Ray Walston

Ray Walston
Herman Raymond Walston (November 2, 1914 – January 1, 2001) was an American actor and comedian. Walston started his career on Broadway earning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Mr. Applegate in Damn Yankees (1956).
He's appeared in the films South Pacific (1958), Damn Yankees (1958), The Apartment (1960), Kiss Me, Stupid (1964), Paint Your Wagon (1969), The Sting (1973), Popeye (1980), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and Of Mice and Men (1992). Walston also starred as the title character on My Favorite Martian and as Glen Bateman in the miniseries The Stand (1994). For his role as Judge Henry Bone in Picket Fences he earned two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Early life and education
Walston was born on November 2, 1914, in Laurel, Mississippi, the second son and youngest of three children born to lumberjack Harry Norman Walston and Mittie (née Kimball) Walston. He had an older sister, Carrie, and an older brother, Earl. His family moved from Mississippi to New Orleans, Louisiana, around 1925.
He started acting at an early age, beginning his tenure as a spear carrier rounding out productions at many New Orleans theaters. He mostly played small roles with stock companies, where he not only starred in traveling shows, but also worked at a movie theater, selling tickets and cleaning the stage floors. His family moved to Dallas, Texas, where he joined a repertory theater company under Margo Jones in 1938. He stayed at the Houston Civic Theater six years, "averaging 12 roles a year."
Career
1945–1957
Walston was popular with Margo Jones' team of actors before he traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, where he spent three years with the Cleveland Play House. He then traveled to New York City, where he made his Broadway debut in a 1945 production of Maurice Evans's The G.I. Hamlet. Three years later, Walston became one of the first members admitted to the newly formed Actors Studio.
In 1949, he appeared in the short-lived play Mrs. Gibbons' Boys, directed by George Abbott, who later cast him as Satan (who bore the name "Mr. Applegate") in the 1955 musical Damn Yankees opposite Gwen Verdon as his sexy aide Lola. The chemistry between the two was such that they both garnered critical success and won awards for their roles. After a decade in New York theater, he won a Tony Award.
He starred as Luther Billis in the 1951 London production of South Pacific. He reprised that role in the 1958 film adaptation. He and Juanita Hall (as Bloody Mary) were the only cast members to appear in both the stage and movie versions. Additional Broadway credits included The Front Page, Summer and Smoke, Richard III, Wish You Were Here, and House of Flowers. In 1957, actress and producer Katharine Cornell placed him in a role on Broadway in Robert E. Sherwood's Pulitzer Prize winning play about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, There Shall Be No Night. The play was adapted for television for a Hallmark Hall of Fame production. He had a prominent role in the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Me and Juliet, portraying the stage manager of the musical-within-the-musical, but his character did not participate in any of the musical numbers.
1958–1979
Walston reprised his role in the 1958 film version of Damn Yankees. His other films included Kiss Them for Me; South Pacific; Say One for Me; Tall Story; Portrait in Black; The Apartment; Convicts 4; Wives and Lovers; Who's Minding the Store?; Kiss Me, Stupid; Caprice; Paint Your Wagon; The Sting; Silver Streak; and Get a Clue. Walston landed one of the three leading roles in Billy Wilder's comic farce Kiss Me, Stupid opposite Dean Martin and Kim Novak because, after six weeks of filming, Peter Sellers had to withdraw from the cast due to a heart attack.
He narrated many United States Department of Defense and Atomic Energy Commission (now United States Department of Energy) films about nuclear experiments, including the Operation Hardtack I nuclear test film series of 1958. He guest starred on numerous television programs, including The Shirley Temple Show, The Americans, and a television version of Going My Way.
Walston achieved his greatest success as the title character (Uncle Martin) on My Favorite Martian from 1963 to 1966, alongside co-star Bill Bixby. The two immediately became close friends. The show was a top ten hit in its first season,still in the top 30 in its second, dropping to 45th in its third and final season. The success of My Favorite Martian typecast Walston and he had difficulty finding serious roles after the show's cancellation. He returned to character actor status in the 1970s and 1980s, and guest starred in such series as Custer, The Wild Wild West, Love, American Style, The Rookies, Mission: Impossible, Ellery Queen, The Six Million Dollar Man, Little House on the Prairie, and The Incredible Hulk, again with Bixby, in which Walston played Jasper the Magician in an episode called "My Favorite Magician".
1980–1992
From 1980 to 1992, Walston starred in 14 films, including Galaxy of Terror and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (as well as the 1986 television adaptation) as Mr. Hand. In a 1999 interview, Walston said that he was happy and relieved that when he walked down the street, young fans shouted at him "Mr. Hand" because he had finally torn away from his Martian role. In 1984, Walston played a judge on an episode of Night Court. Six years later, he made a guest appearance on an episode of L.A. Law. He later was hired for the role of Judge Henry Bone on Picket Fences; the character was originally a recurring role, but Walston proved to be so popular the character was later upgraded to a starring role. In the first season episode, "Remembering Rosemary," Judge Bone wears a Martian costume with antennae to a Halloween party as a nod to Walston's infamous role as Uncle Martin.
In 1985, Walston made a brief appearance in the opening credits of Steven Spielberg's series Amazing Stories, as a caveman acting out a story for his tribe. He appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Boothby, head groundskeeper at Starfleet Academy in San Francisco, and reprised the role twice on Star Trek: Voyager. In 1988, he guest starred in an episode of the popular horror-fantasy show Friday the 13th: The Series, as a bitter, elderly comic-book artist who uses a demonically cursed comic book to transform himself into a killer robot and murder his erstwhile enemies. In 1992, Walston played the role of Candy in the big-screen remake of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men with Gary Sinise and John Malkovich.
1993–2000
Walston reunited with Sinise in the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand.
