Ray Bolger
Acting
1904-01-10 · Boston, 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.
Filmography
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere
2025 · Movie
To Oz! The Making of a Classic
2009 · Movie
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
2009 · Movie
Judy Garland: By Myself
2004 · Movie
The Dark Side of the Rainbow
2000 · Movie
Vaudeville
1997 · Movie
That's Entertainment! III
1994 · Movie
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic
1990 · Movie
That's Dancing!
1985 · Movie
The Whimsical World of Oz
1985 · Movie
Peter and the Magic Egg
1983 · Movie
Annie
1982 · Movie
The Runner Stumbles
1979 · Movie
Just You and Me, Kid
1979 · Movie
Heaven Only Knows
1979 · Movie
The Making of the Wizard of Oz
1979 · Movie
Diff'rent Strokes
1978 · Series
Battlestar Galactica
1978 · Series
Three on a Date
1978 · Movie
Fantasy Island
1978 · Series
The Love Boat
1977 · Series
Captains and the Kings
1976 · Series
The Entertainer
1976 · Movie
Donny & Marie
1976 · Series
Baretta
1975 · Series
Little House on the Prairie
1974 · Series
That's Entertainment!
1974 · Movie
The Partridge Family
1970 · Series
Nanny and the Professor
1970 · Series
Omnibus
1967 · Series
The Daydreamer
1966 · Movie
The Hollywood Palace
1964 · Series
The Judy Garland Show
1963 · Series
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · Series
The Merv Griffin Show
1962 · Series
Backstage Party
1961 · Movie
Babes in Toyland
1961 · Movie
The Mike Douglas Show
1961 · Series
The Bell Telephone Hour
1959 · Series
The All-Star Christmas Show
1958 · Movie
Washington Square
1956 · Series
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956 · Series
Tony Awards
1956 · Series
MGM Parade
1955 · Series
The Wonderful World of Disney
1954 · Series
The George Gobel Show
1954 · Series
A Star Is Born World Premiere
1954 · Movie
Where's Raymond?
1953 · Series
General Electric Theater
1953 · Series
April in Paris
1952 · Movie
Where's Charley?
1952 · Movie
The Red Skelton Show
1951 · Series
The Colgate Comedy Hour
1950 · Series
The Bob Hope Show
1950 · Series
What's My Line?
1950 · Series
Make Mine Laughs
1949 · Movie
Look for the Silver Lining
1949 · Movie
The Harvey Girls
1946 · Movie
Stage Door Canteen
1943 · Movie
Four Jacks and a Jill
1942 · Movie
Sunny
1941 · Movie
The Wizard of Oz
1939 · Movie
Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power
1938 · Movie
Sweethearts
1938 · Movie
Rosalie
1937 · Movie
The Great Ziegfeld
1936 · Movie
Oz
Movie