Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Ronny Graham

 
Writer: Ronny Graham
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Aug 26, 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Died: Jul 04, 1999 in Century City, California
  • Occupation: Writer, Actor
  • Active: '70s-'90s
  • Major Genres: Comedy, Drama
  • Career Highlights: Gallipoli, Spaceballs, To Be or Not to Be
  • First Major Screen Credit: New Faces (1954)

Biography

Not to be confused with the Ronald Graham, who appeared in the 1939 Broadway production The Boys From Syracuse, actor/screenwriter Ronny Graham made his own New York theatrical debut in 1951. The white-maned, wide-grinning Graham gained prominence in the 1952 revue New Faces, for which he also contributed comedy material; when that production was committed to film in 1953, he was promoted from a mere ensemble player to star, carrying the grafted-on backstage plot line. A busy cabaret performer since 1950, Graham appeared in several one-man shows, and wrote, produced, directed, and/or co-starred in such popular attractions as the annual Upstairs at the Downstairs revue. He also wrote the lyrics and libretto for the Broadway "book" musical Bravo Giovanni. He was seen in dozens of TV commercials, most famously as Mr. Grime in a group of auto-service ads in the early '70s. He was a regular on the video variety series The New Bill Cosby Show (1972) and The Hudson Bros. Show (1974), as well as the sitcoms The Bob Crane Show (1975, as Ernest Busso) and Chico and the Man (1975-1978, as Rev. Bemis). He also wrote several episodes of M*A*S*H during the late '70s. Although he had a starring role in Peter Weir's Gallipoli in 1981, most of Graham's latter film appearances were in association with Mel Brooks, who'd been one of the staff writers for New Faces; among the Brooks endeavors in which Graham was featured (and sometimes made screenplay contributions) were History of the World -- Part One (1981), To Be or Not to Be (1982), Spaceballs (1989), Life Stinks (1991), and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). Graham died in 1999 at the age of 79. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Wikipedia: Ronny Graham
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Ronny Graham
Born August 26, 1919(1919-08-26)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died July 4, 1999 (aged 79)
Los Angeles, California

Ronny Graham (August 26, 1919 – July 4, 1999) was an American actor and theatre director, composer, lyricist, and writer.

Graham was born Ronald Montcrief Stringer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second of five children born to vaudeville performers Florence (née Sweeney) and Thomas Graham Stringer (a.k.a. Steve Graham).[1] Graham. a self-taught jazz pianist, began his career as a nightclub comic with a specialty in wry character monologues for which he provided the musical accompaniment, à la Dwight Fiske. He made his Broadway debut in the revue New Faces of 1952, to which he contributed sketches and lyrics and in which he performed. He won the Theatre World Award for his efforts. He later made similar contributions to New Faces of 1956 and New Faces of 1962. He wrote the lyrics for Bravo Giovanni, which garnered him a Tony Award nomination, and directed a string of unsuccessful plays, two of which closed on opening night, in the mid-1960s to early 1970s.

As a writer, Graham penned seven episodes of M*A*S*H (and guest starring in one-as Sgt. Gribble in the episode "Your Hit Parade," in which he was program consultant) and nine episodes of The Brady Bunch Hour and the screenplays for the Mel Brooks' films To Be or Not to Be and Spaceballs. He had a recurring role on Chico and the Man and made guest appearances on Murder She Wrote, Picket Fences, and Chicago Hope.

Graham was married four times, to Jean Spitzbarth (1947 - 1950), with whom he had one child; Ellen Hanley (1951 - 1963), with whom he had two children; Sigyn Lund, (1965 - 1973), with whom he had two children; and Pamela Gill (1974 - 1999), to whom he was married when he died of liver disease in Los Angeles.

References

  1. ^ Ronny Graham Biography (1919-)

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
Learn More
New Faces (American Theater)
New Faces (1954 Musical Film)
Cole Porter Revisited, Vol. 1 [Bonus Tracks] (1990 Album by Various Artists)

What rhymes with Ronnie? Read answer...
Who is Ronnie Preston? Read answer...
When is ronnies birthday? Read answer...

Help us answer these
Where is Ronnie Robinson?
Do you love ronnie?
What is ronnie short for?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Writer. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ronny Graham".  Read more