Ray Sharkey
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| Ray Sharkey | |
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| Born | Raymond Sharkey, Jr. November 14, 1952 Brooklyn, New York‹See Tfd›, U.S. |
| Died | June 11, 1993 (aged 40) Brooklyn, New York‹See Tfd›, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–1993 |
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Wood (m. 1981–1986) Carole Graham (m. 1988–1992) |
Raymond "Ray" Sharkey, Jr. (November 14, 1952 – June 11, 1993) was an American actor best known for his role as Sonny Steelgrave in the television series Wiseguy.
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[edit] Early life and career
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Sharkey's father, Ray Sr., a professional drummer, abandoned the family when Sharkey was just five years old. He was raised by his mother, Cecelia, with assistance from her parents in Brooklyn's rough Red Hook neighborhood. After seeing the Broadway production of Hair at 17, Sharkey 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, he 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.
[edit] Personal life
In 1981, Sharkey 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, Sharkey began a seven month relationship with model and actress, Elena Monica.[1]
[edit] Later years
Sharkey 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. [1]
[edit] Death
In 1992, former girlfriend, Elena Monica, sued Sharkey for $52,000,000 for knowingly infecting her with the AIDS virus. Sharkey, still denying he had the virus despite rapidly deteriorating health, declined to challenge the suit. By default judgment, Monica won the suit, but received no money from Sharkey's estate because the actor had little.[1]
In 1993, Sharkey died of AIDS at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.[2] He is interred in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1974 | The Lords of Flatbush | Student | |
| 1976 | Trackdown | Flash | |
| Hot Tomorrows | Louis | ||
| 1977 | Stunts | Paul Salerno | Alternative title: Who Is Killing the Stuntmen? |
| 1978 | Who'll Stop the Rain | Smitty | Alternative title: Dog Soldiers |
| Paradise Alley | Legs | ||
| 1980 | Heat Beat | Ira | |
| Willie & Phil | Phil D'Amico | ||
| The Idolmaker | Vincent "Vinnie" Vacarri | ||
| 1982 | Regina Roma | Alternative title: Regina | |
| Love and Money | Byron Levin | ||
| Some Kind of Hero | Sgt. Vinnie DiAngelo | ||
| 1984 | Du-beat-e-o | duBEAT-e-o | Alternative title: We're All Crazy Now |
| Body Rock | Terrence | ||
| 1985 | Hellhole | Silk | Alternative title: Hell Hole |
| 1986 | Wise Guys | Marco | |
| No Mercy | Angles Ryan | ||
| 1987 | P.I. Private Investigations | Ryan | |
| 1989 | Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills | Frank | |
| Wired | Angel Velasquez | ||
| 1990 | 27 Wagons Full of Cotton | Silva | Direct-to-video release |
| The Rain Killer | Capra | ||
| Act of Piracy | Jack Wilcox | ||
| 1992 | Zebrahead | Richard | Alternative title: The Colour of Love |
| Dead On: Relentless II | Kyle Valsone | ||
| Round Trip to Heaven | Stoneface | ||
| Caged Fear | Warden Hayes | ||
| 1993 | Cop and a 1/2 | Vinnie Fountain | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1975 | All in the Family | Man at clinic | 1 episode |
| Barney Miller | Hold-Up Man David Salas |
2 episodes | |
| The Jeffersons | Robert Phelps | 1 episode | |
| 1977 | The Streets of San Francisco | Benny Lester | 1 episode |
| 1981 | The Ordeal of Bill Carney | Bill Carney | Television movie |
| 1983 | Rage | Television movie | |
| 1985 | Miami Vice | Bobby Profile | 1 episode |
| The Equalizer | Geoffery Dryden | 1 episode | |
| Behind Enemy Lines | Sgt. Max Zierman | Television movie | |
| 1986 | Faerie Tale Theatre | Grand Vizier | 1 episode |
| Crime Story | U.S. Atty. Harry Breitel | Television movie | |
| 1986-1987 | Crime Story | U.S. Atty. Harry Breitel | 5 episodes |
| 1987-1989 | Wiseguy | Sonny Steelgrave | 10 episodes |
| 1989 | The Neon Empire | Junior Molov | Television movie |
| The Revenge of Al Capone | Scarface | Television movie | |
| The Hitchhiker | 1 episode | ||
| 1990 | The Take | Dennis | Television movie |
| Good Cops, Bad Cops | Capt. Gerry Clemente | Television movie | |
| 1991 | The Man in the Family | Sal Bavasso | Unknown episodes |
| Riders in the Sky | Spongehead | 1 episode | |
| 1992 | Chrome Soldiers | Gabe Ricci | Television movie |
| Jake and the Fatman | Michael "Mickey" Daytona Da Silva | 1 episode | |
| In the Line of Duty: Street War | Det. Victor Tomasino | Television movie | |
| The Ray Bradbury Theater | The Father | 1 episode | |
[edit] Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Golden Globe Award | Won | Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy | The Idolmaker |
| 1982 | Nominated | Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV | The Ordeal of Bill Carney | |
| 1988 | Viewers for Quality Television Awards | Won | Founder's Award | Wiseguy |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c AEGiS-Miami Herald: A Spirited fight against HIV; model/actress infected with HIV pushes AIDS research organization into spotlight
- ^ Lueck, Thomas J. (1993-06-12). "Ray Sharkey, 40; Actor Often Played Role of Tough Guy". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/13/obituaries/ray-sharkey-40-actor-often-played-role-of-tough-guy.html. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
[edit] External links
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