Ray Stricklyn
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| Ray Stricklyn | |
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 Ray Stricklyn's autobiography Angels & Demons, One Actor's Hollywood Journey.
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| Born | October 8, 1928 Houston, Texas |
| Died | May 14, 2002 aged 73 Los Angeles, California |
Ray Stricklyn (born Lewis Raymond Stricklyn) (October 8, 1928 – May 14, 2002) was a prolific American film actor, stage actor, television actor, soap opera star and publicist. His 50-year acting career took off with B-movie Westerns that placed his boyish good looks playing opposite top talent of the time. His TV guest star resume is as impressive as it is lengthy and he is most recently remembered as Clarence in the 1996 TV title The Andrea Doria (Seinfeld episode).
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[edit] Early life and career
Born in Houston, Texas, his father was a sign painter. At the age of 16 Ray Stricklyn auditioned for a part in the play Ah, Wilderness and was given the lead role. He went on to perform several roles for the Houston Little Theater.
In 1950 he won a scholarship to a New York drama school. He made his Broadway début in A Climate of Eden (1952), by Moss Hart.
George Seaton was in New York casting his film The Proud and the Profane (1956), and gave Ray Stricklyn a one-scene role. Ray Stricklyn then moved to Los Angeles to further his film career. After his performance in Ten North Frederick (1958), he was given a contract with 20th Century-Fox, but his contract was ended after The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959). His first lead role was as Jesse James in Young Jesse James (1960). However, as the 1960s progressed he received fewer film roles and he returned to some theatre work.
In 1965 he was introduced to a furniture refurbisher David Galligan and they became lifetime companions. David Galligan later became a noted stage director.
Ray Stricklyn then took work in a fudge factory and then worked as a typist for a mailing company. In 1973 he joined the public relations firm John Springer Associates in Los Angeles in their West Coast office and he became one of the most influential publicists in Hollywood, working with some of the biggest names in entertainment including Henry Fonda, Shelley Winters, Janet Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, and Bette Davis. He also handled the US debut of the Rubik's Cube. He eventually became the head of the company's West Coast office.
In 1983 he was asked to put together a tribute to Tennessee Williams and so he compiled a one-hour one-man show called Confessions of a Nightingale in which he played Tennessee Williams himself. Four weekend performances at the Beverly Hills Playhouse were planned but it was received so enthusiastically that it ran for over a year. Eva Marie Saint and her husband Jeffrey Hayden took out a full-page advertisement in Daily Variety urging everyone to see the show. He was twice named Best Actor of the Year by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and LA Weekly and twice nominated for a Golden Globe for acting. The show was then taken to Broadway and toured the USA for another year. It was then performed at the Edinburgh Festival.
[edit] Death
After falling ill with emphysema in 1997, he began writing his coming out autobiography. Published in 1999, Angels & Demons: One Actor's Hollywood Journey, published in Los Angeles by Belle Publishing, 297 pages, ISBN 0-9649635-4-X (hardback), is a candid and witty account of a man who, Stricklyn wrote, "might qualify as one who has had his 15 minutes in the limelight; perhaps even 20."
He is survived by his sister, Mary Ann, and his longtime companion, Los Angeles stage director David Galligan.
[edit] Select filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Somebody Up There Likes Me | Bryson |
| 1956 | The Rack | Ryson |
| 1956 | The Proud And the Profane | Casualty |
| 1956 | Crime in the Streets | Benny |
| 1956 | The Catered Affair | Clint |
| 1956 | The Last Wagon | Clint |
| 1958 | The Return of Dracula | Tim Hansen |
| 1958 | Ten North Frederick | Joby |
| 1959 | The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker | Horace Pennypacker III |
| 1959 | The Big Fisherman | Deran |
| 1960 | The Lost World | David Holmes |
| 1960 | The Plunderers | Jeb |
| 1960 | Young Jesse James | Jesse James |
| 1965 | Arizona Raiders | Danny Bonner |
| 1967 | Track of Thunder | Gary Regal |
| 1975 | Dog Pound Shuffle | Mr. Lester, Jr. |
| 1984 | Jealousy | Sheriff |
| 1992 | Danielle Steel's 'Secrets' | Bernie Majors |
| 1993 | Hart to Hart Returns (TV) |
[edit] Awards
- 1958 Golden Globe - New Star of the Year / Male (nom)
- 1960 Golden Globe - Best Supporting Actor (nom) - The Plunderers
[edit] Press cuttings
Ray Stricklyn: Actor whose boyish looks became a hindrance Obituary by Tom Vallance in The Independent, 29th. May, 2002, page 18. "Stricklyn stated that two factors had contributed to his lack of progress. First, his homosexuality (though he had well-publicised relationships with Joan Collins and Bette Davis and secondly, his persistently youthful appearance."
[edit] Notable Quotes
- I was 27 and still looked 16, but there was a whole new crop of boys coming up who really were that age. I'd thought my career was going straight up. So like a lot of foolish young actors, I started living beyond my means. I bought expensive cars, got into debt. Once you think you're going to be a star, then you're not -- it's a rude awakening.
[edit] References
- The New York Times / Ray Stricklyn
- The Knitting Circle: Drama / Ray Stricklyn
- Days Of Our Lives Obituaries / Ray Stricklyn
