Ray Underwood

[LittleRickyII]

Just saw the end of the episode "Bob Loves Barbara." Does anybody know what happened to the Ray Underwood, the actor who played Roger in that episode? IMDB indicates he died January 16, 1993. He had to have been very young.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0881035/?ref_=tt_cl_t6

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

Just saw the end of the episode "Bob Loves Barbara." Does anybody know what happened to the Ray Underwood, the actor who played Roger in that episode? IMDB indicates he died January 16, 1993. He had to have been very young.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0881035/?ref_=tt_cl_t6

We probably would never know because he was not a major actor and was out of acting for 6 years when he died.

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

Just saw the end of the episode "Bob Loves Barbara." Does anybody know what happened to the Ray Underwood, the actor who played Roger in that episode? IMDB indicates he died January 16, 1993. He had to have been very young.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0881035/?ref_=tt_cl_t6

That is young to pass away. I've been hunting around the internet and can't find anything about his death!

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

That is young to pass away. I've been hunting around the internet and can't find anything about his death!

He was out of acting for 6 years so that;s why we can't find anything

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

He was out of acting for 6 years so that;s why we can't find anything

Yeah and he doesn't have a Wikipedia page either !

[Torgo]

I know this doesn't answer your question as far as how he died, but...

Ray's in two of my favorite 70's horror movies- Massacre At Central High, and Jennifer. Ray was also an accomplished songwriter and poet, a book of his work was published: http://www.amazon.com/All-That-Hums-...=ray+underwood

This is an excerpt of an interview with actor Derrel Maury talking about working with Ray Underwood on the film Massacre At Central High (1976):

(DM is Derrel Maury)

TT: What was Ray Underwood like? He's this incredibly good-looking guy with kind of a James Spader thing going on before Spader came on the scene…

DM: Yeah, yeah…that's a great analogy, he did have that. Ray kept a lot of things in. I didn't get to know him that well. He had a good sense of humor and laughed at all my stupid jokes. He was a good worker on the set, very professional. But he was inside of himself.

TT: Did he come across as aloof?

DM: He did come across as a little bit aloof, which was great for his character too, I thought. Ray was one of these guys that had that charm and those good looks, but didn't walk around exploiting it or like he was full of himself. He certainly could have. He was a very handsome guy. I enjoyed working with him. I just wish I had had gotten to know him a little better.


(Ray Underwood and Robert Carradine from Massacre At Central High)

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by Torgo

I know this doesn't answer your question as far as how he died, but...

Ray's in two of my favorite 70's horror movies- Massacre At Central High, and Jennifer. Ray was also an accomplished songwriter and poet, a book of his work was published: http://www.amazon.com/All-That-Hums-...=ray+underwood

This is an excerpt of an interview with actor Derrel Maury talking about working with Ray Underwood on the film Massacre At Central High (1976):

(DM is Derrel Maury)

TT: What was Ray Underwood like? He's this incredibly good-looking guy with kind of a James Spader thing going on before Spader came on the scene…

DM: Yeah, yeah…that's a great analogy, he did have that. Ray kept a lot of things in. I didn't get to know him that well. He had a good sense of humor and laughed at all my stupid jokes. He was a good worker on the set, very professional. But he was inside of himself.

TT: Did he come across as aloof?

DM: He did come across as a little bit aloof, which was great for his character too, I thought. Ray was one of these guys that had that charm and those good looks, but didn't walk around exploiting it or like he was full of himself. He certainly could have. He was a very handsome guy. I enjoyed working with him. I just wish I had had gotten to know him a little better.

Thanks so much for this information! I do remember seeing that movie Massacre at Central High many years ago. I remember it in particular because the cast included Lani O'Grady before she became well known on Eight Is Enough. You may remember that her life ended early and tragically, too. (I know I'm going off on tangents, but Lani O'Grady was the sister of Don Grady of My Three Sons fame.)

Anyway, back to Ray Underwood, I was wondering if he was doing live theater in his later years, as his last movie and TV credits are from 1987. It's interesting that he was not only doing theater, but writing poetry, and writing music lyrics for songs performed by big-name artists like Michael Feinstein and Vanessa Williams.

I'm still curious what happened to him, but reading the comments in that interview, I get the sense it might have been suicide.

[singsforsupper]

Hi, I just saw this and thought I would respond because I wouldn't want anyone to believe Ray committed suicide. Ray was a close friend and wonderfully talented. He was extraordinarily creative and was actively working on acting projects, writing songs and lyrics. He wrote lyrics and collaborated with a number of rising composers including Ricky Ian Gordon, Jerry Frankel and Maurice Jarre (with whom he collaborated on the title song "Some Wings" recorded by Vanessa Williams for the movie "Sometimes an Angel". He also directed theater and an incredible production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. Ray had a quality of vulnerability that was childlike. He went with the flow and believed he was invincible...he hadn't really cultivated the word NO yet, which proved his undoing in Hollywood. He was gay and unwilling to hide because it was so counter to his innate authenticity. It cost him alot in the late 80s. Tragically, he was part of the first wave of gay men to fall victim to the scourge of HIV before there was even a worthwhile conversation about a cure let alone money for research. He and his family did everything possible to keep him healthy. Information was so scarce and there just was no treatment or help back then. It still hurts because he was just touching his brilliance, just finding himself when it all was cut short. He loved life, loved nature...loved exploration. He would never commit suicide. I was with him the moment he died...I still miss him!!

[WAHinCA]

Thank you “singsforsupper” for your loving, and accurate tribute of Ray Underwood. I met Ray in 1983 when he would come to Carpenteria to visit his mom, and brother. When I moved to San Francisco in 1985 to attend Design School I lost touch with Ray, but wish I had been more in touch in those years after I had known him. In early 1993 I wanted to catch up, and to thank him for the influence he had on me as a young gay man, without the courage at that time to live, as he was living with integrity, and purpose. I called his phone number, but that number had been disconnected, so I reached out to his brother, only to find that Ray had died a couple of weeks before. I was heartbroken for him, his family, and for myself as well. Ray was a life affirming, talented, sweet- hearted, honest, and courageous loving soul. Ray was the light in any room, and it was difficult not to want to be in his orbit. I often think of him, his beautiful eyes, the sound of his voice, and the way he walked in the world, so confident in his own skin. He inspired me to live without fear, and to love without regret. My only regret is that we can’t sit down now, have a beer, and say what needed to be said, I love you dear friend. -WAH