Raft explained his reputed familiarity with some raffish characters by citing the circumstances of his upbringing in Manhattan's notorious Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. However, it only lasted a few months.[105]. Home; Random; Recent changes; Special pages; Community portal; Callipedia George Raft (born George Ranft September 26, 1901 November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. Here are 10 GR Did-You-Knows: Happy birthday, George Raft, wherever you may be! "[15], Raft's later films included Skidoo and Madigan's Millions (both 1968). RARE HAND SIGNED 3X5 CARD, SIGNED BY THE LATE GEORGE RAFT. Although separated early in their marriage , they were never divorced. He goaled the audience, being the big punch of the show."[33]. George Raft was born and grew up in a poor family in Hell's Kitchen, at Grayce Mulrooney and George Raft were married for 47 years before Grayce Mulrooney died aged 69. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 26 September. Martin Weil is a longtime reporter at The Washington Post. The fim was an attempt to invoke Valentino's Blood and Sand, and for a time, Raft was promoted as a "second Valentino. [117], In 1957, Mickey Cohen said that he wanted Raft to play him in any film about his life because "the others would portray me as a vicious gangster, but George would not. During the late-1950s, Raft was employed as a celebrity greeter at the Mafia-owned Hotel Capri casino in Havana, a job that played off his image as a movie mobster and tough guy. Gender: Female He turned down High Sierra (1941), which gave Humphrey Bogart his big break, The Maltese Falcon (1941), and Double Indemnity (1944). Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web! His career was marked by numerous tough-guy roles, often a gangster or convict. The film was a box-office disappointment. He worked as an electrician . Before embarking on his successful career as a nightclub dancer, the 5-foot, 9-inch Mr. Believe she is buried in Monmouth County, NJ George Raft. One reviewer called him "a clever dancer". Citation Use the citation below to add to a bibliography: Style:MLA Chicago APA "Grace Mulrooney." Biographies.net. George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 - November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. George Raft LOS ANGELES,CA - SEPTEMBER 19,1957: Actor George Raft with his wife Grace Mulroone attend the opening of Moulin Rouge in Los Angeles,CA. "I wanted to be me," he said. [100] He and Marin returned to RKO to make the popular film noir Nocturne (1946), produced by Joan Harrison. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. awful. [81] He was again placed on suspension, but was intended to appear in The Sea Wolf (1941) after the suspension period. The latter year is also the one on Raft's Social Security Card. Birth Date: abt 1902 [20] Raft had a notable collaboration with Elsie Pilcer. In films, he frequently tossed a coin with one hand, while looking straight-on. Raft had been a bantam-weight boxer, who admitted to being knocked out seven times in 17 bouts, and, for two seasons, a minor league baseball outfielder who hit no better than .240. Attended School or College: No He then was borrowed by 20th Century-Fox for It Had to Happen (1936) and starred in Paramount's Yours for the Asking (1936). [52][53] In May 1934, Raft signed a new contract with Paramount to reflect his star status. Neem voor gebruik voor alle commercile of promotiedoeleinden contact op met uw. A high school dropout, he claimed he was only trying to avoid roles for which he would inspire only ridicule. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. George Raft, 85, who brought an air of cool menace and tight-lipped toughness to scores of roles in Hollywood crime and adventure movies, died of emphysema yesterday at a Los Angeles hospital. [9] The 1900 census for New York City lists his sister Katie as his parents' only child, with two children born and only one living. Race: White to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. [10] In the 1910 census, he is listed as eight years old. Zanuck wanted him for Blood Money, but Raft was too busy at Paramount. [45], Raft refused to appear in The Story of Temple Drake (1933) with Miriam Hopkins, as he did not want to play a sadist. Krijg toegang tot het beste van Getty Images en iStock met ons eenvoudige abonnement. Sora sa a fost Eva Ranft. The pair separated soon thereafter, but the devoutly Catholic Mulrooney refused to grant a divorce, and Raft officially remained married to her and continued to support her, until her death in 1970. The character has to have some ray of warmth, some redeeming quality or it just isn't real."[12]. He married Grace Mulrooney, who was several years his senior, when he was 22. quotes, Raft married Grayce Mulrooney, several years his senior, in 1923, long before his stardom. "[23], Raft went on tour as a dancer and helped popularize the tango in Paris, Vienna, Rome, London and New York. [54], Raft next appeared in The Trumpet Blows (1934), playing a matador. [49], Raft was meant to appear in It's a Pleasure to Lose, based on the life of Nick the Greek, but instead was slated to star in Bolero (1934), playing a dancer with Carole Lombard. In the 1991 biographical movie Bugsy, the character of George Raft was played by Joe Mantegna. Raft also declined the leads in High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon (1941), and both roles were played by Bogart, catapulting Bogart's career. "[93] His price as a guest star on radio was $1,500-$2,500. Raft is arguably as well known today for his association with mobsters as he is for his movies. of 1 "[51], In March 1934, Raft was suspended a second time for having refused the male lead in Mae West's It Ain't No Sin (later changed to Belle of the Nineties) because his part was subordinate to West's. Help keep George Raft and Grayce Mulrooney profile up to date. [56] He was suspended again, then allowed to do a comedy, The Lady's from Kentucky (1939). According to both the 1900 and 1910 Censuses for New York City, Raft only had one sibling named Eva "Katie" Ranft, born on April 18, 1896 in Manhattan. "[22], "I could have been the first X-rated dancer," he said later. Check out my other items !Be sure to add me to your favorites list ! Family: Married Grayce Mulrooney, 1923 (separated 1923, died 1970). I was getting real fan mail by the bushel basket and even a dumb kid from 10th Avenue could figure out how to translate that into money."