John Wray

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

1.672

Gender

Male

Birthday

12-Feb-1887

Age

(137 years old)

Place of Birth

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Also Known As
  • John Griffith Malloy

John Wray

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. John Wray (13 February 1887 - 5 April 1940) was an American character actor of stage and screen. Wray was one of the many Broadway actors to descend on Hollywood in the aftermath of the sound revolution, and quickly made an indelible impression on the era in a variety of substantial character roles, such as the Arnold Rothstein-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 in the 1919 original. During this period he was one of the many actors mentioned for the title role in Dracula (1931). Wray's roles grew increasingly smaller as the decade progressed but he was very visible as the starving farmer threatening to kill Gary Cooper in Frank Capra's classic Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) and as the warden in Fritz Lang's You Only Live Once (1937). Other films include Doctor X (1932), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), Frisco Kid (1935), Poor Little Rich Girl (1936), Boys Town (1938), Each Dawn I Die (1939), The Cat and the Canary (1939) and Gone with the Wind (1939). Description above from the Wikipedia article John Wray(actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia


Credits

Smuggled Cargo Smuggled Cargo (1939) Character: Chris Hays
When a sudden cold snap hits the Imperial Valley in California, orange growers fear that frost will kill their crops. Orange Growers Association president John Clayton assures his fellow farmers that he will help them obtain the oil needed to keep warming fires burning.
Fifteen Wives Fifteen Wives (1934) Character: Jason Getty
Shortly after his arrival from South America to New York, Steven Humbolt is found dead in his apartment at the Savoia Hotel. Inspector Decker Dawes investigates the case and although the cause of death is described as apoplexy, Dawes is convinced it as murder, especially after he learns that Humbolt had been married fifteen times.
Lone Cowboy Lone Cowboy (1933) Character: Bill O'Neal
Young Scooter O’Neal, orphaned after his father’s suicide, is sent out West to live with family friend Dobe Jones. Unaware of his father’s fate Scooter longs to return to his home in Chicago especially after discovering Dobe is an embittered ranch hand hellbent on seeking revenge on his duplicitous wife Eleanor and the man she ran off with. Dobe is dogged in his pursuit until he unwittingly puts Scooter’s life in danger. Seeing the error of his ways the pair ride off together in search of a new adventure.
The Women Men Marry The Women Men Marry (1937) Character: Brother Nameless
A newsman with a no-good wife exposes a religious racket with a newswoman who loves him.
Know Your Money Know Your Money (1940) Character: Bowers the Printer
This MGM Crime Does Not Pay series short tells the fictitious story of a bill counterfeiting ring and explores the government's attempt to curb counterfeiting.
A Son Comes Home A Son Comes Home (1936) Character: Gas Station Owner
A mother experiences the torment of discovering that her own son is a killer.
What Price Safety! What Price Safety! (1938) Character: J. Z. Wray
Racketeers muscle in on construction business, use inferior materials, make big profits and endanger the public safety.
Risky Business Risky Business (1939) Character: Silas
Radio commentator Dan Clifford takes desperate chances to save the life of a young girl who has been kidnapped.
Bad Boy Bad Boy (1935) Character: Fred Larkin
An unemployed loafer who spends his time playing pool decides he's ready to look for a job so he can secure his girlfriend's parents' approval for their marriage.
Ladies Love Danger Ladies Love Danger (1935) Character: N/A
Fox comedy about an adventurous young woman
Frisco Kid Frisco Kid (1935) Character: The Weasel
After a roustabout sailor avoids being shanghaied in 1850s San Francisco, his audacity helps him rise to a position of power in the vice industry of the infamous Barbary Coast.
Miss Pinkerton Miss Pinkerton (1932) Character: Hugo
Scion of the once-rich Mitchell family, Herbert Wynn is found shot to death. Nurse Adams, bored by hospital routine, is recruited by the police to ferret out clues as she tends to Wynn's elderly aunt Julia. Jokingly given the 'rank' of Miss Pinkerton, after the famous detective agency, Adams probes into the mystery, but not before a second death.
Sworn Enemy Sworn Enemy (1936) Character: Lang, a Gangster
A law student poses as a fight promoter to catch a notorious gangster.
You Only Live Once You Only Live Once (1937) Character: Warden Wheeler
