Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 â€" November 29, 1991) was an
American actor whose career spanned 62 years on stage, film, and
television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as
supporting roles, garnering acclaim and awards, including an Tony
Award for Best Dramatic Actor in Sunrise at Campobello and Oscar
nomination for Best Supporting Actor for The Awful Truth
(1937).Bellamy was born in Chicago. He was the son of Lilla Louise
(née Smith; January 23, 1875 â€" June 15, 1962), a native of Canada,
and Charles Rexford Bellamy (January 12, 1876 â€" October 7, 1968). He
ran away from home when he was 15 and managed to get into a road show.
He toured with road shows before finally landing in New York City. He
began acting on stage there and by 1927 owned his own theater company.
In 1931, he made his film debut and worked constantly throughout the
decade both as a lead and as a capable supporting actor. He co-starred
in five films with Fay Wray.His film career began with The Secret Six
(1931) starring Wallace Beery and featuring Jean Harlow and Clark
Gable. By the end of 1933, he had already appeared in 22 movies, most
notably Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1932) and the second lead in the
action film Picture Snatcher with James Cagney (1933). He played in
seven more films in 1934 alone, including Woman in the Dark, based on
a Dashiell Hammett story, in which Bellamy played the lead,
second-billed under Fay Wray. Bellamy kept up the pace through the
decade, receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actor for his role in The Awful Truth (1937) with Irene
Dunne and Cary Grant, and played a similar part, that of a naive
boyfriend competing with the sophisticated Grant character, in His
Girl Friday (1940). He portrayed detective Ellery Queen in a few films
during the 1940s, but as his film career did not progress, he returned
to the stage, where he continued to perform throughout the 1950s.
Bellamy appeared in other movies during this time, including Dance,
Girl, Dance (1940) with Maureen O'Hara and Lucille Ball, and the
horror classic The Wolf Man (1941) with Lon Chaney, Jr. and Evelyn
Ankers. He also appeared in The Ghost of Frankenstein in 1942 with
Chaney and Bela Lugosi.
American actor whose career spanned 62 years on stage, film, and
television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as
supporting roles, garnering acclaim and awards, including an Tony
Award for Best Dramatic Actor in Sunrise at Campobello and Oscar
nomination for Best Supporting Actor for The Awful Truth
(1937).Bellamy was born in Chicago. He was the son of Lilla Louise
(née Smith; January 23, 1875 â€" June 15, 1962), a native of Canada,
and Charles Rexford Bellamy (January 12, 1876 â€" October 7, 1968). He
ran away from home when he was 15 and managed to get into a road show.
He toured with road shows before finally landing in New York City. He
began acting on stage there and by 1927 owned his own theater company.
In 1931, he made his film debut and worked constantly throughout the
decade both as a lead and as a capable supporting actor. He co-starred
in five films with Fay Wray.His film career began with The Secret Six
(1931) starring Wallace Beery and featuring Jean Harlow and Clark
Gable. By the end of 1933, he had already appeared in 22 movies, most
notably Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1932) and the second lead in the
action film Picture Snatcher with James Cagney (1933). He played in
seven more films in 1934 alone, including Woman in the Dark, based on
a Dashiell Hammett story, in which Bellamy played the lead,
second-billed under Fay Wray. Bellamy kept up the pace through the
decade, receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actor for his role in The Awful Truth (1937) with Irene
Dunne and Cary Grant, and played a similar part, that of a naive
boyfriend competing with the sophisticated Grant character, in His
Girl Friday (1940). He portrayed detective Ellery Queen in a few films
during the 1940s, but as his film career did not progress, he returned
to the stage, where he continued to perform throughout the 1950s.
Bellamy appeared in other movies during this time, including Dance,
Girl, Dance (1940) with Maureen O'Hara and Lucille Ball, and the
horror classic The Wolf Man (1941) with Lon Chaney, Jr. and Evelyn
Ankers. He also appeared in The Ghost of Frankenstein in 1942 with
Chaney and Bela Lugosi.
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