Bellamy, Ralph, 1904-1994

Ralph Bellamy (1904-1991) was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lilla Louise (née Smith) and Charles Rexford Bellamy. In 1927, he began stage acting and made his film debut in 1931. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Awful Truth (1937). Three years later, he played a similar role in His Girl Friday (1940). Bellamy also helped found the Screen Actors Guild and served as President of Actors' Equity from 1952-1964. In 1960, he played Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Sunrise at Campobello and a physician in Rosemary's Baby (1968). Bellamy later appeared in Trading Places (1983), Coming to America (1988), and Pretty Woman (1990). In 1984, he received a Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild and received an Honorary Academy Award in 1987.

From the guide to the Ralph Bellamy Oral History Interview 89-146., 1986, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)

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