Based partially on the story of Bonnie and Clyde, Eddie Taylor is an ex-convict who cannot get a break after being released from prison. When he is framed for murder, Taylor is forced to flee with his wife Joan Graham and baby. While escaping prison after being sentenced to death, Taylor becomes a real murderer, condemning himself and Joan to a life of crime and death on the road.
Doctor X Doctor X (1932) Character: Dr. Haines
A wisecracking New York reporter intrudes on a research scientist's quest to unmask The Moon Killer.
Quick Millions Quick Millions (1931) Character: Kenneth Stone
A truck driver "too lazy to work and too nervous to steal" gets mixed up in racketeering. Naturally his underhanded business practices make him a pillar of the community.
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) Character: Farmer
Longfellow Deeds lives in a small town, leading a small town kind of life. When a relative dies and leaves Deeds a fortune, Longfellow moves to the big city where he becomes an instant target for everyone. Deeds outwits them all until Babe Bennett comes along. When small-town boy meets big-city girl anything can, and does, happen.
The Big Shakedown The Big Shakedown (1934) Character: Higgins
Former bootlegger Dutch Barnes pressures neighborhood druggist Jimmy Morrell into making cut-rate knockoff toiletry, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products.
The Doctor Takes a Wife The Doctor Takes a Wife (1940) Character: Joe, the Farmer (uncredited)
A best-selling author of women's issues and a medical academic find it is to their mutual advantage to falsely claim that they are married.
Almost a Gentleman Almost a Gentleman (1939) Character: 'Crack' Williams
Saving a dog from the pound gets a man mixed up in murder.
Swiss Family Robinson Swiss Family Robinson (1940) Character: Ramsey
A family setting out for a new life across the sea is shipwrecked on a deserted island. The family members collaborate to create a home for themselves in the jungle environment.
The Man from Dakota The Man from Dakota (1940) Character: Mr. Carpenter
A frontier scout, a Boston officer and a Russian girl escape with a map past Confederates.
A Man Betrayed A Man Betrayed (1936) Character: Sparks
A businessman during the Great Depression discovers that his partners are crooked con-men, and he tries to make things right for the stockholders, but gets framed.
Silence Silence (1931) Character: Harry Silvers
A gray-haired convict, within the shadows of the gallows, tells his story to the prison chaplain beginning twenty years earlier when he was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit.
The Devil Is Driving The Devil Is Driving (1937) Character: Joe Peters
In the fine tradition of And Sudden Death, Columbia's The Devil is Driving tabulates the dangers of drunken driving in an exciting, unabashedly melodramatic fashion. In his first true portrayal of a "little creep," Elisha Cook Jr. stars as Tony, the spoiled-rotten son of the wealthy and influential Mr. Stevens.
The Mouthpiece The Mouthpiece (1932) Character: Mr. Barton
A prosecutor quits his job and becomes a defense attorney when he finds out that a man he got convicted and executed was actually innocent.
Spawn of the North Spawn of the North (1938) Character: Dr. Sparks
Two Alaskan salmon fisherman find their friendship at risk when one aligns with Russian fish pirates and the other aligns with local vigilantes.
The Miracle Man The Miracle Man (1932) Character: The Frog
A gang of crooks evade the police by moving their operations to a small town. There the gang's leader, John Madison, encounters a faith healer and uses him to scam the gullible public of funds for a supposed chapel. But when a real healing takes place, a change comes over the gang.
Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind (1939) Character: Prison Gang Overseer (uncredited)
The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.
Valiant Is the Word for Carrie Valiant Is the Word for Carrie (1936) Character: George Darnley
Carrie Snyder is a prostitute, who is forced out of the fictional southern town of Crebillon, after forming a friendship with a young boy named Paul, whose dying mother is unable to protest against her son visiting such a woman. After Carrie has left town Paul runs away from his abusive father, and meets a girl named Lady who has run away from a burning trainwreck, not wanting to go back to the people she was with. Carrie comes back for Paul and ends up taking Paul and Lady to New York with her.
I Am a Thief I Am a Thief (1934) Character: Antonio Poricci
A man dodges jewel thieves while carrying a fortune in diamonds on the Orient Express.
High Pressure High Pressure (1932) Character: Jimmy Moore
Gar Evans is a con artist, who pretends to be the owner of a "Golden Gate Artificial Rubber Company", and he is looking for investors. Finding them is relatively easy, but it becomes difficult when those want to see the inventor of the synthetic rubber...
