About

Known credits:
58
Birthday:
1941-06-05
Place of birth:
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Website:
N/A

Spalding Gray

Overview

Spalding Gray (June 5, 1941 – January 11, 2004) was an American actor, novelist, playwright, screenwriter and performance artist. He is best known for the autobiographical monologues that he wrote and performed for the theater in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as for his film adaptations of these works, beginning in 1987. He wrote and starred in several, working with different directors.

Theater critics John Willis and Ben Hodges called Gray's monologues "trenchant, personal narratives delivered on sparse, unadorned sets with a dry, WASP, quiet mania."  Gray achieved renown for his monologue Swimming to Cambodia, which he adapted as a 1987 film in which he starred; it was directed by Jonathan Demme. Other of his monologues that he adapted for film were Monster in a Box (1991), directed by Nick Broomfield, and Gray's Anatomy (1996), directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Gray died by suicide at the age of 62 after jumping into New York Harbor on January 11, 2004. He had been struggling with depression and severe injuries following a car accident. Soderbergh made a documentary film about Gray's life, And Everything Is Going Fine (2010). An unfinished monologue and a selection from his journals were published in 2005 and 2011, respectively.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Spalding Gray, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Acting
2014 Rumstick Road Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
N/A
2010 And Everything Is Going Fine Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
2002 Revolution #9 Actor Scooter McCrae 59
Average
2002 Confessions of a Sociopath Actor Himself N/A
N/A
2001 Kate & Leopold Actor Dr. Geisler 61
Fair
2001 How High Actor Prof. Jackson 61
Fair
2001 Julie Johnson Actor Mr. Tom Miranda 59
Average
1999 Yesterday's Tomorrows Actor Self N/A
N/A
1999 Coming Soon Actor Mr. Jennings 58
Average
1997 Bliss Actor Alfred 58
Average
1997 Drunks Actor Louis 58
Average
1996 Gray's Anatomy Actor Spalding Gray 59
Average
1996 Diabolique Actor Simon Veatch 57
Average
1995 Glory Daze Actor Jack's Dad 58
Average
1995 Beyond Rangoon Actor Jeremy Watt 59
Average
1995 Bad Company Actor Walter Curl 57
Average
1994 The Paper Actor Paul Bladden 60
Fair
1993 Zelda Actor Sayre N/A
N/A
1993 Twenty Bucks Actor Priest 58
Average
1993 King of the Hill Actor Mr. Mungo 61
Fair
1993 The Pickle Actor Doctor 58
Average
1992 Monster in a Box Actor Self 59
Average
1992 Straight Talk Actor Dr. Erdman 59
Average
1991 To Save a Child Actor 59
Average
1990 The Image Actor Frank Goodrich 58
Average
1989 Heavy Petting Actor Self 59
Average
1989 Our Town Actor Stage Manager N/A
N/A
1988 Beaches Actor Dr. Richard Milstein 61
Fair
1988 Clara's Heart Actor Peter Epstein 58
Average
1988 Stars & Bars Actor Reverend T.J. Cardew 58
Average
1987 Spalding Gray: Terrors of Pleasure Actor Self N/A
N/A
1987 Swimming to Cambodia Actor Self 59
Average
1986 True Stories Actor Earl Culver 60
Fair
1986 What You Mean We? Actor Talk show host 58
Average
1986 Seven Minutes in Heaven Actor Dr. Rodney 59
Average
1985 Almost You Actor Travel Agent 58
Average
1985 Variety Actor Voice on answering machine (voice) 58
Average
1985 Variety Actor Obscene Phone Caller (voice) 58
Average
1985 Hard Choices Actor Terry Norfolk 58
Average
1985 Spalding Gray: A Life in Progress Actor Himself N/A
N/A
1984 The Killing Fields Actor U.S. Consul 68
Fair
1984 Double Lunar Dogs Actor N/A
N/A
1984 Spalding Gray's Map of L.A. Actor Self 59
Average
1982 Sex and Death to the Age 14 Actor Himself N/A
N/A
1982 A Personal History of the American Theater Actor Himself N/A
N/A
1981 Anybody's Woman Actor N/A
N/A
1978 Maraschino Cherry Actor Penny's Client with Beard (uncredited) 58
Average
1976 The Farmer's Daughters Actor George 58
Average
1974 Prisoner's Dilemma Actor Spalding Gray 59
Average
1970 Love-In '72 Actor Radical at Party 59
Average
Thirty Second Spots: TV Commercials for Artists (1982-83) Actor Spalding Gray N/A
N/A

Writing
1996 Gray's Anatomy Writing Writer 59
Average
1992 Monster in a Box Writing Writer 59
Average
1987 Spalding Gray: Terrors of Pleasure Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1987 Swimming to Cambodia Writing Writer 59
Average
1984 Spalding Gray's Map of L.A. Writing Writer 59
Average
1982 Sex and Death to the Age 14 Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1982 A Personal History of the American Theater Writing Writer N/A
N/A