John Wray (born John Griffith Malloy; February 13, 1887 – April 5, 1940) was an American character actor of stage and screen.

Career

Wray was one of the many

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 ...

actors to descend on Hollywood in the aftermath of the sound revolution, and quickly appeared in a variety of substantial character roles, such as the

Arnold Rothstein Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 – November 4, 1928), nicknamed "The Brain", was an American racketeer, crime boss, businessman, and gambler in New York City. Rothstein was widely reputed to have organized corruption in professional athletic ...

-like gangster in '' The Czar of Broadway'' (1930); Himmelstoss, the sadistic drill instructor in '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1930); and as the contortionist the Frog in the remake of '' The Miracle Man'' (1932), in the role previously played by

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

in the 1919 original. Wray's roles grew increasingly smaller as the decade progressed but he was very visible as the starving farmer threatening to kill

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

's Longfellow Deeds in Frank Capra's classic ''

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town ''Mr. Deeds Goes to Town'' is a 1936 American comedy-drama romance film directed by Frank Capra and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur in her first featured role. Based on the 1935 short story "Opera Hat" by Clarence Budington Kelland, which ...

'' (1936) and as the warden in

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

's '' You Only Live Once'' (1937). On Broadway, Wray performed in ''Achilles Had a Heel'' (1935), ''Tin Pan Alley'' (1928), ''Nightstick'' (1927), ''Broadway'' (1926), ''The Enemy'' (1925), ''Silence'' (1924), ''Polly Preferred'' (1923), ''The Nightcap'' (1921), ''The Ouija Board'' (1920), ''Richelieu '' (1917), ''The Weavers'' (1915), ''When the Young Vine Blooms'' (1915), ''Hamlet'' (1913), and ''The Merchant of Venice'' (1913).

Partial filmography

* '' New York Nights'' (1929) - Joe Prividi * '' All Quiet On The Western Front'' (1930) - Himmelstoss * '' The Czar of Broadway'' (1930) - Morton Bradstreet * '' Quick Millions'' (1931) - Kenneth Stone * ''

Silence Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the c ...

'' (1931) - Harry Silvers * ''

Safe in Hell ''Safe in Hell'' is a 1931 American pre-Code thriller film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Dorothy Mackaill and Donald Cook, with featured performances by Morgan Wallace, Ralf Harolde, Nina Mae McKinney, Clarence Muse, and Noble Jo ...

'' (1931) - Egan * ''

The Woman from Monte Carlo ''The Woman from Monte Carlo'' is an American pre-Code film produced by Warner Bros. subsidiary First National Pictures (with the Vitaphone logo) in 1931 and released on January 9, 1932. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and gave top billing to ...

'' (1932) - Cmdr. Brambourg * ''

High Pressure In science and engineering the study of high pressure examines its effects on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure. By ''high pressure'' is usually meant pressures of th ...

'' (1932) - Jimmy Moore * '' The Miracle Man'' (1932) - The Frog * '' The Mouthpiece'' (1932) - Mr. Barton * ''

The Rich Are Always with Us ''The Rich Are Always with Us'' is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic comedy-drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, and Bette Davis. The screenplay by Austin Parker is based on the novel of the same n ...

'' (1932) - Clark Davis * ''

Miss Pinkerton ''Miss Pinkerton'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy mystery film about a nurse who becomes involved in a murder investigation. It stars Joan Blondell, George Brent and Ruth Hall. Cast * Joan Blondell as Nurse Adams aka "Miss Pinkerton" * G ...

'' (1932) - Hugo * '' Doctor X'' (1932) - Dr. Haines * ''

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang ''I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime-drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Paul Muni as a wrongfully convicted man on a chain gang who escapes to Chicago. It was released on November 10, 1932. The f ...

'' (1932) - Nordine (uncredited) * ''

The Death Kiss ''The Death Kiss'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film starring David Manners as a crusading studio writer, Adrienne Ames as an actress, and Bela Lugosi as a studio manager. The thriller features three leading players from the previous yea ...

'' (1932) - Detective Lieut. Sheehan * ''

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...

'' (1932) - Robert Smiley * '' The Match King'' (1932) - Foreman of Janitors * '' After Tonight'' (1933) - Mitika, the Gypsy Contact * ''

Lone Cowboy ''Lone Cowboy: Live & Solo'' is the twenty-ninth album by American singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey, his first solo album, and his third live album. The album was recorded live in October 2008 at the Western Jubilee Warehouse Theater in C ...

'' (1933) - Bill O'Neal * '' Bombay Mail'' (1934) - Giovanni Martini * ''

The Big Shakedown ''The Big Shakedown'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film starring Charles Farrell and Bette Davis, and directed by John Francis Dillon. The screenplay is based on the story "Cut Rate" by Niven Busch and Samuel G. Engel. The film also stars ...

'' (1934) - Higgins * ''

The Crosby Case ''The Crosby Case'' is a 1934 American pre-Code crime film directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Warren B. Duff and Gordon Kahn. The film stars Wynne Gibson, Onslow Stevens, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Alan Dinehart, Warren Hymer, William C ...