The Death Kiss The Death Kiss (1932) Character: Detective Lieut. Sheehan
When a movie actor is shot and killed during production, the true feelings about the actor begin to surface. As the studio heads worry about negative publicity, one of the writers tags along as the killing is investigated and clues begin to surface.
Green Eyes Green Eyes (1934) Character: Inspector Crofton
The owner of a large mansion in the country throws a costume party for some of his friends. However, the party turns sour when he is found stabbed to death in a closet. The police and a guest try to discover who committed the murder.
Atlantic Adventure Atlantic Adventure (1935) Character: Mitts Coster
When reporter Dan Miller is once again late to meet his girl friend, Helen Murdock, because he is working on a story, Helen breaks up with him. Later, in an effort to reconcile with her, Dan misses an appointment with the district attorney, and is fired when his editor learns that the district attorney was murdered in Dan's absence. The man suspected of the crime, Mitts Coster, is rumored to be traveling to Europe aboard an ocean liner. While Dan's friend, photographer Snapper McGillicuddy, fetches Helen to the boat, under the pretense that Dan is leaving town to forget her, Dan searches the ship for Mitts, whom he does not recognize. When Helen arrives, Dan feigns illness, and she admits her love for him. When Helen learns of Dan's ruse, however, she angrily hits him with a package that a passenger gave her when she boarded the ship. The package contains a passport for Dorothy Madden, who greatly resembles Helen, and $2,000 dollars.
The President's Mystery The President's Mystery (1936) Character: Shane
The screenplay for this mystery is based upon a story suggested to Liberty Magazine by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is the tale of a prominent lawyer who shocks his snooty friends, family and colleagues by abruptly abandoning his successful practice and his wife to find true happiness. He soon falls in love with another woman and continues to keep a low profile until he learns that his first wife stands accused of murdering him
The Cat and the Canary The Cat and the Canary (1939) Character: Hendricks
Ten years after the death of millionaire Cyrus Norman, his will is to be read out to his six relatives, including Joyce Norman and Wally Campbell. Organized by Norman's lawyer, Crosby, the six meet at Norman's eerie New Orleans Gothic mansion. During the reading, the superstitious housekeeper declares that someone will be dead by midnight. Wally fears for Joyce when she is declared the sole inheritor, but all are alarmed when Crosby turns up dead.
The Match King The Match King (1932) Character: Foreman of Janitors
Unscrupulous Chicago janitor Paul Kroll uses deceit to fund a return trip to his homeland of Sweden. There, via ongoing continuing deceit and manipulation, he gradually attains a monopoly on the matchstick market in several countries and becomes an influential international figure. Based on the true story of Ivar Kreuger.
Safe in Hell Safe in Hell (1931) Character: Eagan
To avoid the rigors of the law, Gilda flees New Orleans and hides on a Caribbean island where the worst criminals can ask for asylum. Besieged by the scum of the earth, Gilda will soon find out that she has found refuge in hell.
New York Nights New York Nights (1929) Character: Joe Prividi
Show girl Jill Deverne is married to song writer Fred Deverne, and everyone is involved in the Broadway night life and endless parties. Jill is being pursued by a gangster, and she leaves her husband after he spends the night with a floozie. Jill ends up as the gangster's moll, but she soon gets tired of the lifestyle.
Professor Beware Professor Beware (1938) Character: Head Lawyer
Egyptologist, Dean Lambert, accused of car-theft, skips bail and begins a cross-country trek to join a group in New York headed for Egypt. With the police close on his trail he gets in and out of scrapes along the way.
Blackmail Blackmail (1939) Character: Convict Diggs
A fugitive from a chain gang becomes an oil-well firefighter and meets the man who framed him.
On Such a Night On Such a Night (1937) Character: Guard Rumann
When her husband is accused of murder, an actress tries to prove his innocence.
Embarrassing Moments Embarrassing Moments (1934) Character: Slug
Jerry Randolph is an inveterate and obnoxious practical joker. Things take a serious turn when it looks as though Jerry's latest prank has resulted in the death of his best friend.
Remember the Night Remember the Night (1940) Character: Hank
Unexpected love blossoms when an assistant district attorney agrees to take a recidivist shoplifter home so she doesn't have to spend Christmas alone in jail.
