Bellamy, Ralph, 1904-1991

American actor.

Actor.

American actor and author; b. Ralph Rexford Bellamy; d. 1991.

Biography

Born in Chicago, Illinois on June 17, 1904, Ralph Bellamy began acting in high school. Upon graduation, he embarked on a theatre apprenticeship, touring the country and playing over 400 different roles over the course of nine years. Bellamy later moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in motion pictures, starring in over 83 films including Spitfire, The Wedding Night, His Girl Friday and Boy Meets Girl from 1930-1942. In the early 1940's Bellamy became disenchanted with Hollywood and, though successful, left to pursue other acting interests. Though Bellamy would continue to act in the occassional film, such as Rosemary's Baby amd Coming to America, the majority of his career from 1942 until his death was in television and stage productions. Arguably his most famous role, Bellamy portrayed President Franklin D. Roosevelt in both the stage and screen productions of Sunrise at Campobello in 1958 and 1960 respectively. Bellamy also portrayed President Roosevelt in the 1982 television miniseries The Winds of War . Throughout his career, Bellamy garnered multiple awards for his performances including a Tony Award for Sunrise at Campobello, a best actor award from the Academy of Radio and Television Arts and Sciences for Man Against Crime in 1950, four Emmy Award nominations and an honorary Academy Award in 1987 for his contributions to the industry. In addition to his acting career, Bellamy also participated in the Screen Actors Guild, as a founder and board member, and Actor's Equity, as president. A dedicated performer, he continued to work until the year before his death, acting in the film Pretty Woman in 1990. Ralph Bellamy died in Los Angeles, CA of lung disease on November 29, 1991.