'' (1934) - Giovanni Martini * ''

The Most Precious Thing in Life ''The Most Precious Thing in Life'' is a 1934 American pre-Code film directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Richard Cromwell, Jean Arthur, Donald Cook, Anita Louise, and Mary Forbes. The film tells a story about secret and selfless maternal d ...

'' (1934) - Carter * '' The Love Captive'' (1934) - Jules Glass * '' Green Eyes'' (1934) - Inspector Crofton * ''

The Defense Rests ''The Defense Rests'' (or ''Take the Witness'') is a 1934 American film directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Jack Holt, Jean Arthur, and Nat Pendleton. The movie was produced in May 1934 and released on 15 July 1934. Cast * Jack Holt as M ...

'' (1934) - Michael Cooney * '' Fifteen Wives'' (1934) - Jason Getty * ''

The Cat's-Paw ''The Cat's-Paw'' (1934) is a comedy film starring Harold Lloyd and directed by Sam Taylor. It was Lloyd's seventh and final collaboration with Taylor and the fourth of his seven starring roles in sound. ''The Cat’s Paw'', a novel by Clarence ...

'' (1934) - Man on Street (uncredited) * '' Embarrassing Moments'' (1934) - Slug * ''

The Captain Hates the Sea ''The Captain Hates the Sea'' is a 1934 comedy film directed by Lewis Milestone and released by Columbia Pictures. The film, which involves a '' Grand Hotel''-style series of intertwining stories involving the passengers on a cruise ship, is ...

'' (1934) - Mr. Jeddock * ''

I'll Fix It ''I'll Fix It'' is a 1934 American romantic comedy film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Jack Holt, Mona Barrie and Winnie Lightner. An extremely powerful machine politics fixer is frustrated when his attempts to secure his younger br ...

'' (1934) - Fletcher * ''

I Am a Thief ''I Am a Thief'' is a 1934 American crime-drama film directed by Robert Florey. Plot Mary Astor portrays Odette as an undercover police agent who hopes to provoke, and catch, an international jewel thief, as he transports the famous Karenina ...

'' (1934) - Antonio Porricci * ''

The Whole Town's Talking ''The Whole Town's Talking'' (released in the UK as ''Passport to Fame'') is a 1935 American comedy film starring Edward G. Robinson as a law-abiding man who bears a striking resemblance to a killer, with Jean Arthur as his love interest. It w ...

'' (1935) - Henchman Harry (uncredited) * ''

The Great Hotel Murder ''The Great Hotel Murder'' is a 1935 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Edmund Lowe, Victor McLaglen, Rosemary Ames and Mary Carlisle. It is based on ''Recipe for Murder'' a 1934 story by Vincent Starrett. The film sta ...

'' (1935) - Feets Moore * '' Stranded'' (1935) - Mike Gibbons * '' Men Without Names'' (1935) - Sam 'Red' Hammond * ''

Atlantic Adventure ''Atlantic Adventure'' is a 1935 American comedy mystery film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Nancy Carroll, Lloyd Nolan and Harry Langdon.Nemcek p.211 Premise A newspaper reporter and his photographer stow away aboard an ocean liner ...

'' (1935) - Mitts Coster * ''

Ladies Love Danger ''Ladies Love Danger'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and written by Samson Raphaelson, Robert Ellis and Helen Logan. The film stars Mona Barrie, Gilbert Roland, Donald Cook, Adrienne Ames, Hardie Albright a ...

'' (1935) - Lieutenant Roberts * '' Bad Boy'' (1935) - Fred Larkin * ''

Frisco Kid ''Frisco Kid'' is a 1935 film starring James Cagney and directed by Lloyd Bacon. Set in San Francisco in the 1850s, it traces the rise and fall (and possible redemption) of a sailor who achieves wealth and success on San Francisco's Barbary Coas ...

'' (1935) - The Weasel * ''

'' (1936) - Farmer * '' Poor Little Rich Girl'' (1936) - Flagin * ''

A Son Comes Home ''A Son Comes Home'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by E.A. Dupont and starring Mary Boland, Julie Haydon and Donald Woods. It was one of three films made by Dupont for Paramount Pictures.St. Pierre p.23 Plot Partial cast * Mary Boland ...

'' (1936) - Gas Station Owner * ''

Sworn Enemy Sworn Enemy is an American crossover thrash band from New York City. Biography The band formed as "Downfall" and later on as "Mindset", a product of the extremely expansive and influential New York hardcore scene. At its original inception th ...

'' (1936) - Lang, a Gangster * ''

The Devil Is a Sissy ''The Devil is a Sissy'' is a 1936 American MGM comedy-drama film directed by W. S. Van Dyke and Rowland Brown. The film stars Freddie Bartholomew, Jackie Cooper and Mickey Rooney, three of the biggest child stars of the 1930s. The film prem ...

