Larry Prentiss
Playing the Game
as Larry Prentiss
The Family Skeleton
as Billy Bates
The Family Skeleton
as Billy Bates
The Hired Man
as Ezry Hollins
The Hired Man
as Ezry Hollins
Staking His Life
as Frank Hamilton
Staking His Life
as Frank Hamilton
The Son of His Father
as Gordon Carbhoy
The Son of His Father
as Gordon Carbhoy
Sudden Jim
as James Ashe, Jr.
Sudden Jim
as James Ashe, Jr.
The Clodhopper
as Everett Nelson
The Clodhopper
as Everett Nelson
The Pinch Hitter
as Joel Parker
The Pinch Hitter
as Joel Parker
Back of the Man
as Larry Thomas
Back of the Man
as Larry Thomas
Skinner's Dress Suit
Skinner's Dress Suit
The Weaker Sex
as Jack Harding
The Weaker Sex
as Jack Harding
The Honorable Algy
as The Honorable Algy
The Honorable Algy
as The Honorable Algy
A Corner in Colleens
as Richard Taylor
A Corner in Colleens
as Richard Taylor
Plain Jane
as Mr. 'John Sophomore Adams'
Plain Jane
as Mr. 'John Sophomore Adams'
The Wolf Woman
as Rex Walden
The Wolf Woman
as Rex Walden
The Deserter
as Lieutenant Parker
The Deserter
as Lieutenant Parker
The Dividend
as Frank Steele
The Dividend
as Frank Steele
The Forbidden Adventure
as Cecil Weatherby
The Forbidden Adventure
as Cecil Weatherby
The Coward
as Frank Winslow
The Coward
as Frank Winslow
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
as Reverend Horace Brightray
The Conversion of Frosty Blake
as Reverend Horace Brightray
The Renegade
as Captain Marley
The Renegade
as Captain Marley
The Cup of Life
as John Ward
The Cup of Life
as John Ward
In the Tennessee Hills
as Jim Carson
In the Tennessee Hills
as Jim Carson
Old Mammy's Secret Code
as David
Old Mammy's Secret Code
as David
The Boomerang
as Lt. Calhoun
The Boomerang
as Lt. Calhoun
The Grey Sentinel
as Hal Peters
The Grey Sentinel
as Hal Peters