Raymond Bailey

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For the English cricketer and footballer, see Raymond Bailey (sportsman). For the Tasmanian politician, see Ray Bailey.
Raymond Bailey
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedApril 15, 1980(1980-04-15) (aged 75)
Irvine, California
, U.S.
Resting placeAshes scattered at sea
Other namesRay Bailey
OccupationActor
Years active1938–1975
SpouseGaby Aida George

Raymond Thomas Bailey (May 6, 1904 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor on the Broadway stage, films, and television. He is best known for his role as greedy banker Milburn Drysdale in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies.[1]

Early life and attempts at acting

Bailey was born in

day laborer
at a movie studio in the days of silent pictures, but was fired for sneaking into a mob scene while it was being filmed. He also worked for a while as a stockbroker and a banker.

Having no success receiving movie roles of any kind, Bailey then went to

theatre. Eventually, he began working as a merchant seaman and sailed to various parts of the world, including China, Japan, the Philippines and the Mediterranean. While docked in Hawaii, he worked on a pineapple plantation, acted at the community theatre
and sang on a local radio program.

Success on the second try at acting

In 1938, he decided to try Hollywood again. His luck changed for the better when he actually began getting some bit parts in movies. He appeared as the character of Mr. West in the action adventure serial The Green Hornet (1940). After the United States entered World War II he again served in the United States Merchant Marine.[3][4] When the war was over he returned to Hollywood and eventually began getting bigger character roles.

Early roles in television, Broadway and film

Television

In the early 1950s, Bailey was cast in many character roles in television series, such as

Tightrope, State Trooper, Coronado 9, and Johnny Ringo
.

Other appearances were on

Bachelor Father, Going My Way, The Tom Ewell Show, The Investigators, Science Fiction Theatre (episode "The Long Day"), Whirlybirds, twice on Mister Ed, and twice on Wagon Train
.

Bailey made two guest appearances on

The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis
.

Broadway plays

Bailey appeared in four

Broadway plays, as Howard Haines in Last Stop (1944), playing an unknown man in The Bat (1953), A. J. Alexander in Sing Till Tomorrow (1953), and Captain Randolph Southard in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1954–1955), which starred Henry Fonda
.

Film roles

Bailey's film roles include playing a member of the board in the comedy/romance

Tarantula! (1955), and had a small role in Irwin Allen's Five Weeks in a Balloon
(1962).

Mr. Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies

In The Beverly Hillbillies,

Beverly Hills
. Often, Mr. Drysdale would be required to talk with Clampett about how strange "city life" and "city folk" are (when compared to Mr. Clampett's view of "normal" country folk). On occasions when Mr. Clampett was considering withdrawing all his funds and returning to the country (his home near Bug Tussle), the miserly Mr. Drysdale would often panic and desperately work to try keep the family (and their fortune) in Beverly Hills.

Bailey began feeling the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease around the time of the final episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies. He made only two film appearances after the show's 1971 cancellation — the Disney features Herbie Rides Again (1974) and The Strongest Man in the World (1975) — before retiring in 1975 due to the effects of the disease.

In his final years, Bailey divided his time between a

condominium and a houseboat in Laguna Niguel
, California. He kept in touch with former co-star Nancy Kulp (whom he nicknamed "Slim") but was primarily a recluse.

Death

Bailey died of a heart attack on April 15, 1980, aged 75, in Irvine, California. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.

Selected filmography

See also

References

  1. ^ "Raymond Bailey". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  2. ISBN 9781476602875. Retrieved 19 November 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link
    )
  3. ISBN 978-0-578-13042-2
    .
  4. ^ "TV Banker's Discovery: 'Money Can Buy Happiness'". El Paso Herald-Post. El Paso, TX. May 29, 1965. p. 8.

External links

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