Ray Stricklyn

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Ray Stricklyn
Born October 8, 1928(1928-10-08)
Houston, Texas
Died May 14, 2002 (aged 73)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation Film, stage, TV actor
Domestic partner(s) David Galligan
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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 Seinfeld episode "The Andrea Doria."

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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. Two years later he made his Broadway début in A Climate of Eden by Moss Hart.

George Seaton was in New York casting his film The Proud and the Profane and gave Stricklyn a one-scene role. He 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 it wasn't renewed following 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 theatre work.

In 1965 he was introduced to a furniture refurbisher David Galligan and they became lifetime companions. Galligan later became a noted stage director.

Stricklyn 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 and 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 Stricklyn was asked to put together a tribute to Tennessee Williams. He compiled a one-hour one-man show called Confessions of a Nightingale in which he himself portrayed Williams. 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. 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 Eddie
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

[edit] External links

[edit] Further reading

  • Young, Jordan R. (1989). Acting Solo: The Art of One-Person Shows. Beverly Hills: Past Times Publishing Co.