Charles Ray

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Actor Born March 15, 1891 in Jacksonville, IL

Charles Ray was a silent film star who often portrayed young rural men making good in the city. As his youthful looks faded, however, so did his fame and fortune in Hollywood.

In real life as in his movie roles, Ray started at the bottom. From acting at the old Mason Opera House in Los Angeles, he went into the movies at $30 a week. He later became one of the highest-paid actors of his time, making $11,000 a week at one point.

Later in life, Ray was considered to be demanding and egotistic. When Hollywood deserted him, he set out to finance his own film, "The Courtship of Miles Standish," which failed and drove him into bankruptcy. He later tried writing, publishing a novel and a book of 29 short stories.

— Los Angeles Times Nov. 24, 1943