Ray Bolger

Known for ActingBorn 1904-01-10Died 1987-01-15Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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.Read more

Movies & web series

The Whimsical World of Oz

Where's Charley?

The Dark Side of the Rainbow

MGM Parade

Captains and the Kings

Judy Garland: By Myself

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

Vaudeville

The Judy Garland Show

Little House on the Prairie

The Bell Telephone Hour

A Star Is Born World Premiere

The Wonderful World of Disney

The Making of the Wizard of Oz

The George Gobel Show

Where's Raymond?

That's Entertainment!

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Wizard of Oz

That's Entertainment! III

The Red Skelton Show

That's Dancing!

Donny & Marie

Diff'rent Strokes

Omnibus

Battlestar Galactica

Heaven Only Knows

Backstage Party

The Runner Stumbles

The Partridge Family

What's My Line?

The Bob Hope Show

The Colgate Comedy Hour

Annie

General Electric Theater

Fantasy Island

Baretta

The Merv Griffin Show

Nanny and the Professor

The Love Boat

The Harvey Girls

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

Four Jacks and a Jill

Stage Door Canteen

The Great Ziegfeld

Look for the Silver Lining

The All-Star Christmas Show

Babes in Toyland