We Who Are About to Die We Who Are About to Die (1937) Character: Jerry Daley
John Thompson is kidnapped by mobsters after quitting his job. Then he is arrested, tried, and sentenced to death for murders they committed. A suspicious detective thinks he is innocent and works to save his life.
All Quiet on the Western Front All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Character: Himmelstoss
When a group of idealistic young men join the German Army during the Great War, they are assigned to the Western Front, where their patriotism is destroyed by the harsh realities of combat.
The Great Hotel Murder The Great Hotel Murder (1935) Character: Feets Moore
Crime novelist Roger Blackwood competes with hotel house detective Andy McCabe in solving a murder by poisoning at a medical convention.
The Amazing Mr. Williams The Amazing Mr. Williams (1939) Character: Stanley
Kenny Williams, a lieutenant on the homicide squad, is engaged to Maxine Carroll, the Mayor's secretary. Or isn't he rather married with his job? For each time he has a date with his longtime fiancée, he is prevented from keeping it by his devotion to duty. Maxine, in desperation, decides to take action and bring Kenny to the altar. Who will win, Maxine's curves or the glorious fight against crime?
The Devil Is a Sissy The Devil Is a Sissy (1936) Character: Priest
A well-bred young English lad living in lower Manhattan tries to gain acceptance from his not-so-well-bred peers at school.
Making the Headlines Making the Headlines (1938) Character: Herbert Sandford
Angry, because he is making too many headlines with his gang-busting activities, the police chief transfers Lt. Lewis Nagel to the sleepy suburban town of Fairview, where he is followed by reporter Steve Withers because he knows Nagel will find a story.
The Captain Hates the Sea The Captain Hates the Sea (1934) Character: Mr. Jeddock
Alcoholic newspaperman Steve Bramley boards the San Capador for a restful cruise, hoping to quit drinking and begin writing a book. Also on board are Steve's friend Schulte, a private detective hoping to nab criminal Danny Checkett with a fortune in stolen bonds. Steve begins drinking, all the while observing the various stories of other passengers on board, several of whom turn out not to be who they seem to be.
Men Without Names Men Without Names (1935) Character: Sam Hammond
A G-man woos a newswoman and corners bank robbers with a hostage in a factory.
Outcast Outcast (1937) Character: Hank Simmerson
A physician in a small town suddenly finds himself the object of vilification and persecution when one of his patients commits suicide.
Bombay Mail Bombay Mail (1934) Character: Giovanni Martini
In India, a police inspector investigates a murder that took place on a train between Calcutta and Bombay.
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) Character: Nordine (uncredited)
A World War I veteran’s dreams of becoming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of economic realities. Things get even worse when he’s falsely convicted of a crime and sent to work on a chain gang.
The Woman from Monte Carlo The Woman from Monte Carlo (1932) Character: Cmdr. Brambourg
On the eve of WW-I the French Navy ship Lafayette returns to its Toulon base for one night. There is no shore leave, although wives are permitted to come to a party. The strain of command on the older captain and his new, young wife is very great.
The Black Doll The Black Doll (1938) Character: Walling
Nicholas Rood, dishonest mine owner, finds a Black Doll on his desk and knows that vengeance is about to overtake him for murdering his former partner. He is knifed as he talks to his daughter Marian. She summons her fiancé Nick Halstead, a private detective. He finds that six people had a motive for the murder; Rood's sister Mrs. Laura Leland; her son Rex; Rood's associates Mallison and Walling; Esteban, a servant and Dr. Giddings. Sheriff Renick and his deputy Red get the clues all mixed up, but Nick finally narrows the search down to one suspect...
The Defense Rests The Defense Rests (1934) Character: Michael Cooney
A sleazy lawyer's female assistant sets out to end his cheating ways.
I'll Fix It I'll Fix It (1934) Character: Fletcher
A power-broker ward-heeler, Bill Grimes, wields more power than the elected politicians and has no problem in getting matters-of-the-city handled in which ever way is best for his needs. But when he tries to fix his adored kid brother's place on the school football team, he meets his match in school-teacher Anne Barry.
Boys Town Boys Town (1938) Character: Weasel (uncredited)
Devout but iron-willed Father Flanagan leads a community called Boys Town, a different sort of juvenile detention facility where, instead of being treated as underage criminals, the boys are shepherded into making themselves better people. But hard-nosed petty thief and pool shark Whitey Marsh, the impulsive and violent younger brother of an imprisoned murderer, might be too much for the good father's tough-love system.
