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

Early years

Born in

Devine, Texas Devine is a city in Medina County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,350 at the 2010 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Devine, Texas, is named for Hon. Thomas J. Devine, a native of San An ...

, 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." Her first job related to films was selling tickets at a movie theater, and her first appearance on film came when

Harry Myers Harry C. Myers (September 5, 1882 – December 25, 1938) was an American film actor and director, sometimes credited as Henry Myers. He performed in many short comedy films with his wife Rosemary Theby. Myers appeared in 330 films between 1908 ...

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.

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 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

bought her contract. 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". 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, 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 ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The ch ...

'' (1931). Ray played the role of a stowaway in ''Gun Cargo'' (1949). 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.

Personal life and death

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

Partial filmography

* '' Your Friend and Mine'' (1923) * '' Times Have Changed'' (1923) * ''

The Way of a Man ''The Way of a Man'' is a 1924 American silent Western film serial directed by George B. Seitz. Pathé Exchange also released it as a 9- reel film later in 1924. Both the serial and the film version are considered to be lost. Plot As desc ...

'' (1924) * '' The Fortieth Door'' (1924) * '' Ten Scars Make a Man'' (1924) * ''

Galloping Hoofs ''Galloping Hoofs'' is a 1924 American silent Western film serial directed by George B. Seitz and starring Allene Ray and Johnnie Walker. The film is now considered to be lost. Cast * Allene Ray as Carole Page * Johnnie Walker as David Ki ...

'' (1924) * '' Sunken Silver'' (1925) * '' Play Ball'' (1925) * '' The Green Archer'' (1925) * ''

Snowed In ''Snowed In'' is the first Christmas album by American pop rock group Hanson. It was quickly released following the success of their previous album, '' Middle of Nowhere'', and was recorded in London. ''Snowed In'' was also the best-selling ho ...

'' (1926) * ''

The House Without a Key ''The House Without a Key'' is a 1925 novel by Earl Derr Biggers, the first of the Charlie Chan mysteries. Set in 1920s Hawaii, the novel acquaints the reader with the look and feel of the islands from the standpoint of both white and non-whi ...

'' (1926) * '' Melting Millions'' (1927) * '' Hawk of the Hills'' (1927) * '' The Man Without a Face'' (1928) * '' The Yellow Cameo'' (1928) * '' The Terrible People'' (1928) * '' Overland Bound'' (1929) * ''

The Black Book Black Book, Black book or Blackbook may refer to: Film * ''Black Book'' (film), a 2006 Dutch thriller film by director Paul Verhoeven ** ''Black Book'' (soundtrack), soundtrack of the 2006 film * ''The Black Book'' (serial), a 1929 American ...

'' (1929) * '' The Indians Are Coming'' (1930) * '' Westward Bound'' (1930) * ''

'' (1931)

References

*''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'', "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

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Allene 1901 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Texas American film actresses American silent film actresses Western (genre) film actresses Deaths from cancer in California People from San Antonio Film serial actresses