[12]. [62] Raft was put on suspension and $24,000 of his salary was withheld. [64], Raft was offered a part opposite the studio's top male star Gary Cooper in Souls at Sea (1937), directed by Henry Hathaway. [69] Instead, Raft appeared with Sylvia Sidney in Fritz Lang's drama You and Me (1938), and was next reunited with Hathaway to star in another adventure story, Spawn of the North (1938), with Henry Fonda and John Barrymore playing supporting roles. He was occasionally romantically linked with some of them but when he was in his early 20's and as yet unknown, he had married a Catholic girl, Grace Mulrooney, in 1923. Samuel Goldwyn wanted Raft for the film version of Dead End and Universal, David O. Selznick and 20th Century Fox were keen on using Raft. George was also linked with the underworld many times. Thrilled by this new-found success, George appeared in many films in the mid-1930s. Mother, Eva, died of asthma at her 610 West 174th Street home in 1937, after a long illness, at the age of 62. descent. I put this dance to Let Yourself Go instead of the original music to emphasize Mr. Raft's tap dancing abil. a department store deliveryman. Raft achieved stardom as a gangland chieftain's sinister, coin-flipping bodyguard in the 1933 production of "Scarface. The following year, he testified in front of a New York grand jury about organized-crime financial transactions. George Raft was a legendary American actor and dancer who is widely considered as one of his generation's most fashionable Hollywood stars. Raft's contract was meant to last until February of that year, but Paramount ended it prematurely. Although most sources and articles have claimed over the years his birth year as 1895, including his gravestone, New York census reports suggest Mr. It achieved a healthy gross. Some of such movies were Bolero, The Trumpet Blows, Limehouse Blues, Rumba, and Stolen Harmony., With the 1935 film Every Night at Eight, George explored the comedy genre and then appeared in another comedy film, She Couldnt Take It., George also tasted considerable success with Warner Bros. Pictures in the 1940s and appeared in some successful films such as They Drive by Night, Manpower, Stage Door Canteen, and Background to Danger., However, in the late 1940s, Georges stars started to fade away, with quite a few unsuccessful films, such as Johnny Allegro, Red Light, and A Dangerous Profession. Some of his last screen appearances were for films such as The Man with Bogarts Face and Sextette.. The son of Christopher Ranft and Catherine Weil.Resided in Woodside,Queens,NY.Burial in Woodlawn on March 10 1929.Husband of Eva Ranft and father of actor George Raft.Source information is NY city Death certificate #7479 Manhattan for March 6 1929. He starred in a syndicated television series titled I'm the Law (1953) that ran for one season. The 1938 interview was about his knowledge of Louis Buchalter and Jacob Shapiro. looking for any info on Grace Mulrooney (1923-1970 she is the wife of George Raft born about 1901the movie actor . Raft married Grace Mulrooney (1902-1970) in 1923, long before his stardom. LOS ANGELES,CA - SEPTEMBER 19,1957: Actor George Raft with his wife Grace Mulroone attend the opening of Moulin Rouge in Los Angeles,CA. "I wish I knew where it all went," he said. American Actor George Raft was born George Ranft on 26th September, 1895 in New York, New York (Hell`s Kitchen) and passed away on 24th Nov 1980 Los Angeles, Ca aged 85. In February 1934, he admitted to having been involved in three fights during his career as a dancer and actor, including one in which he hit the producer of Bolero. George Raft was originally a Taxi-Dancer who earned about seventy-five dollars ( American) a week dancing with the ladies at a public restaurant-dance palace called the 'El Fey Club' in New York. Raft would work with, then unknown Rudolph Valentino and Joan Sawyer at the El Fey. George Raft married Grace Mulrooney (1902-1970) in 1923, before he became famous. As a teen, Raft was a bat-boy for the New York Highlanders (later the Yankees). Thus, he was not considered for big baseball leagues. In July 1940, Raft reprised his vaudeville act. In the late 1950s, Raft worked as a celebrity greeter at the Hotel Capri, a Mafia-owned casino in Havana. "[118], In 1967, Raft was denied entry into the UK, where he had been installed as casino director at the Colony Club, because of his alleged underworld associations. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, today Raft is mostly known for his gangster roles in the origin Alchetron Tripti Home Sign in Tripti Joshi(Editor) He was born to Conrad Ranft and Eva Glockner. Raft starred in a brutal and fast-paced adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's The Glass Key (1935). The pair separated soon thereafter, but the devoutly Catholic Mulrooney refused to grant a divorce, and Raft officially remained married to her and continued to support her until her death in 1970. Most recently he had been a goodwill ambassador for a Las Vegas hotel. Marital Status: Married He honed his skills and started to look for a career as a dancer. Wife: Grace Mulrooney (m. 1923, separated, d. 1970) High School: Stuyvesant High School, New York City, NY. In 1965, Raft was convicted of income-tax evasion. AKA George Ranft. In a season two episode of the American television series The Sopranos, Tony Soprano learns that his uncle Eckle resembled Raft. [98] He next appeared in the popular Whistle Stop (1946), a United Artists melodrama that offered a good early role to Ava Gardner. "I was very erotic. The believability with which he played these, together with his lifelong associations with such real-life gangsters as Owney Madden and Bugsy Siegel, added to persistent rumors that he was also a gangster. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Enter a grandparent's name. is 5'7"(1.7m) . I saw guys playing ball, so I played ball. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. [18] Following his baseball career, he began working as a taxi dancer in the poorer sections of New York. Edit Details Reader Q&A George Ranft - yes, that's Ra n ft - was born in New York City in 1895, 1896, 1898, 1900, 1901, or 1903 depending on who's telling the story (George himself changed the date at times). 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