'' (1936) - Priest (uncredited) * ''

The President's Mystery ''The President's Mystery'' is a 1936 American film directed by Phil Rosen. The film is also known as ''One for All'' in the United Kingdom. Plot summary The film deals with a "problem Mr. Roosevelt submitted . . . whether it was possible ...

'' (1936) - Shane * ''

Valiant Is the Word for Carrie ''Valiant Is the Word for Carrie'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and written by Claude Binyon, based on the 1935 novel of the same name by Barry Benefield. The film stars Gladys George, Arline Judge, John Howard, Dudley ...

'' (1936) - George Darnley * '' A Man Betrayed'' (1936) - Sparks * ''

We Who Are About to Die ''We Who Are About to Die'' is a 1937 film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Preston Foster, Ann Dvorak Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim; August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. Asked how to pronounc ...

'' (1937) - Jerry Daley * '' You Only Live Once'' (1937) - Warden Wheeler * '' Outcast'' (1937) - Hank Simmerson * '' Circus Girl'' (1937) - Roebling * '' The Devil Is Driving'' (1937) - Joe Peters * '' On Such a Night'' (1937) - Guard Rumann * ''

The Women Men Marry ''The Women Men Marry'' is a 1937 American film directed by Errol Taggart and starring George Murphy, Josephine Hutchinson, Claire Dodd and Toby Wing. The film's script is credited to Donald Henderson Clarke. Cast * George Murphy - Bill Raebur ...

'' (1937) - Brother Nameless * '' The Black Doll'' (1938) - Walling * ''

Making the Headlines ''Making the Headlines'' is a 1938 American crime film directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring Jack Holt. Cast *Jack Holt as Lt. Lewis Nagel *Beverly Roberts as Jeane Sanford *Craig Reynolds as Steve Withers * Marjorie Gateson as Muffin Wi ...

'' (1938) - Herbert Sandford * ''

Gangs of New York ''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1927 book '' The Gangs of New York''. The film stars Le ...

'' (1938) - Maddock * ''

Reformatory A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concern ...

'' (1938) - Guard (uncredited) * ''

Professor Beware ''Professor Beware'' is a 1938 comedy film starring Harold Lloyd and directed by Elliott Nugent. It was Phyllis Welch MacDonald's first and only film. Plot Three thousand years after ancient Egyptian Neferus's death, Professor Dean Lambert (who ...

'' (1938) - Head Lawyer (uncredited) * ''

Tenth Avenue Kid ''Tenth Avenue Kid'' is a 1938 American crime film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and written by Gordon Kahn and Adele Buffington. The film stars Bruce Cabot, Beverly Roberts, Ben Welden, Horace McMahon, John Wray and Jay Novello. The film was r ...

'' (1938) - Joe Turner * ''

Spawn of the North ''Spawn of the North'' is a 1938 American adventure film about rival fishermen in Alaska starring George Raft and featuring Henry Fonda, Dorothy Lamour, Akim Tamiroff and John Barrymore. The picture was directed by Henry Hathaway and was an ...

'' (1938) - Dr. Sparks * '' Boys Town'' (1938) - Weasel (uncredited) * ''

Crime Takes a Holiday ''Crime Takes a Holiday'' is a 1938 American crime film directed by Lewis D. Collins and written by Jefferson Parker, Henry Altimus and Charles Logue. The film stars Jack Holt, Marcia Ralston, Russell Hopton, Douglass Dumbrille, Arthur Hohl, ...

'' (1938) - Howell * '' A Man to Remember'' (1938) - Tom Johnson * ''

Pacific Liner ''Pacific Liner'' is a 1939 American action/adventure film directed by Lew Landers. The film stars Victor McLaglen, Chester Morris and Wendy Barrie. ''Pacific Liner'' is primarily set in the engineering section of the vessel, where a stowaway ha ...

'' (1939) - Metcalfe * '' Risky Business'' (1939) - Silas * '' Almost a Gentleman'' (1939) - 'Crack' Williams * '' Each Dawn I Die'' (1939) - Pete Kassock * ''

Winter Carnival Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures d ...

'' (1939) - Poultry Truck Driver (uncredited) * '' Smuggled Cargo'' (1939) - Chris Hays * '' Golden Boy'' (1939) - Chocolate Drop's Manager (uncredited) * '' Blackmail'' (1939) - Diggs * '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1939) - Hendricks * '' The Amazing Mr. Williams'' (1939) - Stanley * ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'' (1939) - prison gang overseer (uncredited) * ''

Remember the Night ''Remember the Night'' is a 1940 American Christmas romantic comedy trial film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray and directed by Mitchell Leisen. The film was written by Preston Sturges and was the last of his scripts shot by another d ...

'' (1940) - Hank * '' Swiss Family Robinson'' (1940) - Ramsey * '' The Man from Dakota'' (1940) - Mr. Carpenter * ''Outside the Three-Mile Limit'' (1940) - Ship's Captain (uncredited) * '' The Doctor Takes a Wife'' (1940) - Joe - Farmer (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wray, John 1887 births 1940 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Philadelphia