biography
Born Aldo DaRe in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, on September 25, 1926, movie heavy Aldo Ray was born into a large Italian family and grew
up in northern California. He entered the Navy in 1944 at age 18 and served as a frogman during World War II. After his discharge, Ray
briefly studied political science at the University of California. In 1950, Ray was working as a peace officer in Crockett, California,
when he was discovered for films by a Columbia talent scout. By chance Ray landed a role in the Columbia drama Saturday's Hero
(1951; with John Derek), and his performance was good enough for Columbia to sign him to a contract.     
LEFT and CENTER: Photos of Aldo Ray, circa 1950s. RIGHT: Ray with his second wife, actress Jeff Donnell, in 1954After a brief first marriage in 1947 that produced a daughter, Ray married actress and fellow Columbia contract player Jeff Donnell in 1954, but they parted ways two years later. Ray wed his third wife in 1960 and, after welcoming two sons, got divorced again in 1967. Emotionally and financially battered by three failed marriages and child support, Ray remained single for the rest of his life. |
the films of aldo rayPat and Mike (1952)
With Katharine Hepburn in the MGM comedy Pat and Mike, one of the best films of Ray's careerThe Marrying Kind (1952) 
From Columbia's bittersweet comedy The Marrying Kind with Judy HollidayMiss Sadie Thompson (1953) 
From Columbia's Miss Sadie Thompson with Rita HayworthLet's Do It Again (1953)
With Jane Wyman in the Columbia musical comedy Let's Do It AgainBattle Cry (1955)
Ray romances window Nancy Olson in the Warner Bros. World War II drama Battle CryThree Stripes in the Sun (1955)
With Chuck Connors and Dick York in the war-themed romance Three Stripes in the SunNightfall (1957)
Columbia released the film noir thriller Nightfall. Ray is pictured with Anne BancroftThe Naked and the Dead (1958)  
From the World War II drama The Naked and the Dead. LEFT: With Cliff Robertson. CENTER and RIGHT: With Barbara NicholsThe Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960)  
From MGM's late noir release The Day They Robbed the Bank of England. LEFT: With Albert Sharpe and Kieron Moore. RIGHT: Lobby card imagesDead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966)
Ray and James Coburn star in Columbia's crime caper Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-RoundWhat Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
From Blake Edwards' war comedy What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? with James CoburnRiot on Sunset Strip (1967)
From American International's juvenile delinquent drama Riot on Sunset Strip with Laurie MockKill a Dragon (1967)
From the low-budget action picture Kill a Dragon with Jack PalanceAnd Hope to Die (1972)
From the French crime drama And Hope to Dielater yearsRay found good roles hard to come by in the 1970s and 1980s, but somehow he managed to keep working in exploitation and horror films; Ray even acted (but remained clothed) in a late 1970s porno titled Sweet Savage (1979; with Carol Connors). Never earning much money and struggling with alcoholism, Ray was often financially strapped and had to make ends meet by appearing in low-budget films. Even during his seven-year contract with Columbia, Ray never earned more than $600 per week. By the 1980s, however, he began to turn his life and career around. Some of his films from the 1980s include Bog (1983; with Marshall Thompson), Vultures (1983; with Yvonne De Carlo), Evils of the Night (1985; with Tina Louise and Julie Newmar), and Terror Night (1987; with John Ireland and Cameron Mitchell). In late 1989, Ray was diagnosed with throat cancer and passed away on March 27, 1991, just two months after the release of his final film, Shock 'Em Dead (1991; with Troy Donahue and Traci Lords). He was 64 years old. Ray was survived by two sons, a daughter, and a grandchild. |
filmographyFILM
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This page premiered September 9, 2004.
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