Ray Sharkey
Born	Raymond Sharkey Jr. (1952-11-14)November 14, 1952 Brooklyn,New York, U.S.
Died	June 11, 1993(1993-06-11) (aged 40) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Cause of death	Complications fromAIDS
Resting place	Saint Charles Cemetery
Nationality	American
Alma mater	New York City Community College HB Studio
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–1992
Spouses	Rebecca Wood ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1986)​ Carole Graham ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1992)​
Children	1

Raymond Sharkey Jr. (November 14, 1952 – June 11, 1993) was an American stage, film and television actor. His most notable film role was Vincent Vacarri in the 1980 filmThe Idolmaker, for which he won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He is also known for his role as Sonny Steelgrave in the television seriesWiseguy.

Sharkey was born in Brooklyn to Cecelia Formisano and Ray Sharkey, Sr. He was of Irish and Italian descent. Sharkey's father was a professional drummer who abandoned the family when Sharkey was five years old.^[1] He was raised by his mother, Cecelia, in Brooklyn'sRed Hook neighborhood.^[1][2] Sharkey became interested in acting after seeingJack Lemmon in the 1962 filmDays of Wine and Roses. After attendingNew York City Community College for one year, he enrolled at theHB Studio to study acting. While attending the HB Studio, Sharkey performed in various Off-Broadway stage productions. In 1973, he and his friend, boxer/actorChu Chu Malave, moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting careers.^[3][4]

In 1974, he made his film debut inThe Lords of Flatbush. Sharkey went on to appear in more than forty motion pictures and dozens of guest appearances on various television series.

An early standout performance in a character role came inWho'll Stop the Rain (1978), directed byKarel Reisz. The film's editor,John Bloom, said, "I do not believe there’s ever been a better pair of villains thanRichard Masur and Ray Sharkey — funny and terrifying in equal measure."^[5] This echoed a contemporary review, which called them "psychopaths played to the hilt" and added, "They're a great team. Whether they are supposed to be so funny, even when they are shouting obscenities, only the director knows. But funny they are."^[6]

In 1980, Sharkey portrayed rock promoter Vinnie Vacarri inThe Idolmaker. The role boosted Sharkey's career and earned him aGolden Globe Award for his performance in the film.^[3] The following year, he was nominated for another Golden Globe for his role inThe Ordeal of Bill Carney, in which he played the title role. Shortly after appearing inThe Idolmaker, Sharkey developed a $400 a day heroin habit. As a result of his drug use, his career declined and he was relegated to mainly supporting roles. He overdosed several times and was involved in four drug-related car accidents, two of which required him to undergo microsurgery on his eyes. He tried undergoing rehab treatment several times but would ultimately relapse a few months later. In 1987, Sharkey spent two months in anOrange County rehab center in an effort to kick his drug and alcohol addiction for good.^[1][4]

Four days after leaving rehab, he won the role of Sonny Steelgrave in the seriesWiseguy.^[7] One reviewer remarked, "The Steelgrave episodes were wonderful, partly because of Sharkey's performance as the tough-tender Sonny."^[8] Another stated, "Sharkey's portrayal of Steelgrave, with his murderous, mercurial charm, has been likened toJames Cagney's Cody Jarrett inWhite Heat".^[7] ProducerStephen J. Cannell and many fans were sorry to see Sharkey's character go, but the format ofWiseguy was self-contained story "arcs" of several episodes.^[8] The character proved to be popular with audiences. Many letters came in to ask that he return, prompting the writing of Steelgrave in future episodes (usually with the lead character dreaming about Steelgrave).^[7] A 2008Entertainment Weekly retrospective on "The 50 Biggest Emmy Snubs" ranked Sharkey's Steelgrave as #26.^[9]

With that career boost, Sharkey then co-starred in the biographical filmWired.^[10] Based on the life ofJohn Belushi, Sharkey portrayed aPuerto Rican angel who meets Belushi after his death in the morgue and "show[s] him the error of his ways." Sharkey's next role was in the 1989black comedy filmScenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills.^[11]