He appeared in an AT&T long distance TV commercial in 1995, in which his dialogue implied he was Uncle Martin from Mars, looking for good rates to talk to fellow Martians living in the United States.
Walston received three Emmy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Picket Fences, winning twice, in 1995 and 1996. CBS cancelled the show after four seasons in 1996. Walston made a guest appearance in an episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman entitled "Remember Me", in which he portrayed the father of Jake Slicker, who was stricken with Alzheimer's disease. Walston played Grandfather Walter Addams in Addams Family Reunion (1998). The next year, he appeared in the film remake of his hit series, My Favorite Martian (1999) in the role of Armitan. He appeared in the Touched by an Angel episode, "The Face on the Barroom Floor", which aired on October 15, 2000.
Walston made a cameo in the 7th Heaven episode, "One Hundred", which aired on January 29, 2001, four weeks after his death. His final film role was in the independent film Early Bird Special, which was released later that year.
Personal life and death
Walston married Ruth Calvert on November 3, 1943. The couple had one daughter, Katharine Ann.
In 1994, Walston was diagnosed with lupus and as a result, his career began winding down. Walston died on New Years’ Day 2001 at age 86 at his home in Beverly Hills, California
Filmography
Film
1957: Kiss Them for Me as Lt. (j.g.) McCann
1958: South Pacific as Luther Billis
1958: Damn Yankees! as Mr. Applegate
1959: Say One for Me as Phil Stanley
1960: Tall Story as Professor Leo Sullivan
1960: The Apartment as Joe Dobisch
1960: Portrait in Black as Cobb
1961: The Americans as Whit Bristow
1962: Convicts 4 as Iggy
1963: Wives and Lovers as Wylie Driberg
1963: Who's Minding the Store? as Mr. Quimby
1964: Kiss Me, Stupid as Orville J. Spooner
1967: Caprice as Stuart Clancy
1969: Paint Your Wagon as Mad Jack Duncan
1973: The Sting as J.J. Singleton
1976: Silver Streak as Mr. Whiney
1977: The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington as Senator Sturges
1979: Institute for Revenge as Frank Anders
1980: Popeye as Poopdeck Pappy
1981: Galaxy of Terror as Kore
1982: O'Hara's Wife as Walter Tatum
1982: Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Mr. Hand
1983: Private School as Chauncey
1984: Gimme a Break! as Andy
1984: The Jerk, Too as Diesel
1984: Johnny Dangerously as Vendor
1985: O.C. and Stiggs as Gramps
1986: The Mouse and the Motorcycle as Matt
1986: Rad as Burton Timmer
1987: From the Hip as 1st Judge
1988: Paramedics as Heart Attack Victim
1988: Blood Relations as Charles McLeod
1988: Saturday the 14th Strikes Back as Gramps Baxter
1989: A Man of Passion as Basilio
1989: Oro Fino as Sacacorchos
1990: Ski Patrol as Pops
1991: Blood Salvage as Mr. Stone
1991: Popcorn as Dr. Mnesyne
1992: The Player as Ray Walston
1992: Of Mice and Men as Candy
1996: House Arrest as Chief Rocco
1998: Addams Family Reunion as Walter Addams
1999: My Favorite Martian as Armitan
1999: Swing Vote as Justice Clore Cawley
Television
1963-66: My Favorite Martian (TV series) as The Martian
1970s: Math Country as Lionel Hardway
1972: The Paul Lynde Show as Mr. Temura
1972: Mission Impossible as Dr. Victor Flory
1976: The Six Million Dollar Man as Horton Budge
1978: The Love Boat as a cruise ship passenger
1979: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as Roderick Zale
1979: Cliffhangers (11 episodes) as Bob Richards
1979: Starsky and Hutch (S4,Ep13) as Tommy Reese
1979: The Incredible Hulk (S3,Ep5) as Jasper the Magician
1979: Little House on the Prairie (The King is Dead) as Jimmy Hart
1982: Hart to Hart (TV series) as Elliott Laurence
1984: Santa Barbara as Mr. Bottoms
1984: Night Court (TV series) as Judge Martin A. Landis
1984: Newhart as Claude Darling
1985: Amazing Stories (TV series)
1985: Silver Spoons (TV series) as Uncle Harry
1985: Misfits of Science (TV series) as Barney
1988: Friday the 13th: The Series (TV series) as Jay Star
1989: I Know My First Name Is Steven (TV movie) as Bob Augustine
1990: L.A. Law as Gus Nivens
1990: Angel of Death as Prison Librarian Jenkins
1991: Dream On (TV Series) (Season 2 Ep 12: "The Charlotte Letter") as Father Augustine
1991: Ralph S. Mouse as Matt
1992: Star Trek: The Next Generation as Boothby
1992: Eerie, Indiana (episode "The Loyal Order of Corn") as Ned
1992: The Commish (Season 2 Ep 5: The Witches of Eastbridge) as Burt Hagstone
1992: Space Case as Bert
1992-96: Picket Fences (TV series) as Judge Henry Bone
1994: The Stand as Glen Bateman
1996: Project ALF as Motel Manager
1997: Get a Clue (1997 film) (TV movie) in multiple roles
1998-99: Star Trek: Voyager (TV series) Boothby (2 episodes)
2000: Touched By An Angel (TV series) as Benjamin Clay
2001: Early Bird Special as Pappy
2001: 7th Heaven (TV series) as Sgt. Millard Holmes
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Ray Walston Papers at the Harry Ransom Center
1914 births
2001 deaths
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male musical theatre actors
American male television actors
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
Tony Award winners
Vee-Jay Records artists
Deaths from lupus
People from Laurel, Mississippi
Male actors from New Orleans
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American male singers
People with lupus