Gene Anthony Ray (May 24, 1962 – November 14, 2003) was an American actor,

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

r, and

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

. He was known for his portrayal of dancer Leroy Johnson in both the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

film '' Fame'' and the 1982–1987 ''Fame'' television series based upon the film.

Early life

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, in the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

on May 24, 1962, Ray grew up in the area of West 153rd Street and later became involved in street dancing at block parties. He performed in a dance class at the

Julia Richman High School The Julia Richman Education Complex (JREC) is an educational multiplex located in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after the district superintendent of schools, Julia Richman, it houses six autonomous small sc ...

. He skipped school one day to audition for ''Fame'' choreographer

Louis Falco Louis Falco (August 2, 1942 – March 26, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. Life and career Louis Falco was born in New York City of southern Italian immigrant parents. He began his study of dance in the 1950s at The Henry Street ...

. Ray attended the

High School of Performing Arts The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984. In 1961, the school was m ...

, the inspiration for the film ''Fame'', but was kicked out after just one year. "It was too disciplined for this wild child of mine," Ray's mother, Jean E. Ray, would later say.

Career

Ray won the part of Leroy Johnson in the film '' Fame'', which was released in 1980. Much like his ''Fame'' character, Ray had little professional training, but he possessed a raw talent that won him his role for the film. Reports ''USA Today'': "Alan (Parker, the director) had to approach him very carefully. His mom was dealing drugs during the filming. It was not pretty." In 1981, Ray starred as

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth day ...

, alongside

Michael York Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television and stage actor. After performing on-stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Ro ...

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...

, in the 1981 TV adventure-comedy ' (alternative title: ''Robinson Crusoe and Man Friday''). Ray also starred in the television series based on the film, ''Fame''. The series was produced by

MGM Television MGM Television Worldwide Group and Digital (alternatively Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television Group and Digital, commonly known as MGM Television and then-known as MGM/UA Television; common metonym: Lion) is an American television production/dis ...

from 1982 to 1987, and syndicated from 1983 to 1987. Also in 1982, Ray danced in

The Weather Girls The Weather Girls are an American female duo whose best-known line-up comprised Martha Wash and Izora Armstead. Formed in 1976 in San Francisco, California, The Weather Girls members began their musical career as Two Tons O' Fun, the female back ...

' music video for "Well-A-Wiggy". Additionally, he began touring the U.K. with the other members of the ''Fame'' cast as

The Kids from "Fame" The Kids from "Fame" was the group name of several cast members from the American TV series '' Fame'' who had a number of hit singles and albums at the height of the show's success in the United Kingdom. This success culminated in tours of Britain, ...

; they performed at 10 venues, including a sell out performance at

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. In 1984, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' reports: "Ray was axed from the show after his mother was jailed for running a drug ring, and he failed to turn up for work 100 times." He struggled with addictions to alcohol and drugs, and worked only intermittently once the TV series ended. In 1987, he won the role of Billy Nolan in the ill-fated musical adaptation of ''Carrie'' by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

. Ray played the role in the original opening in

Stratford-Upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

, which closed after less than a month. He then transferred to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and continued to play the role until the musical closed after only 21 public performances. Ray also appeared in the 1995 film ''

Out-of-Sync ''Out-of-Sync'' is a 1995 American crime drama film featuring LL Cool J in his first starring role. The film was directed by Debbie Allen and co-starred Victoria Dillard, Tim Reid and Howard Hesseman. Plot Jason St. Julian (LL Cool J), a talen ...

'', which was directed by his ''Fame'' co-star

Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an ...

, in the 1996

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

comedy ''

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'' (for which he was also credited as associate choreographer), as well as in commercials for

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and

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. His last video project was a one-hour BBC ''Fame'' reunion documentary, ''Fame Remember My Name,'' taped in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in April 2003.

Adult life

As his ''Telegraph'' obituary describes: :"Ray remained a 'frantic partygoer' with a self-confessed weakness for drink and drugs. As his life fell apart, he slept on park benches, and during a failed attempt to launch a ''Fame''-style dance school in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, shared a flat there with a porn actress. In 1996, he was diagnosed

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

positive. He suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

in 2003. :"Flamboyantly

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

, he brushed aside questions about his sexuality. He never married."

Death

Ray died on November 14, 2003, aged 41, from complications of a stroke he had suffered in June that year and complications from AIDS.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Gene Anthony Ray Tribute
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Gene Anthony 1962 births 2003 deaths Male actors from New York City African-American male dancers African-American dancers American male dancers American male film actors American choreographers People with HIV/AIDS People from Harlem African-American male actors American male television actors Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Dancers from New York (state) 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American male actors Julia Richman Education Complex alumni 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people