Ray Collins(1889-1965)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ray Bidwell Collins was an American actor in film, stage, radio and
television. One of his best remembered roles was that of Lt. Arthur
Tragg in the long-running series
Perry Mason (1957). Collins was
born in Sacramento, California, to Lillie Bidwell and William C.
Collins, a newspaper drama editor. He started acting on stage at the
age of 14. In the mid 1930s, now an established stage and radio actor,
Collins began working with Orson Welles'
Mercury Theatre (Welles himself called Collins "the finest actor I've
ever worked with"), leading to some of his most memorable roles. Having
already appeared on radio with Welles in "The Shadow" (a regular as
Commissioner Weston) and in Welles' serial adaptation of "Les
Miserables" from 1937, Collins became a regular on "The Mercury Theatre
on the Air" program; through the run of the series, he played many
roles in literary adaptations, from Squire Livesey from "Treasure
Island" and Dr. Watson in "Sherlock Holmes" to Mr. Pickwick in an
adaptation of "The Pickwick Papers". Collins' best known (albeit
uncredited) work on this series, however, was in the infamous "The War
of the Worlds" broadcast, playing three roles, including Mr. Wilmuth
(on whose farm the Martian craft lands) and the newscaster who
describes the destruction of New York. Along with other Mercury Theatre
players, Collins made his first notable screen appearance in
Citizen Kane (1941), as ruthless
Boss Jim Gettys. He would also play key roles in Welles'
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
and Touch of Evil (1958). Collins
appeared in over 90 films in all, including
Leave Her to Heaven (1945),
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
and Crack-Up (1946),
A Double Life (1947), two entries
in the "Ma and Pa Kettle" series (as in-law Benjamin Parker), and
The Desert Song (1953), in which
he played the non-singing role of
Kathryn Grayson's father. He displayed
comic ability in
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)
and
The Man from Colorado (1948).
He may be best remembered for his work on television. He was also a
regular as John Merriweather on the television version of
The Halls of Ivy (1954)
starring Ronald Colman.
