Actor Charles H. Gray 1921-2008
jayp...@aol.com
CHARLES H. GRAY, 86 - August 2, 2008
Actor Charles H. Gray, who was best known for his role as Clay
Forrester in the television western series "Rawhide", died in San
Bernardino, California, on August 2, 2008. Gray was born in St. Louis,
Missouri, on November 27, 1921. He appeared frequently in films and
television from the mid-1950s. His film credits include "One
Desire" (1955), "The Houston Story" (1956), "Tension at Table
Rock" (1956), "The Black Whip" (1956), "Trooper Hook" (1957), "God Is
My Partner" (1957), "The Unknown Terror" (1957), "Ri de a Violent
Mile" (1957), "Cattle Empire" (1958), "Desert Hell" (1958),
"Charro!" (1969) with Elvis Presley, "Wild Rovers" (1971), "Bless the
Beasts & Children" (1971), "The Organization" (1971), "Junior
Bonner" (1972), "The New Centurions" (1972), and the 1979 horror film
"Prophecy" as the Sheriff. The mustachioed Gray frequently played
villains in television westerns, but took turn as cattle driver Clay
Forrester in the final three seasons of "Rawhide" from 1961 to 1964.
He was also featured in episodes of "Highway Patrol", "Whirlybird",
"Adventures of Superman", "The Silent Service", "Leave It to Beaver",
"Meet McGraw", "Black Saddle", "The Ann Sothern Show", "The Texan",
"State Trooper", "Yancy Derringer", "Zane Grey Theater", "Have Gun -
Will Travel", "Riverboat", "One Step Beyond", "Gunslinger", "Death
Valley Days", "Gunsmoke", "Perry Mason", "Laredo", "The Road West",
"The Iron Horse", "Hallmark Hall of Fame", "The High Chaparral",
"McCloud", "Storefront Lawyers", "The Virginian", "Bonanza", "Alias
Smith and Jones", "Emergency!", "The Rookies", "Banacek", the soap
opera "The Young and the Restless" as Bill Foster, and "Owen Marshall:
Counselor at Law". Gray was also featured in the tele-films "The
Savage Land" (1969), "Drive Hard, Drive Fast" (1973), "Captains and
the Kings" (1976), "A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig
Story" (1978), "Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force" (1978),
"And I Alone Survived" (1978), and "Ike" (1979).
Radioacti...@hotmail.com
handsome fellow whose underplayed, offbeat take on Ernst Stavro
Blofeld in "Diamonds or Forever" was probably the only redeeming
feature in that 1971 film (although I suppose St. John was nice to
look at, and still is), a Bond film very nearly as lame as EVERY
SINGLE Moore try at the iconic character would soon prove to be, and
which ultimately would stand as the #1 Bond film Connery Should NEVER
have made...until, of course, "Never Say Never Again".
Mathematically,
BRYAN STYBLE/Seattle
www.RadioactiveSeattle.blogspot.com
[commercial newstalk radio blog]
J.D. Baldwin
In the previous article, <Radioacti...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> So I gather this was a distinct Charles Gray (or Grey?) from the
> handsome fellow whose underplayed, offbeat take on Ernst Stavro
> Blofeld in "Diamonds or Forever" was probably the only redeeming
> feature in that 1971 film (although I suppose St. John was nice to
> look at, and still is), a Bond film very nearly as lame as EVERY
> SINGLE Moore try at the iconic character would soon prove to be, and
> which ultimately would stand as the #1 Bond film Connery Should
> NEVER have made...until, of course, "Never Say Never Again".
I thought the white kitty was cute. And the gay assassins were kind
of funny.
--
_+_ From the catapult of |If anyone objects to any statement I make, I am
_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin |quite prepared not only to retract it, but also
\ / bal...@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it.-T. Lehrer
***~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
S.
> So I gather this was a distinct Charles Gray (or Grey?) from the
No, that was Charles Gray (d. 7 Mar. 2000).
Provided one of my favourite lines from all of cinema, as an occultist
in "The Devil Rides Out" :- "I won't be back, but *something* will!"
Bob Feigel
Radioacti...@hotmail.com magnanimously proffered:
>So I gather this was a distinct Charles Gray (or Grey?) from the
>handsome fellow whose underplayed, offbeat take on Ernst Stavro
>Blofeld in "Diamonds or Forever" was probably the only redeeming
>feature in that 1971 film ...
http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/20219/t/Charles-H-Gray.html
Charles H. Gray
According to the latest SAG magazine Charles H. Gray passed away on
August 2nd. The imdb has yet to record it and there's little on Gray's
page besides his credits, not even a birth date. I have yet to find
any obits online.
I think RAWHIDE stands among the handful of TV's finest westerns. For
three of its eight seasons (and 45 of its 217 episodes) Charles H.
Gray was one of the stars of the show as bad guy turned good guy Clay
Forrester. I always liked Forrester because--among a crew of likable
characters brought to life by Eric Fleming, Clint Eastwood, Sheb
Woolley, Paul Brinegar, Rocky Shahan, Steve Raines and James
Murdock--he stood out as something of a mustachioed rogue, a little
unpredictable at times, with a definite edge to him. Gray played the
part with charm and swagger, but subtly. He had previously appeared in
two 1st season episodes as a goateed drover named Flagg, but Clay
Forrester didn't sign on with Gil Favor's herd till season 4.
Gray's credits have been confused over the years with the British
Charles Gray, who is of course known for playing Blofeld, Mycroft
Holmes and a host of memorable roles. The Missouri-born Gray's credits
are dominated by a long string of westerns, both TV and feature,
including multiple guest and supporting spots on high profile shows
like HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL and GUNSMOKE.
Genre credits are minimal; the sheriff in PROPHECY in '79 was his last
role, and much earlier he had a part in the fungal-fest THE UNKNOWN
TERROR, as well as a later SUPERMAN episode and a ONE STEP BEYOND.
LEAVE IT TO BEAVER fans will remember Gray as the new neighbor Mr.
Donaldson that Beaver's in mortal terror of, fearing jealousy over a
kiss on the cheek from the man's wife, played by Phyllis Coates. A
very amusing episode.
- DrPaulArmstorng
--
"It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens." - Woody Allen
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MJ Emigh
> So I gather this was a distinct Charles Gray (or Grey?) from the
> handsome fellow whose underplayed, offbeat take on Ernst Stavro
> Blofeld in "Diamonds or Forever"