In 1991, he starred in theABC sitcomThe Man in the Family. While Sharkey received good reviews for his performance, the show was panned by critics and canceled after one season. The following year, he appeared in a guest spot onJake and the Fatman; and co-starred in the independent filmZebrahead, as well as the lead in the television movieIn the Line of Duty: Street War. On July 30, 1992, while filming a guest spot on the television series,The Hat Squad, inVancouver, he was arrested for drug possession. Canadian customs officials, making a routine inspection of incoming cargo at the airport, discovered small amounts of cocaine and heroin in a black envelope being sent fromLos Angeles to Sharkey in Vancouver. Police searched his hotel room and found an additional supply of drugs. He was jailed and later released on bail. Sharkey was later fired fromThe Hat Squad.^[12] Sharkey's final role was in the 1993 comedy filmCop and a Half.

In May 1981, Sharkey married model Rebecca Wood.^[13] The marriage ended in 1986 due to Sharkey's drug abuse.^[4] In 1988, he married actress Carole Graham. That marriage produced one daughter, Cecelia, in 1989.^[1] In November 1992, Graham divorced Sharkey, also citing his drug abuse as the reason for the divorce.^[14]

Sharkey was diagnosed asHIV positive in the late 1980s. He reportedly contracted the virus through intravenous drug use. After his death, Sharkey's manager Herb Nanas admitted that they both decided to keep his diagnosis a secret, fearing it would hurt his career. Despite his diagnosis, Sharkey remained indenial about his HIV-positive status and, according to his manager, had sex with an estimated 100 women after he was diagnosed.^[15][16]

Sharkey began a relationship with model/actress Elena Monica, daughter of comedianCorbett Monica, in April 1991. She became ill and was hospitalized withaseptic meningitis in July 1991. During a routine check, she tested positive for HIV. Monica believed she contracted the virus from Sharkey, who continued to deny that he had infected her. Monica ended the relationship in October 1991 due to her suspicions. In July 1992, she learned that another woman also suspected that Sharkey had infected her with HIV as well. Later that same year, Monica filed a $52 million lawsuit against the actor for knowingly infecting her with HIV.^[16]

In an interview withDetails magazine conducted in March 1993, three months before his death, Sharkey told the reporter that he was in fact HIV-positive by saying that he "harbored a strain of HIV" that he believed would never develop into AIDS. At the time of the interview, Sharkey weighed 80 pounds (36 kg), had a hacking cough and was suffering from a brainlesion.^[17] When asked about his ex-girlfriend Elena Monica who accused him of infecting her with HIV, Sharkey said, "This disease is funny. One day you're negative and the next day you're positive. And people suffer. I don't think she suffered from me."^[15] Monica won her lawsuit against Sharkey bydefault judgment after his death (Sharkey declined to challenge her suit when it was originally filed), but she received no compensation from his estate because the actor had very little money.^[18]

Sharkey died of complications from AIDS atLutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, on June 11, 1993, at age 40.^[19] He is interred inSaint Charles Cemetery inFarmingdale,Long Island,New York.

In June 1993, shortly after Sharkey's death, a Beverly Hills graphic designer who said she had an on-and-off relationship with Sharkey from 1985 to 1991 announced that she was suing Sharkey's estate. The woman, who was only identified as "Joyce", cared for Sharkey in his final months and said that she believed that she also had contracted HIV from Sharkey after she was diagnosed with the virus in April 1992.^[20]

• Ray Sharkey atIMDb

• 1952 births
• 1993 deaths
• Male actors from Brooklyn
• AIDS-related deaths in New York (state)
• American male film actors
• American people of Irish descent
• American people of Italian descent
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners
• Burials at Saint Charles Cemetery
• People from Red Hook, Brooklyn
• 20th-century American male actors
• New York City College of Technology alumni

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hCards