RAY DANTON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Ray Danton was born on September 19th, 1931 in New York City, New York with the birth name Raymond Kaplan.  As a child he worked as a radio actor on NBC radio's, "Let's Pretend" Show in 1943.  He got his dramatic training at Carnegie Tech and the University of Pittsburgh where he became involved in a number of school stage productions.  He then relocated to London to work on stage in the Tyrone Power Production, "Mister Roberts".   
 
He then got his break in his film debut, "Chief Crazy Horse" (1955) portraying a Native American.  This role earned him a contract with Universal Pictures.  This role followed with a number of film roles but just in minor roles such as, "The Night Runner" (1957), "Tarawa Beachhead" (1958) and "The Beat Generation" (1959).   
 
Adding to his film resume were a number of television appearances such as getting regular guest appearances on, "Playhouse 90" (1956), "Wagon Train" (1957), "77 Sunset Strip" (1958), "Solitare" (1961) and "Our Man Flint-Dead on Target" (1976).  His most well known role was in the film, "The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond" (1960) playing the character Jack Diamond.  He brought this role back to the screen one year later in the film, "Portrait of a Mobster" (1961) which was not at all related to the other film.
 
He was a versatile actor able to portray a number of different characters.  Between 1964 through 1969, he was asked to do some film work overseas which was somewhat successful.  When he returned back to working in the United States in the 1970's he worked on a number of lower budget films and also gave directing a try with the film, "Deathmaster" (1972) and then went on to direct a number of television series such as, "Quincy M.E." (1976), "The Incredible Hulk" (1978), "Magnum P.I." (1980) and "Cagney & Lacey" (1981).  Many of his films he directed were overseas and he even set up a production company in Barcelona Spain. 
 
Danton was only married one time to Julie Adams from 1954 through 1981 and together they had two sons, Steve and Mitchell.  He passed away on February 11th, 1992 in Los Angeles, California from kidney disease.  In 1956 he earned a Golden Globe for most promising new comer.   

Filmography

1977 Barnaby Jones
1977 The Feather and Father Gang 
1976 Our Man Flint: Dead on Target 
1976 Switch
1975 Sixpack Annie 
1975 Joe Forrester 
1975 The Rockford Files
1975 Matt Helm 
1975 Apache Blood 
1975 Caribe
1974 Nakia
1970-1974 Hawaii Five-O
1973-1974 Cannon
1974 The Manhunter
1974 The Centerfold Girls
1974 Toma
1972-1974 McCloud
1974 Police Story
1973 The Streets of San Francisco
1973 Runaway! 
1973 Blood, Black and White 
1972 A Very Missing Person 
1972 The Ballad of Billie Blue 
1972 Rod Serling's Night Gallery
1971 Nichols
1971 Riuscirà il nostro eroe a ritrovare il più grande diamante del mondo?
1971 Banyon
1971 The Young Lawyers
1970 The F.B.I.
1970 Dan August
1970 Love, American Style 
1970 Triangle 
1969 It Takes a Thief 
1969 Ironside
1969 The Name of the Game
1968 Die grosse Treibjagd 
1968 Hello Glen Ward, House Dick 
1968 The Big Valley
1967 Lucky, el intrépido 
1967 Si muore solo una volta 
1967 How to Win a Billion... and Get Away with It 
1966 New York chiama Superdrago 
1965 The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
1965 Honey West
1965 Code Name: Jaguar 
1964 Sandokan contro il leopardo di Sarawak 
1964 Sandokan alla riscossa 
1958-1964 Wagon Train
1964 Arrest and Trial
1964 Temple Houston
1964 Death Valley Days
1963 Redigo
1963 Kraft Mystery Theater
1963 The Gallant Men
1963 Empire
1963 FBI Code 98 
1962 The Wide Country
1962 The Virginian
1962 Laramie
1962 The Chapman Report 
1962 The Longest Day 
1962 The Dick Powell Theatre
1961 A Majority of One 
1961 The George Raft Story 
1961 Portrait of a Mobster 
1960-1961 The Roaring 20's 
1958-1961 Bronco 
1961 A Fever in the Blood 
1961 Maverick
1960 Cheyenne
1960 Surfside 6
1959-1960 Lawman
1960 Hawaiian Eye
1959-1960 The Alaskans
1960 Colt .45
1960 Bourbon Street Beat
1960 The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond 
1960 Ice Palace 
1959 Yellowstone Kelly 
1957-1959 Sugarfoot
1959 The Big Operator 
1959 Bat Masterson
1959 The Beat Generation 
1958-1959 77 Sunset Strip
1959 Behind Closed Doors
1959 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958 The Millionaire
1958 Tarawa Beachhead 
1958 Yancy Derringer
1958 Onionhead 
1958 Climax! 
1958 Too Much, Too Soon 
1958 Studio One in Hollywood
1957 Trackdown
1957 Playhouse 90
1957 Schlitz Playhouse
1957 Matinee Theatre 
1957 Studio 57
1957 The Night Runner
1955-1956 Lux Video Theatre
1956 Somebody Up There Likes Me 
1956 Outside the Law 
1955 I'll Cry Tomorrow 
1955 The Spoilers 
1955 The Looters 
1955 Chief Crazy Horse 
1955 Hallmark Hall of Fame 
1953 Kraft Theatre
1951 Out There