Ray Bolger

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

68

Gender

Male

Birthday

1904-01-10

Day of death

1987-01-15 (83 years old)

Place of Birth

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Ray Bolger

Biography

Ray Bolger began his career in vaudeville. He was half of a team called "Sanford and Bolger" and also did numerous Broadway shows on his own. He, like Gene Kelly, was a song-and-dance man as well as an actor. He was signed to a contract with MGM in 1936 and his first role was as himself in The Great Ziegfeld (1936). This was soon followed by a role opposite Eleanor Powell in Rosalie (1937). His first dancing and singing role was in Sweethearts (1938), where he did the "wooden shoes" number with red-headed soprano/actress Jeanette MacDonald. This got him noticed by MGM producers and resulted in his being cast in his most famous role, that of the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Surprisingly, even though the film was a success, Bolger's contract with MGM ended. He went to RKO to make Four Jacks and a Jill (1942). After this, Bolger went to Broadway, where he received his greatest satisfaction. In 1953 he turned to television and got his own sitcom, Where's Raymond? (1953), later changed to "The Ray Bolger Show". After his series ended, Bolger made frequent guest appearances on TV and had some small roles in movies. In 1985 he co-hosted That's Dancing! (1985) with Liza Minnelli. Bolger died in 1987 at the age of 83. Interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, USA, in the Mausoleum, Crypt F2, Block 35.

Known For

  • The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

  • The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • The Love Boat

    The Love Boat

  • The Love Boat

    The Love Boat

  • The Red Skelton Show

    The Red Skelton Show

  • Little House on the Prairie

    Little House on the Prairie

  • What's My Line?

    What's My Line?

  • The Merv Griffin Show

    The Merv Griffin Show

  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

  • The Colgate Comedy Hour

    The Colgate Comedy Hour

  • Fantasy Island

    Fantasy Island

  • The Wizard of Oz

    The Wizard of Oz

  • The Bob Hope Show

    The Bob Hope Show

  • Omnibus

    Omnibus

  • Battlestar Galactica

    Battlestar Galactica

  • Baretta

    Baretta

  • Nanny and the Professor

    Nanny and the Professor

  • The George Gobel Show

    The George Gobel Show

  • The Partridge Family

    The Partridge Family

  • The Partridge Family

    The Partridge Family

  • Donny & Marie

    Donny & Marie

  • Rosalie

    Rosalie

  • Sunny

    Sunny

  • The Bell Telephone Hour

    The Bell Telephone Hour

  • The Bell Telephone Hour

    The Bell Telephone Hour

  • Backstage Party

    Backstage Party

  • Annie

    Annie

  • MGM Parade

    MGM Parade

  • Where's Charley?

    Where's Charley?

  • Four Jacks and a Jill

    Four Jacks and a Jill

  • That's Dancing!

    That's Dancing!

  • The Wonderful World of Disney

    The Wonderful World of Disney

  • That's Entertainment! III

    That's Entertainment! III

  • The Hollywood Palace

    The Hollywood Palace

  • Captains and the Kings

    Captains and the Kings

  • The Entertainer

    The Entertainer

  • Judy Garland: By Myself

    Judy Garland: By Myself

  • That's Entertainment!

    That's Entertainment!

  • The Judy Garland Show

    The Judy Garland Show

  • Babes in Toyland

    Babes in Toyland

  • The Harvey Girls

    The Harvey Girls

  • Heaven Only Knows

    Heaven Only Knows

  • Diff'rent Strokes

    Diff'rent Strokes

  • The Great Ziegfeld

    The Great Ziegfeld

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • The Runner Stumbles

    The Runner Stumbles

  • Where's Raymond?

    Where's Raymond?

  • Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression

    Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression

  • A Star Is Born World Premiere

    A Star Is Born World Premiere

  • Just You and Me, Kid

    Just You and Me, Kid

  • Stage Door Canteen

    Stage Door Canteen

  • Sweethearts

    Sweethearts

  • Look for the Silver Lining

    Look for the Silver Lining

  • The Daydreamer

    The Daydreamer

  • The All-Star Christmas Show

    The All-Star Christmas Show

  • The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic

    The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic

  • The Making of the Wizard of Oz

    The Making of the Wizard of Oz

  • Make Mine Laughs

    Make Mine Laughs

  • Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power

    Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power

  • Three on a Date

    Three on a Date

  • The Dark Side of the Rainbow

    The Dark Side of the Rainbow

  • April in Paris

    April in Paris

  • To Oz! The Making of a Classic

    To Oz! The Making of a Classic

  • Oz

    Oz

  • The Whimsical World of Oz

    The Whimsical World of Oz

  • Peter and the Magic Egg

    Peter and the Magic Egg