Ray Sharkey

Infobox actor
bgcolour = silver
birthname = Raymond Sharkey, Jr.


imagesize = 200px
caption = Actor Ray Sharkey
birthdate = birth date|1952|11|14
location = Brooklyn, New York, USA
deathdate = death date and age|1993|6|11|1952|14|11
deathplace = Brooklyn, New York, USA
birthname = Raymond Sharkey, Jr.
spouse = Rebecca Wood (1981-1986)
Carole Graham (1988-1992)

Ray Sharkey (November 14, 1952 – June 11, 1993) was an American Golden Globe-winning actor best known for his role as Sonny Steelgrave in the television series, "Wiseguy".

Early life & career

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Ray's father, Ray Sharkey, Sr., a professional drummer, abandoned the family when Ray was just 5 years old. In later years Ray Sr. would work as a doorman at 60 Sutton Place South in Manhattan. Although Ray Jr. would mention his anger at his father for his desertion of his mother, there is some evidence that he did keep occasionally in touch with his father, who was always proud of his acting achievements. His mother, Cecelia, raised Ray, with assistance from her parents, in Brooklyn's rough Red Hook neighborhood. After seeing the Broadway production of ""Hair"" at 17, Ray decided to become an actor, and started studying acting at the H.B. Studio in New York City. In 1974, he made his film debut in "The Lords of Flatbush". Sharkey would go on to appear in more than forty motion pictures and dozens of guest appearances on various television series.

In 1981, Ray won a Golden Globe Award for his performance in "The Idolmaker". The following year, he was nominated for another Golden Globe for his role in "The Ordeal of Bill Carney". In 1987, Sharkey landed the role of Sonny Steelgrave in the series "Wiseguy".

Personal life

In 1981, Ray had a brief relationship with Italian actress Ornella Muti while filming the 1982 drama, "Love and Money". The same year, he married actress Rebecca Wood. The union would end in 1986, reportedly due to Sharkey's drug abuse. In 1988, he married actress Carole Graham. That marriage would produce one daughter, Cecelia Bonnie Sharkey, in 1989. Again, the union ended in divorce in 1992. In 1991, Ray began a seven month relationship with model and actress, Elena Monica. [http://www.aegis.com/news/mh/1995/MH951104.html AEGiS-Miami Herald: A Spirited fight against HIV; model/actress infected with HIV pushes AIDS research organization into spotlight ] ]

Later years

Ray struggled with an addiction to cocaine and heroin throughout his career. He was involved in four drug-related car wrecks, two requiring microsurgery on his eyes. On July 30, 1992, while filming a guest spot on the tv series, "The Hat Squad", in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he was arrested for drug possession. Canadian customs officials, making a routine inspection of incoming cargo at the airport, discovered small amounts of cocaine and heroin in a black envelope being sent from Los Angeles, California to Sharkey. Police searched his hotel room and found an additional supply of drugs. He was jailed and later released on bail. He was promptly fired from "The Hat Squad" and replaced by actor Kim Coates.

Sharkey reportedly contracted the AIDS virus through his indiscriminate drug use and was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1987. Despite his diagnosis, Ray remained in denial about his HIV positive status. Sharkey convinced himself he harbored a strain of HIV that would never endanger himself or anyone else. He told no one of his condition, and reportedly did not disclose the fact that he was HIV positive to women he was in intimate relationships with.

Death

In 1992, former girlfriend, Elena Monica, sued Sharkey for US$52 million dollars for knowingly infecting her with the AIDS virus. Ray, still denying he had the virus despite rapidly ailing health, declined to challenge the suit. By default judgment, Monica won the suit, but received no money from Sharkey's estate because the actor died virtually penniless. In 1993, Sharkey died of AIDS at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. He was 40 years old. He is interred in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.

Awards and nominations

Golden Globe Award

*Won: Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy, "The Idolmaker" (1981)
*Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, "The Ordeal of Bill Carney" (1981)

Viewers for Quality Television Awards

*Won: Founder's Award, "Wiseguy (1987)

Filmography

*"The Lords of Flatbush" (1974)
*"Trackdown" (1976)
*"Hot Tomorrows" (1976)
*"Stunts" (1977)
*"Who'll Stop the Rain" (1978)
*"Paradise Alley (1978)
*"Heat Beat" (1980)
*"Willie and Phil" (1980)
*"The Idolmaker" (1980)
*"The Ordeal of Bill Carney" (1981)
*"Regina Roma" (1982)
*"Love and Money" (1982)
*"Some Kind of Hero" (1982)
*"Rage" (1983)
*"Du-beat-e-o" (1984)
*"Body Rock" (1984)
*"Hellhole" (1985)
*"Behind Enemy Lines" (1983)
*""Wise Guys"" (1986)
*""No Mercy"" (1986)
*"P.I. Private Investigations" (1987)
*"Act of Piracy"
*"The Neon Empire" (1989)
*"The Revenge of Al Capone" (1989)
*"Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills" (1989)
*"Wired" (1989)
*"27 Wagons Full of Cotton" (1990)
*"The Take" (1990)
*"The Rain Killer" (1990)
*"Good Cops, Bad Cops" (1990)
*"The Man in the Family" (1991)
*"Riders In the Sky" (1991)
*""Zebrahead"" (1992)
*"Dead On: Relentless II" (1992)
*"Chrome Soldiers" (1992)
*"In the Line of Duty: Street War" (1992)
*"Round Trip to Heaven" (1992)
*"The Ray Bradbury Theater" (1 episode, 1992)
*"Caged Fear" (1992)
*"Cop and a 1/2" (1993)

Television

*"All in the Family" (1 episode, 1975)
*"Barney Miller" (2 episodes, 1975)
*"The Jeffersons" (1 episode, 1975)
*"The Streets of San Francisco" (1 episode, 1977)
*"Saturday Night Live" (Host, 1981; Musical guest: Jack Bruce and Friends)
*"Miami Vice" (1 episode, 1985)
*"The Equalizer" (1 episode, 1985)
*"Faerie Tale Theatre" (1 episode, 1986)
*""Crime Story"" (5 episodes, 1986-1987)
*"Wiseguy" (12 episodes, 1987-1989)
*"The Hitchhiker" (1 episode, 1989)
*"Jake and the Fatman" (1 episode, 1992)

References

External links

*imdb name | id=0788829 | name=Ray Sharkey
*tv.com person|7464|Ray Sharkey
*Find A Grave|id=6800118

Persondata
NAME= Sharkey, Ray
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Sharkey, Raymond, Jr.; Sharkey, Raymond, Jr.
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= November 14, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH= Brooklyn, New York, USA
DATE OF DEATH= June 11, 1993
PLACE OF DEATH= Brooklyn, New York, USA