Nicholas Ray
Biography
Nicholas Ray was an American filmmaker who directed, wrote, and acted in movies. Born in Galesville, Wisconsin, and raised in La Crosse, he started in New York theater and radio before going to Hollywood, where he assisted on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945). His first film as director was They Live By Night, released in 1949. Ray became known for sympathetic portraits of outsiders and youth, directing In a Lonely Place (1950), Johnny Guitar (1954), and Rebel Without a Cause (1955), the last earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Story. He also made Bigger Than Life (1956) and King of Kings (1961) and acted in The American Friend (1977). In the 1970s he created the experimental We Can't Go Home Again (1973), which remained unfinished when he died in 1979. His visual style influenced the French New Wave, and he received nominations for the Golden Lion and the Palme d'Or.
67years old at death
- Born La Crosse
- Died New York City
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
- Also credited as Nik Ray
Movie Career
- Films
- 4
- Career span
- 34 years1945 to 1979
Every film, newest first
- 1979HairIMDb rating 7.5
- 1977The American FriendIMDb rating 7.4
- 1973We Can't Go Home AgainIMDb rating 6.2
- 1945A Tree Grows in BrooklynIMDb rating 8.0
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A first
In 1946, Ray directed Beggar's Holiday, a musical with music by Duke Ellington and lyrics by John Latouche. It was the first and only Broadway production he directed.
A role that slipped away
Ray wanted Elvis Presley to play the outlaw in The True Story of Jesse James, but Fox refused and Presley left for Paramount, so Robert Wagner and Jeffrey Hunter played the James brothers.
About the name
Ray began using the professional name Nicholas Ray in his correspondence by early 1933, after leaving the State Teachers College.
A first
Ray's first film, They Live by Night, was reviewed in 1948 but not released until November 1949 because of Howard Hughes's takeover of RKO, so two later pictures came out before it.
A change of course
In 1971, Ray began a new career as a teacher at Harpur College in Binghamton, NY. There, his eager students served as the cast and crew.
Nicholas Ray movies on Netflix
Worked with
Nicholas Ray made one film with each of them. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Dennis Hopper's page
John Savage's page
Beverly D'Angelo's page
Treat Williams's page
Charles Halton's page
J. Farrell MacDonald's page
All films by Milos Forman
All films by Wim Wenders
All films by Elia Kazan
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.