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Ray Stricklyn
Stricklyn (green shirt) inThe Last Wagon (1956)
Born	Lewis Raymond Stricklyn (1928-10-08)October 8, 1928 Houston, Texas, U.S.
Died	May 14, 2002(2002-05-14) (aged 73) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Film, stage, television actor
Years active	1952–1998
Partner	David Galligan

Lewis Raymond Stricklyn (October 8, 1928 – May 14, 2002) was an American film actor, stage actor, television actor,soap opera star and publicist.^[1][2] His acting career took off withB-movie Westerns that placed his boyish good looks playing opposite top talent of the time.

Stricklyn was born inHouston,Texas;^[3] his father was a sign painter. At the age of 16 Ray Stricklyn auditioned for a part in the playAh, 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.

Stricklyn gained early acting experience insummer stock at the Litchfield (Connecticut) Summer Theatre.^[4] He made hisBroadway début inA Climate of Eden byMoss Hart.^[5]

George Seaton was in New York casting his 1956 filmThe Proud and Profane and gave Stricklyn a one-scene role. He then moved toLos Angeles to further his film career. Stricklyn also appeared in the role of Tim Hansen in the 1958 filmThe Return of Dracula. After his performance inTen North Frederick (1958), he was given a contract with20th Century-Fox, but it wasn't renewed followingThe Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959). His first lead role was asJesse James inYoung Jesse James (1960), and he also had roles inThe Big Fisherman (1959),The Lost World (1960),The Plunderers (1960),Arizona Raiders (1965),Track of Thunder (1967) andDogpound Shuffle (1975). However, in later years he received fewer film roles and he returned to theatre work.

Stricklyn had the role of Howard Alston Hawkins inDays of Our Lives (1991–1992).^[3] He made two guest appearances on theCBS courtroom drama seriesPerry Mason. In 1960 he played defendant Gerald Norton in "The Case of the Bashful Burro," and in 1963 he played Reed Brent in "The Case of the Festive Felon." He portrayed Stanley in a 1961 episode ofThe Tom Ewell Show. In 1966 he appeared on theWorld War II dramaCombat!, asPrivate Earl Konieg in the episode "Headcount". He also appeared in episodes of popular shows likeCheers,Seinfeld,The Nanny,Wiseguy, and many more.

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, includingHenry Fonda,Shelley Winters,Janet Leigh,Elizabeth Taylor, andBette Davis. He also handled the US debut of theRubik's Cube. He eventually became the head of the company's West Coast office.

In 1983 Stricklyn and Charlotte Chandler wrote a one-hour one-man show,Confessions of a Nightingale, aboutTennessee Williams. Stricklyn portrayed Williams in the production, which was adapted from Chandler's interviews with Williams. CriticJohn Simon wrote inNew York magazine: "Ray Stricklyn ... does a fine job as Williams. The accent may waver a bit, but all those small mannerisms, tics, idiosyncratic intonations, hesitancies, shifts of mood are fraught with authenticity."^[6]

Four weekend performances at theBeverly 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 inDaily Variety urging everyone to see the show. He was twice named Best Actor of the Year by the LA Drama Critics Circle andLA Weekly. The show was then taken to Broadway and toured the US for another year. It was then performed at the Edinburgh Festival.

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

After falling ill withemphysema in 1997, he began writing hiscoming 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."

On May 14, 2002, Stricklyn died of emphysema in Los Angeles.^[3] He is survived by his sister, Mary Ann, and his longtime companion, Los Angeles stage director David Galligan.

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Film

Television

This list isincomplete; you can help byadding missing items.(February 2023)

Square One TV - D. John Mutard (Mathnet segment, "The Map with the Gap") - 1988

Seinfeld - Clarence (season 8, Episode 10: "The Andrea Doria") - 1996

Cheers - Ed (season 9, Episode 16: "Wedding Bell Blues") - 1991

Stricklyn received aTheatre World Award in 1952–1953 for his work inThe Climate of Eden.^[4] He was nominated for twoGolden Globe awards:

• 1958 – New Star Of The Year – Actor –10 North Frederick
• 1960 – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture –The Plunderers.^[7]

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, hishomosexuality (though he had well-publicised relationships withJoan Collins andBette Davis) and secondly, his persistently youthful appearance."

• 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.

• The New York Times / Ray Stricklyn

• Ray Stricklyn atIMDb
• Ray Stricklyn at theInternet Broadway Database

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

• 1928 births
• 2002 deaths
• 20th-century American male actors
• American male film actors
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• Deaths from emphysema
• American gay actors
• LGBTQ people from Texas
• Male Western (genre) film actors
• Male actors from Houston
• 20th-century American LGBTQ people

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• Articles lacking in-text citations from March 2013
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