American film and television actorNot to be confused with Robert Bray (British Army officer).

Robert E. Bray (October 23, 1917 – March 7, 1983) was an American film and television actor probably best remembered for his role as the forest ranger Corey Stuart in the CBS series L*ie, He also starred in Stagecoach West and as Mike Hammer in the movie version of Mickey Spillane's novel My Gun Is Quick (1957).

Contents

• 1 Life and career
• 2 Death
• 3 Selected filmography
• 4 References
• 5 External links

Life and career

Bray entered films in 1946 under contract to RKO. He was marketed as the "next Gary Cooper" but appeared in B Westerns like 1949's Rustlers. In the 1950s, the then freelancing actor appeared in a varied number of roles including the 1952 episode "Thunder Over Inyo" of the syndicated western television series The Adventures of Kit Carson.

In 1954, he portrayed bandit Emmett Dalton in an episode of Jim Davis's syndicated western Stories of the Century. That same year, he guest-starred in Reed Hadley's CBS crime drama, The Public Defender. On December 4, 1955, he was cast as petroleum pioneer Pattillo Higgins in "Spindletop – The First Great Texas Oil Strike (January 10, 1901)" on the CBS history series, You Are There, the story of the origin of the Texas oil industry.

In 1958, he starred in Never Love a Stranger, a film adaptation of a Harold Robbins novel.

Bray guest-starred in the episode "Obituary" of NBC's western series, Jefferson Drum, starring Jeff Richards, and in the 1959 episode "The Trouble with Tolliver" of the ABC western drama, The Man from Blackhawk.

He appeared twice on ABC's The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.

Bray was cast as Carl the Bus Driver in Bus Stop with Marilyn Monroe (1956) and as detective Mike Hammer in My Gun Is Quick (1957). Other roles were on NBC's western anthology series, Frontier and on the syndicated series City Detective and State Trooper.

Early in 1960, Bray was cast as Tom Byson in the episode "Three Graves" of the NBC western series, Riverboat.

In the 1960–1961 television season, Bray played Simon Kane in the ABC series Stagecoach West The Western comprised 38 one-hour episodes.

He starred in three episodes of NBC's western Laramie between 1960 and 1963. He appeared in three episodes of CBS's Perry Mason. In 1959 he played private detective and murder victim Carl Davis in "The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll." In the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Angry Astronaut," he had the role of *le character and defendant Mitch Heller; and in 1963 he portrayed wealthy murder victim Martin Walden (Episode 180, "The Case of the Potted Planter"). He also guest-starred in NBC's Temple Houston (TV series), Overland Trail, and The Loretta Young Show. He appeared in four episodes of CBS's anthology suspense series Alfred Hitch* Presents between 1958 and 1961. In 1958, Bray was offered a supporting role in director Joshua Logan's film adaptation of South Pacific, but he decided instead to star in low-budget films for Allied Artists. It was a strategic error in his career, for South Pacific became a smash success.

Bray portrayed forest ranger Corey Stuart in Season 11 of L*ie because of his affinity for animals and their reciprocity toward him. The relationship continued for two more seasons. He was written out of the series as a victim of a forest fire, and his character was sent away to a hospital never to return.

Bray and his wife, Joan, retired to Bishop, California, in the Sierra Nevada. He was often seen in his Winnebago in Bishop with his dog "Lady". Bray was a fly fisherman, hunter, model duck carver, and all-around sportsman.

Death

He spent his last years in the High Sierras where he had made many of his early western films. Bray died of a heart attack. His ashes were scattered over Zuma Beach in Malibu, California.

