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Facts and Events
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals Oklahoma! (1955) and Carousel (1956) and who played the leading man opposite Doris Day in On Moonlight Bay (1951) and sequel By The Light of the Silvery Moon (1953).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 wikipedia:Gordon MacRae , in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service).
Name: Gordon MacRae
SSN: 122-03-3155
Last Residence: 68502 Lincoln, Lancaster, Nebraska, United States of America
Born: 12 Mar 1921
Died: Jan 1986
State (Year) SSN issued: New York (Before 1951)
- ↑ Find A Grave.
Gordon MacRae
Birth: Mar. 12, 1921
Death: Jan. 24, 1986
Actor and Singer. He is best remembered for his starring roles in the movies "Oklahoma" (1955) and "Carousel" (1956). Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, he was the son of radio star "Wee Willie" MacRae, and his concert pianist mother. When he was very young, his family moved to Syracuse NY, where he attended Nottingham High School, participating in the Drama Club. It was during this time that he also learned to play the piano, the clarinet and the saxophone. He also attended Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, where he actively participated in varsity football, baseball, basketball, track, hockey and swimming. In later years, he became an avid golfer, playing occasionally against his acting friends Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Shortly after his graduation from high school, he won a singing contest sponsored by Picture Magazine; the prize was a two week engagement at the New York World's Fair performing with the Harry James and Les Brown bands. Shortly afterwards, he obtained work as a singer with the Horace Heidt Band in New York City. In May 1941, he wed actress Sheila Margot Stephens; they would have four children: Meredith, Heather, William and Robert. Of the four, Meredith and Heather MacRae would both pursue acting careers. During World War II, he joined the Army Air Force, serving as a navigator for two years. At the end of the war, he returned to New York city, where he made his Broadway debut in the show "Junior Miss." In 1946, he appeared in the Broadway show "Three to Make Ready" in which a Capitol Records talent scout saw him and signed him to a long term recording contract; he would stay with Capitol Records for the next twenty years. In 1948, he signed a seven year contract with Warner Brothers Studio, and made his film acting debut in "The Big Punch" (1948). His next film was a musical, "Look for the Silver Lining" (1949) in which his singing talent made him the lead actor, and a number of musical films were soon to follow which highlighted his singing ability. His best remembered roles were as Curly in "Oklahoma!" (1955), and as Billy Bigelow in "Carousel" (1956). In 1956, he moved to television with his own show, "The Gordon MacRae Show" which lasted only one season. At this stage, he also began drinking heavily, becoming an alcoholic. Eventually, he conquered the disease, but it may have cost him his marriage; Sheila divorced him in 1967, although he remarried just four months later to Elizabeth Lambert Schrafft; she would remain with him until the end of his life. During the 1960s he appeared often on the Ed Sullivan Show. His last film was in 1979, in the supporting role of Joe Barnes in "The Pilot" in which Cliff Robertson held the lead role. Suffering a stroke in 1982, he continued with the support of his second wife, Elizabeth, and his children, touring and singing hits from his earlier years, until his health began to fail. He died in 1986 of pneumonia, from complications due to cancer of the mouth and jaw at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the age of 64. (bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson)
Cause of death: Mouth/jaw cancer
Burial: Wyuka Cemetery, Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, USA
Maintained by: Find A Grave; Record added: Jul 07, 1998
Find A Grave Memorial# 3123
- Gordon MacRae, in IMDB.
- William MacRae Household, in United States. 1930 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T626).
Year: 1930; Census Place: Syracuse, Onondaga, New York; Roll 1630; Page: 28A; Enumeration District: 210; Image: 255.0.
MacRae Willi[__?] Head White 38 abt 1892 Scotland Scotland Scotland
MacRae Helen S Wife White 33 abt 1897 New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey
MacRae A Gordon Son White 9 abt 1921 New Jersey Scotland New Jersey
MacRae Jane E Daughter White 6 abt 1924 New York Scotland New Jersey
Ancestry Link
- "That Old MacRae Magic" by Frances Ingram, in Classic Images.com.
Albert Gordon MacRae was born of Scottish descent, on March 12, 1921, in East Orange, New Jersey. His father, William Lamont MacRae, was a pioneer radio performer on WGY (in Schenectady, NY), a manufacturer, and an inventor who sold an invention to Eastman Kodak. His mother, Helen Violet (Sonn) MacRae, was a concert pianist and teacher.
Excellent Biography
- "Gordon MacRae Dead at 64", in Ocala Star-Banner (Ocala, Florida)
25 Jan 1986.
- SunSentinel (Denver, Colorado)
25 Jan 1986.
Gordon MacRae was born on March 12, 1921, in East Orange, N.J., to William Lamont MacRae, a toolmaker from Scotland who became a radio baritone in Syracuse, and the former Helen Violet Sonn, a concert pianist. The youth attended schools in Buffalo and Syracuse, played the piano and clarinet, spent spare time at lacrosse and football and graduated from Deerfield Academy, where he sang in many shows.
SunSentinel.com
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