George Raft

George Raft
Name	George Raft
Caption	Raft in 1939
Birth name	George Ranft
Birth date	September 26, 1901
Birth place	Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Death date	November 24, 1980 (aged 79)
Death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, dancer
Years active	1929–1980
Spouse	Grace Mulrooney (m. 1923; div. 1970)

George Raft was an American film actor and dancer whose career was defined by his portrayals of gangsters and tough guys, a persona often linked to his own rumored associations with organized crime. Achieving stardom in the 1930s with roles in pre-Production Code Warner Bros. films, his on-screen image was cemented by his performance in classics like Scarface and They Drive by Night. Despite his early success, Raft's career was hampered by a series of poor role choices and his controversial personal connections, making him a complex figure in Hollywood's Golden Age.

Early life

Born George Ranft in the rough neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, he was the son of German immigrants. To escape poverty, he worked various jobs including as a boxer and a taxi dancer, honing the skills that would later inform his screen presence. His early life in New York City exposed him to the world of speakeasies and figures like Owney Madden, connections that would follow him to Los Angeles. Before entering films, he worked as a dancer in Broadway productions and in clubs, even performing in London.

Film career

Raft's film debut was in Queen of the Night Clubs (1929), but his breakthrough came with a small but memorable role as a coin-flipping gangster in Scarface (1932) alongside Paul Muni. This led to a contract with Warner Bros., where he starred in successful films like Each Dawn I Die with James Cagney and They Drive by Night (1940). He famously turned down several iconic roles, including the lead in The Maltese Falcon and High Sierra, which propelled Humphrey Bogart to stardom. His career at studios like Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures included films such as Souls at Sea and the noir Johnny Angel.

Personal life

Raft's personal life was perpetually shadowed by his friendships with notorious mobsters, including Bugsy Siegel and Mickey Cohen, which attracted constant scrutiny from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He married Grace Mulrooney in 1923, a union that lasted decades despite his numerous public romances with actresses like Marlene Dietrich and Betty Grable. His lavish lifestyle and high-stakes gambling at venues like the Moulin Rouge in Paris drained his finances, and his involvement as a front for the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas further entangled him with organized crime figures.

Later years and death

By the 1950s, Raft's star had dimmed, though he found work in European productions and occasional Hollywood films like Some Like It Hot (1959). He faced severe financial difficulties due to tax problems and declared bankruptcy. In his final years, he made appearances on television shows and in films such as The Man with Bogart's Face. Raft died of leukemia in Los Angeles in 1980 and was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).

Filmography

A selected filmography includes his early work in Quick Millions (1931), his star-making turn in Scarface (1932), and later roles in Bolero (1934) and The Glass Key (1942). Notable postwar appearances include Rogue Cop (1954) and his cameo in Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959). His final film was the British production The Man with Bogart's Face (1980).

Legacy

George Raft remains an iconic figure of the classic gangster film era, his image forever tied to the urban tough guys of the Great Depression-era cinema. His life story is often cited as a cautionary tale about the perils of typecasting and the real-world consequences of Hollywood associations. He has been portrayed in films and television by actors like Ray Danton and Joe Mantegna, and his influence is referenced in later works like The Godfather Part II. The George Raft persona endures as a symbol of a specific, morally ambiguous strand of American cinema history.

Category:American male film actors Category:American dancers Category:1980 deaths