Selected filmography

• Sunset P* (1946) – Bank Clerk (uncredited)
• Crack Up (1946) – Man with Drunk (uncredited)
• Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946) – Steve (uncredited)
• Vacation in Reno (1946) – Police Guard in Bank (uncredited)
• The Falcon's Adventure (1946) – Doorman (uncredited)
• San Quentin (1946) – Saunders, a Gunman (uncredited)
• Banjo (1947) – Policeman (uncredited)
• Honeymoon (1947) – Bridegroom (uncredited)
• Desperate (1947) – Policeman with Lt. Ferrari (uncredited)
• Seven Keys to Baldpate (1947) – Policeman (uncredited)
• Crossfire (1947) – MP (uncredited)
• The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) – Official at Airline Gate (uncredited)
• Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947) – Sergeant (uncredited)
• Wild Horse Mesa (1947) – Tex
• The Judge Steps Out (1947) – Truck Driver (uncredited)
• If You Knew Susie (1948) – Reporter (uncredited)
• Western Heritage (1948) – Henchman Pike
• Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) – Workman (uncredited)
• Fighting Father Dunne (1948) – Cl*room Instructor (uncredited)
• Arizona Ranger (1948) – Jasper Todd
• Guns of Hate (1948) – Rocky
• Return of the Bad Men (1948) – 'The Youngers': John Younger
• Blood on the Moon (1948) – Bart Daniels
• Indian Agent (1948) – Nichols
• Gun Smugglers (1948) – Henchman Dodge
• Brothers in the Saddle (1949) – Henchman Polk Lynch
• Rustlers (1949) – Henchman Hank
• Stagecoach Kid (1949) – Henchman Clint
• The Clay Pigeon (1949) – Gunsel Blake
• Strange Bargain (1949) – Det. McTay
• Johnny Holiday (1949) – Policeman (uncredited)
• The Great Missouri Raid (1951) – Charlie Pitts
• Law of the Badlands (1951) – Benson
• Warpath (1951) – Maj. Comstock
• Overland Telegraph (1951) – Steve – Henchman
• Man from the Black Hills (1952) – Ed Roper
• The Gunman (1952) – Tom Jamison
• One Minute to Zero (1952) – (uncredited)
• Fargo (1952) – Ed Murdock
• Feudin' Fools (1952) – Private Eye
• Back at the Front (1952) – Military Police Corporal (uncredited)
• The Lusty Men (1952) – Fritz (uncredited)
• Voodoo Tiger (1952) – Maj. Bill Green
• The Maverick (1952) – Cpl. Johnson
• Seminole (1953) – Capt. Sibley (uncredited)
• The Neanderthal Man (1953) – Tim Newcomb – cattle rancher (uncredited)
• The Marshal's Daughter (1953) – Anderson
• Main Street to Broadway (1953) – Lawyer in Fantasy Sequence
• Vigilante Terror (1953) – Gene Smith
• Bad for Each Other (1953) – Trooper at Mine Accident Scene (uncredited)
• Ride Clear of Diablo (1954) – Jackson – Ranch Hand (uncredited)
• Rose Marie (1954) – Mountie (uncredited)
• Arrow in the Dust (1954) – Cavalry Corporal (uncredited)
• The Yellow Tomahawk (1954) – Lieutenant Banion
• Drums Across the River (1954) – Sheriff Ed Crockett (uncredited)
• The Caine Mutiny (1954) – Court-Martial Board Member (uncredited)
• Francis Joins the WACS (1954) – Military Police Sgt. Kreuger (uncredited)
• Shield for Murder (1954) – Detective (uncredited)
• Big House, U.S.A. (1955) – Ranger McCormick
• The Steel Jungle (1956) – Police Lt. Soberman
• Bus Stop (1956) – Carl
• The Accursed (1957) – Major Shane
• The Wayward Bus (1957) – Morse
• My Gun is Quick (1957) – Mike Hammer
• Never Love a Stranger (1958) – 'Silk' Fennelli
• Never So Few (1959) – Col. Fred Parkson
• Fiend of Dope Island (1961) – David
• A Gathering of Eagles (1963) – Lt. Col. Gales

References

• Biography portal
• Film portal
• Television portal

External links

• Robert Bray at IMDb
• Robert Bray at AllMovie
• Robert Bray at Find a Grave