Vintage postcard.
French postcard by Editions F. Nugeron, no. E 117. Photo: Snark International. Aldo Ray, Leo G. Carroll, Humphrey Bogart, and Peter Ustinov in We're No Angels (Michael Curtiz, 1955).
What's wrong with your voice, kid? Are you sick?
Aldo Ray was born Aldo DaRe in the borough of Pen Argyl, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in 1926. He had five brothers (Mario, Guido, Dante, Dino, and Louis) and one sister, Gina. His parents were Italian immigrants, and he did not speak English until he entered grade school. His family moved to the small town of Crockett, California, when Aldo was four years old. He attended John Swett High School, where he made the football team and also coached the swimming team.
At age 18, during World War II in 1944, he served as a US Navy frogman, seeing action on Iwo Jima. After the war, he studied political science at the University of California, Berkeley, and worked as the local sheriff in his hometown of Crockett, California. When he drove his brother Guido to an audition for the film Saturday's Hero (1951), director David Miller was more interested in Ray than in his brother because of his voice. He later recalled, "They... said, 'What's wrong with your voice, kid? Are you sick? If you're sick, you don't belong here.' I said, 'No, no, no, this is the way I've always spoken.' And they loved it."
Ray signed a contract with Columbia and was sent to Los Angeles for a screen test. Miller gave him a small role as a cynical football player opposite John Derek and Donna Reed. Ray's husky frame, thick neck and raspy voice made him perfect for playing tough, sexy roles. He had his break in George Cukor's The Marrying Kind (1952) with Judy Holliday.
Then, Aldo Ray was the none-too-bright boxer in Cukor's Pat and Mike (George Cukor, 1952), starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Ray was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Newcomer. Although he did not win, his career was launched. He starred opposite Rita Hayworth in Miss Sadie Thompson (Curtis Bernhardt, 1953) and played an escaped convict in We're No Angels (Michael Curtiz, 1955) with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Ustinov.
Ray was loaned to Warner Bros to appear as a tough soldier in Battle Cry (Raoul Walsh, 1955). The film was a box-office hit, and Raoul Walsh would become one of Ray's favourite directors. Another favourite director was Anthony Mann, with whom he made Men in War (1957) and God's Little Acre (1958), both starring Robert Ryan. He also starred in The Naked and the Dead (Raoul Walsh, 1958), an adaptation of Norman Mailer's novel. Producer Paul Gregory said, "Aldo Ray was drunk the entire time. He was a very sweet guy, but he was gone. He drank drank drank. Raoul Walsh would say, 'Let's get him in the morning 'cause in the afternoon it's over'."
British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D 695. Photo: Warner.
He exploited me, yeah . . . but I was ripe for it
Producers were hesitant to cast Aldo Ray in projects due to his drinking. He decided to leave Hollywood and made The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (John Guillermin, 1960) in the UK and Johnny Nobody (Nigel Patrick, 1961) in Ireland. During the 1960s, Ray returned to Hollywood, where he acted in such diverse films as What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (Blake Edwards, 1966) and John Wayne's The Green Berets (1968). Ray also made several guest appearances on television. His career went downhill in the 1970s with a string of low-budget exploitation films. Ray was typically cast as a gruff and gravelly redneck. He made three B-movies with cult director Fred Olen Ray.
In his last interview, Aldo Ray said: "Yeah, I did a few films for him... Angel Unchained (1970), Biohazard (1985). I'm not sure about all of the titles for a guy named Fred Olen Ray. He'd give me $1,000 in cash, pay my expenses, and I'd do a day's work. Somebody once showed me one of his cassettes... starring Aldo Ray and asked for my autograph. But it was just a one-day job... I needed money at the time, and Fred knew I needed a buck, so I did it. He exploited me, yeah... but I was ripe for it."
By 1976, Aldo Ray was broke. He even appeared in a non-sex role in a hardcore porn film, Sweet Savage (Ann Perry, Charles Samples, 1979). For his bit role, Ray was awarded Best Actor from the Adult Film Association's third Erotica Awards. In 1981, Ray told a newspaper that his drinking was "under control". Occasionally, he worked on higher-profile features, including the animation film The Secret of NIMH (Don Bluth, 1982) and The Sicilian (Michael Cimino, 1987), starring Christophe Lambert as Salvatore Giuliano.
In 1986, Ray's SAG membership was revoked when it was discovered he was acting in a non-union production, Lethal Injection. He also worked with Iranian-born filmmaker Amir Shervan, known for his cult classic Samurai Cop (Amir Shervan, 1991). Ray appeared in his low-budget action films Hollywood Cop (Amir Shervan, 1987) with James Mitchum, Cameron Mitchell, and Troy Donahue, and Young Rebels (Amir Shervan, 1989) with Robert Z'Dar. His last film was Shock 'Em Dead (Mark Freed, 1991) with Traci Lords and Troy Donahue.
Aldo Ray died of throat cancer in 1991. He was married three times. Ray married his first wife, Shirley Green, in 1947. They had a daughter, Claire, born in 1951 and divorced in 1953. Ray was then briefly married to actress Jeff Donnell (1954-1956). His third wife was actress and successful casting director Johanna Ray (1960-1966). They had three children, including actor Eric DaRe.
British postcard in the Greetings Series. Photo: Columbia.
Italian postcard by Bromofoto, Milano, no. 921. Photo: Warner Bros.
Sources: jojo-acapulco (IMDb), Wikipedia and IMDb.
No comments:
Post a Comment