Boston, Suffolk County
Massachusetts, United States
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County
California, United States
Ray Bolger's Biography
Introduction
Born January 10, 1904 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA
Died January 15, 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA (cancer)
Birth Name Raymond Wallace Bolger
Height 5' 10½" (1.79 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Ray Bolger was born Raymond Wallace Bolger on January 10, 1904 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, to Anne C. (Wallace) and James Edward Bolger, both Irish-Americans. Ray began his career in vaudeville. He was half of a team called "Sanford and Bolger" and also did numerous Broadway shows on his own. Like Gene Kelly, he was a song-and-dance man as well as an actor. He was signed to a contract with MGM and his first role was as himself in The Great Ziegfeld (1936). This was soon followed by a role opposite Eleanor Powell in the romantic comedy Rosalie (1937). His first dancing and singing role was in Sweethearts (1938), where he did the "wooden shoes" number with redheaded soprano/actress Jeanette MacDonald. This got him noticed by MGM producers and resulted in his being cast in his most famous role, 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 Radio Pictures to make the romantic comedy 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 received his own sitcom, Where's Raymond? (1953), later changed to "The Ray Bolger Show". After his series ended, Bolger guest starred on many television series such as Battlestar Galactica (1978) and Fantasy Island (1977), and had some small roles in movies. In 1985, he co-hosted the documentary film That's Dancing! (1985) with Liza Minnelli. Ray Bolger died of bladder cancer in Los Angeles, California on January 15, 1987, five days after his 83rd birthday.
Spouse (1)
Gwendolyn Bolger (9 July 1929 - 15 January 1987) ( his death)
Trade Mark (2)
His rubbery dancing style
His iconic role as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Trivia (13)
Great-uncle of actor John Bolger.
He was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6788 Hollywood Boulevard; and for Television at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
He was always closely identified with the Scarecrow. He once guest starred on the game show Password All-Stars (1961). When the word "Ray" came up, he said to his partner "Me!". His partner readily answered "Scarecrow!".
Following his death, he was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Was the last surviving cast member of The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Won Broadway's 1949 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for "Where's Charley?", a role he recreated in the film version, Where's Charley? (1952). He was also nominated in the same Tony Award category in 1962 for "All American".
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 115-116. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.
Made his first Broadway stage appearance in 1926.
Bolger was among those entertainers who opened Manhattan's famed Radio City Music Hall on December 27, 1932. After the management realized that the public's taste for vaudeville had waned, it cut back on the live entertainment and supplemented it with movies.
He was a member of the Good Shepherd Parish and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills, California.
He was posthumously awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California on January 10, 1998.
Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame (1980) and the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame (2015).
Despite persistent web rumors, Ray was born Raymond Wallace Bolger, and the family's surname was never "Bulcao". His father, James Edward Bolger, was the son of Raymond Bolger and Maria Mahoney. His mother, Anne C. Wallace, was the daughter of William Wallace and Joanna Hassett. All of his grandparents were of Irish origin.
Personal Quotes (2)
[on playing the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (1939)] I knew that I was taking part in a strange kind of adventure.
[When asked how much money he made from the repeat showings of The Wizard of Oz (1939), he and his wife often responded] No residuals, just immortality.
Salary (1)
The Wizard of Oz (1939) $3,000 a week.
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Memories: Stories & Photos
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Both Eleanor Powell and Ray Bolger were singers and dancers. They were in Washington DC to entertain at one of President Roosevelt's "many" birthday parties.
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Harris & Ewing, photographer


Actors include:
Cowardly lion: Bert Lahr, born 1895 died 1967
The Scarecrow: Ray Bolger, born 1904 died 1987
The Tin Man: Jack Haley, born 1898 died 1979
Family Tree & Friends
Ray's Family Tree
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Friends
Friends can be as close as family. Add Ray's family friends, and his friends from childhood through adulthood.
1904 - 1987 World Events
Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Ray's lifetime.
In 1904, in the year that Ray Bolger was born, the World's Fair, officially known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, was held in St. Louis, Missouri. Attended by nearly 19.7 million people (and later the subject of a Judy Garland film), the Fair was funded by federal, state and local sources to the tune of $15 million. As the name suggests, the Fair was suggested as a way to celebrate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. In the past, World's Fairs were a way of bringing new technology to the attention of the masses and this fair was no exception - the use of electricity (the public feared it at the time), personal cars, airplanes, and the electric streetcar were all highlighted.
In 1948, when he was 44 years old, on May 14th, the State of Israel was proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion, who became Israel's first Premier, and the U.S. officially recognized Israel. That evening, Egypt launched an air assault on Israel.
In 1966, when he was 62 years old, on September 8th, the first Star Trek episode, "The Man Trap," was broadcast on NBC. The plot concerned a creature that sucked salt from human bodies. The original series only aired for 3 seasons due to low ratings.
In 1974, Ray was 70 years old when on February 5th, Patty Hearst, age 19 - granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst and daughter of publisher of the San Francisco Examiner Randolph Hearst - was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, a left wing terrorist group. She was found, alive, 19 months later.
In 1987, in the year of Ray Bolger's passing, on October 19th, stock exchanges around the world crashed. Beginning in Hong Kong then spreading to Europe, the crash then hit the United States. It was called Black Monday. The Dow Jones fell 508 points to 1,738.74 (22.61%).
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