fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Allene Ray (born Allene Ray Burch;[1] January 2, 1901 – May 5, 1979) was an American film actress.

Allene Ray
Allene Ray from Famous Film Folk: A Gallery of Life Portraits and Biographies, 1925
Born	(1901-01-02)January 2, 1901 Devine, Texas, U.S.
Died	May 5, 1979(1979-05-05) (aged 78) Temple City, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Spouse(s)	William "Larry" Wheeler (1925-1958, his death)

Early years

Born in Devine, Texas, Ray grew up on her father's ranch with her four sisters and two brothers. She was learning to ride by age 3, and by age 20 she had become "an accomplished horsewoman."[1]

Her first job related to films was selling tickets at a movie theater, and her first appearance on film came when Harry Myers arrived in Texas. He shot two reels of film with Ray before he left. Her next opportunity in film came in 1920 when she won a publishing company's beauty contest after her sister submitted her picture as an entry.[1]

Career

Winning the contest led to her signing with a talent agency, which dropped her last name for professional purposes. She made two films in Texas for the Sawyer and Lubin agency before Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought her contract.[1]

Ray became a serial heroine for Pathe Pictures, acting and performing stunts that included riding her horse, "teetering on the roofs of buildings and jumping into lakes".[1] She explained during an interview in 1978 that the company did not hire stuntpersons; therefore each actor and actress had to do his or her stunts,[1]

Her screen credits include Honeymoon Ranch (1920), West of the Rio Grande (1921) and Partners of the Sunset (1922). The latter she made for the Lubin Corporation. In making The Fortieth Door (1924), Ray decided to wear a brunette wig as the film featured an Egyptian heroine. The serial was made by Pathe. Her film career continued into the era of sound motion pictures with appearances in such films as The Indians Are Coming (1930), Westward Bound (1930) and The Phantom (1931). Ray played the role of a stowaway in Gun Cargo (1949).^{[citation needed]}

After she left the film business, Ray worked as a seamstress and a fitter in Temple City, California, after which she enrolled in a real-estate school and passed a test to become a broker. She worked with her husband, who was also a real-estate broker. After his death, she continued in the business until she retired in 1965.[1]

Personal life and death

On July 20, 1925, Ray married film producer Larry Wheeler in Tijuana, Mexico.[2] In 1940 they moved to Temple City, California. They remained married until his death in 1958.[1] She died from cancer in 1979, aged 78, in Temple City, California.^{[citation needed]}

Partial filmography

References

• Los Angeles Times, "New Sparkler Comes To Coast", August 27, 1922, p. II37.
• Los Angeles Times, "Blonde Brunette Tresses Puzzle for Allene Ray", July 20, 1924, p. B40.

External links

• Allene Ray at IMDb

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