Ray Corrigan

About Ray Corrigan

Who is it?: Actor, Stunts, Soundtrack
Birth Day: February 14, 1902
Birth Place:  Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Resting place: Inglewood Park Cemetery, California
Other names: Raymond Benard Ray Benard Gorilla
Years active: 1932–1958
Spouse(s): Rita Jane Smeal (m. 1920; div. 1954) Elaine DuPont (m. 1956; div. 1967)
Children: 3

Ray Corrigan

Ray Corrigan was born on February 14, 1902 in  Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, is Actor, Stunts, Soundtrack. Ray Corrigan was a physical culturist and very good athlete. He began working in Hollywood, as a physical fitness trainer for movie stars. Bit parts in 1932 led to action roles in the Undersea Kingdom (1936) and The Leathernecks Have Landed (1936), the same year he began his role as Tucson Smith in Republic Pictures' "Three Mesquiteer" series; he did 24 films in that series before leaving in 1939. He also did 20 of the 24 "Range Busters" series which ran from 1940 to 1943. In the latter part of his career he played apes in The White Gorilla (1945) and Killer Ape (1953) and the title character in the sci-fi classic It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958). After he retired he operated a number of successful businesses. One of these, Corriganville, was a ranch and town used for filming TV and movie westerns. His nickname "Crash" derived from his powerful physique and willingness to undertake dangerous stunts.
Ray Corrigan is a member of Actor

Does Ray Corrigan Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, Ray Corrigan has been died on August 10, 1976(1976-08-10) (aged 74)\nBrookings, Oregon, U.S..

🎂 Ray Corrigan - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday

When Ray Corrigan die, Ray Corrigan was 74 years old.

Popular As Ray Corrigan
Occupation Actor
Age 74 years old
Zodiac Sign Pisces
Born February 14, 1902 ( Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States)
Birthday February 14
Town/City  Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Nationality United States

🌙 Zodiac

Ray Corrigan’s zodiac sign is Pisces. According to astrologers, Pisces are very friendly, so they often find themselves in a company of very different people. Pisces are selfless, they are always willing to help others, without hoping to get anything back. Pisces is a Water sign and as such this zodiac sign is characterized by empathy and expressed emotional capacity.

🌙 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Ray Corrigan was born in the Year of the Tiger. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Tiger are authoritative, self-possessed, have strong leadership qualities, are charming, ambitious, courageous, warm-hearted, highly seductive, moody, intense, and they’re ready to pounce at any time. Compatible with Horse or Dog.

Some Ray Corrigan images

Biography/Timeline

1930

Corrigan's Hollywood career began as a physical fitness instructor and physical culture trainer to the stars. In the early 1930s he did Stunts and bit parts in several films, billed as Ray Benard. Many of his early roles were in ape costumes, for Example, as a gorilla in Tarzan and His Mate (1934) and an "orangopoid" in the first Flash Gordon serial.

1936

On the basis of this, Republic signed him to their standard Term Player Contract, running from May 25, 1936 to May 24, 1938. He was cast as one of the trio in the Three Mesquiteers series of westerns, starring in 24 of the 51 "3M" films made by the studio. He later left Republic in 1938 over a pay dispute. Over at Monogram Pictures, Corrigan began a new series of feature westerns, The Range Busters, cheap knock-offs of The Three Mesquiteers, with a series character that used his name; between 1940 and 1943, he starred in 20 of the 24 films in this series.

1937

In 1937 Corrigan was on a hunting trip with Clark Gable when he had an idea to purchase land in Simi Valley, California and use it as a Western ranch similar to Iverson Movie Ranch. He paid a $1,000 down payment, then a thousand dollars a month until the $11,354 price was paid. He developed this into Corriganville, a location used for many Western movies and TV shows. The location featured many different types of terrain for producers such as lakes, mountains, and caves. As opposed to merely set fronts, Corriganville contained actual buildings where film crews could live and store their equipment to save the time and expense of daily travel from studios to an outdoor location.

1943

Following this, his on-screen work largely returned to appearing in ape costumes, such as the roles in Captive Wild Woman (1943), Nabonga (1944), White Pongo (1945) and as a prehistoric sloth in Unknown Island (1948). The original gorilla "mask" seen in films like The Ape (1940) was replaced with a subtler design with a more mobile jaw. Corrigan later sold his gorilla suits in 1948 and provided training in using them to their new owner, Steve Calvert, a Ciro's bartender. Calvert stepped into Corrigan's paw prints starting with a Jungle Jim film. Despite reports to the contrary, Calvert and Corrigan never appeared together on-screen in an ape costume. Since both Corrigan and Calvert eschewed screen credit playing gorillas, their film credits are often confused; any appearance of the "Corrigan suit" after 1948 is by Calvert.

1949

Corrigan profited well from renting this location to film studios and from paying visitors. In 1949, Corrigan opened his ranch to the public on weekends for Western-themed entertainment. The weekend attractions included stuntmen shows throughout the day, a Cavalry fort set, an outlaw shack, a full western town with saloon, jail and hotel, live western music, Indian crafts, stagecoach rides, pony rides, and boating on the ranch's artificial lake. It was Common for movie and TV personalities to appear in person for photos and autographs, attracting as many as 20,000 people on those weekends.

1950

In 1950 he had a television show called Crash Corrigan's Ranch. He also planned a television series called Buckskin Rangers with his old associate Max Terhune. His final theatrical film was playing the title role in the science fiction film It! The Terror from Beyond Space, according to bio information given to visitors at the Thousand Oaks, California, Corrigan Steak House and Bar that he once owned.

1959

The origin of the "Crash" nickname is from his football-playing days. This was verified by Corrigan himself when he was a contestant on the June 11, 1959 episode of You Bet Your Life starring Groucho Marx. When asked how he got the name "Crash", Corrigan told Groucho, "When I would go to tackle somebody or instead of fighting them with my fists, I would just take off and dive at them head first and that's how I acquired the name 'Crash'."

1966

Corriganville was eventually sold to Bob Hope in 1966, when it became Hopetown. Today, what remains is known as Corriganville Park and features some of the old landmarks. Signs along a hiking trail point out the historic features.

1976

Following his death at age 74 on August 10, 1976 from a heart attack in Brookings Harbor, Oregon, Ray "Crash" Corrigan was interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California. More than four decades later, his grave still remains unmarked.

Ray Corrigan trend