Pacific Liner Pacific Liner (1939) Character: Metcalfe
The S. S. Arcturus sails from Shanghai to San Francisco, and Dr. Jim Craig takes the post of ship's physician in order to be near Ann Grayson, the ship's nurse. Chief Engineer 'Crusher" McKay also has his eyes on Ann, and this brings an immediate conflict between the two men. When an epidemic breaks out below decks, Craig tells McKay the engine-and-fire rooms must be put under quarantine, but all of Craig's efforts to keep the disease from spreading are opposed by McKay.
Central Park Central Park (1932) Character: Robert Smiley
Two destitute New Yorkers meet cute in Central Park and then separate and independently get tangled up with some gangsters only to be reunited again in the end.
Crime Takes a Holiday Crime Takes a Holiday (1938) Character: Howell
A district attorney uses psychology to expose a criminal gang by publicizing the prosecution of an innocent man.
The Crosby Case The Crosby Case (1934) Character: Willie McGuire
Former lovers get together to clear themselves when the police suspect them of murder.
Each Dawn I Die Each Dawn I Die (1939) Character: Pete Kassock
A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.
The Rich Are Always with Us The Rich Are Always with Us (1932) Character: Clark Davis
A wealthy couple's marriage is falling apart due to the man's infidelity. The wife's male friend has long loved her and sees his big opportunity.
Stranded Stranded (1935) Character: Mike Gibbons
A Traveler's Aid worker who delights in solving people's problems gets mixed up with gangsters.
Circus Girl Circus Girl (1937) Character: Roebling
A jealous trapeze star decides he must eliminate his romantic rival.
Golden Boy Golden Boy (1939) Character: Chocolate Drop's Manager
Despite his talent as a musician, a city boy decides to become a boxer. He's successful as a fighter — much to the dismay of his parents. When gangsters try to buy a piece of him, he begins to have second thoughts.
Poor Little Rich Girl Poor Little Rich Girl (1936) Character: Flagin
Cossetted and bored, Barbara Barry is finally sent off to school by her busy if doting widowed soap manufacturer father. When her nurse is injured en route, Barbara finds herself alone in town, ending up as part of radio song-and-dance act Dolan and Dolan sponsored by a rival soap company.
Gangs of New York Gangs of New York (1938) Character: Maddock
An undercover cop infiltrates a powerful New York based crime syndicate.
The Czar of Broadway The Czar of Broadway (1930) Character: Morton Bradstreet
Mort Bradley, New York political boss and underworld czar, controls not only the city's most popular nightclub but also much of the press; however, the managing editor of the Times is determined to expose him. Jay Grant, a San Francisco reporter, is assigned to investigate Mort, who believes Jay to be a country boy and is delighted to see him fall in love with Connie Colton, of whom Mort has tired. Dismayed to learn that Jay is a reporter, Mort plans to have his gunman, Francis, kill him, but both Mort and Francis are shot by rival gangsters. Jay, believing that Mort will recover, rushes to the newspaper with an exposé, but while writing it he learns of Mort's death and decides their friendship would not permit him to submit the story. He leaves his paper and embarks on a new life with Connie.
Winter Carnival Winter Carnival (1939) Character: Poultry Truck Driver
A divorced glamour girl keeps warm with a professor amid sports and romance at Dartmouth College's Winter Carnival.
Most Precious Thing in Life Most Precious Thing in Life (1934) Character: Carter
An unwed mother watches as her illegitimate son is raised by others. Director Lambert Hillyer's 1934 drama stars Jean Arthur, Richard Cromwell, Donald Cook, Anita Louise, Jane Darwell, Mary Forbes and Ward Bond.
After Tonight After Tonight (1933) Character: Mitika, the Gypsy Contact
When war is declared in 1914, glamorous Russian Carla Vanirska manages to get to Vienna from Luxembourg, with the help of Captain Rudolph Ritter of the Austrian army. Meanwhile, Ritter is assigned to detect the identity of a spy.
Tenth Avenue Kid Tenth Avenue Kid (1938) Character: Joe Turner
In this drama, a 12-year-old boy becomes an orphan after seeing a detective shoot his father. Later the detective feels bad and offers to become his friend, but his intentions are not entirely honorable as the detective really wants to know the location of the loot his father stashed during a robbery.
A Man to Remember A Man to Remember (1938) Character: Tom Johnson
On the day of his funeral, a dedicated smalltown doctor is remembered by his neighbors and patients.



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