RALPH BELLAMY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Ralph Bellamy was born on June 17th, 1904 in Chicago, Illinois with the birth name Ralph Rexford Bellamy.  His parents were Lilla Louise a native of Canada and his father was Charles Rexford Bellamy.  He was the eldest of three children.  His father worked for an advertising agency.  He lost one of his younger brothers a couple days after he was born.  As a young boy he made some extra money by delivering newspapers and groceries and also worked as a soda jerk at a local drugstore.
 
Bellamy attended Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois and was president of the drama club.  He was expelled from school after being caught smoking on school property so at the age of seventeen he ran away to join a traveling band of Shakespearean players.  He also found part time employment as a usher at Ravina Park Open Air Pavilion. 
 
He soon relocated to New York and began working on stage shows.  By 1927, he was able to own his own stock company for four seasons, 1926-1930, "The Ralph Bellamy Players" and it toured Nashville, Evanston, and Iowa.
 
He made his film debut in 1931 on, "The Secret Six".  Work was quite consistent for him, mostly lead roles in the beginning followed by supporting roles, but nevertheless, work was highly available to him. in 1933 alone, he worked on over 100 films. 

Some of the films he worked on with lead roles were, "Straight from the Shoulder" (1936),  "It Can't Last Forever" (1937), and "The Awful Truth" (1937) for which he won his only Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
 
Alongside his film career was a decent stage career.  He earned himself the Best Actor-Dramatic Tony Award for his role as Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the play, "Sunrise at Campobello".  This role was then also portrayed in a film in 1960.  His portrayal of Roosevelt was so successful that he was later on offered to recreate F.D.R. for a TV miniseries, "War and Remembrance" (1988).
 
He also had a very successful acting career on television with his debut on, "The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse" (1948), "Man Against Crime" (1949), "The Eleventh Hour" (1962), "The Survivors" (1969) and "The Most Deadly Game" (1970).  Ralph was nominated in total for three Emmy Awards for all of his television appearances.
 
Bellamy returned to film for, "Coming to America" (1988) starring Eddie Murphy.  Among one of his later more memorable roles was his work on an episode of, "L.A. Law" (1988) with his final performance in the film, "Pretty Woman" (1990) starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. 
 
Combined with his performing, he was also very involved in actors rights.  He was a founder amongst others of the Screen Actors Guild, known as SAG.  He also served as President of the Actors Equity for four terms.  For his service to the acting community he was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 1987.  Along with this Award, Bellamy also was honored with a Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 1984.  He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the Motion Picture industry.

Throughout his lifetime he was married 4 times, first to Alice Delbridge from December 28th, 1927 till 1930.  He then married, Catherine Willard from July 6th, 1931 to 1945.  The couple had two children together, a daughter named Lynn and an adopted son named Willard.  His third marriage was to Ethel Smith from August 21st, 1945 to November 25th, 1947.  His final marriage was to Alice Murphy from November 27th, 1949 until November 29th, 1991 when he passed away.

Ralph Bellamy died on November 29, 1991 in Santa Monica, California at the age of 87 years old from a lung ailment at  Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.  He is buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
 
 
Filmography

1990   Pretty Woman
1989-1990  Christine Cromwell 
1988-1989  War and Remembrance 
1988   The Good Mother 
1988   Coming to America
1988   L.A. Law
1987   Matlock
1987   Amazon Women on the Moon
1987   Disorderlies 
1985-1986  Hotel 
1986   The Twilight Zone 
1985   Space
1985   The Fourth Wise Man
1981-1984  The Love Boat
1984   Love Leads the Way: A True Story
1983   Trading Places 
1983   The Winds of War 
1983   Little House on the Prairie
1980-1982  Fantasy Island
1981   Aloha Paradise
1981   Walking Tall
1980   Condominium
1980   The Memory of Eva Ryker
1980   Power
1979   The Billion Dollar Threat
1978   The Millionaire
1978   The Clone Master
1978   Wheels
1977   The Bob Newhart Show
1977   Oh, God!  
1977   Westside Medical
1977   Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for a Hanging
1977   Hunter
1977   Testimony of Two Men
1976   Arthur Hailey's the Moneychangers
1976   Once an Eagle
1976   The Boy in the Plastic Bubble
1976   Nightmare in Badham County 
1976   Return to Earth
1976   McNaughton's Daughter
1976   Cannon 
1975   Medical Center
1975   Murder on Flight 502
1975   Medical Story 
1975   Search for the Gods
1975   Adventures of the Queen
1975   The Log of the Black Pearl
1974   The Missiles of October
1973   Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law 
1972   Cancel My Reservation 
1972   Something Evil
1971   Doctors' Wives  
1970-1971  The Most Deadly Game  
1971   The Last of the Powerseekers
1969   The Immortal 
1969  The Survivors
1966-1968  The F.B.I.
1968   The Virginian
1968   Rosemary's Baby 
1968   CBS Playhouse
1967   Gunsmoke 
1967   Run for Your Life
1967   The Invaders
1967   Wings of Fire
1967   12 O'Clock High 
1967   Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre 
1966   The Professionals  
1966   Seaway
1961-1965  Rawhide 
1965   The Bell Telephone Hour 
1962-1964  The Eleventh Hour
1963   Dr. Kildare
1963   Alcoa Premiere
1962   Death Valley Days 
1962   Golden Showcase 
1961   Westinghouse Presents: The Dispossessed
1961   Checkmate  
1961   Frontier Justice 
1961   The Dick Powell Theatre 
1961   The Dinah Shore Chevy Show 
1961   The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1960   The Barbara Stanwyck Show
1960   Sunday Showcase
1960   Sunrise at Campobello  
1959   Our American Heritage
1955-1958  Hallmark Hall of Fame 
1957   Suspicion 
1954-1957  The United States Steel Hour  
1957   Overseas Press Club - Exclusive! 
1957   Kraft Theatre 
1956-1957  Climax!
1957   The Alcoa Hour 
1957   The Kaiser Aluminum Hour 
1955-1957  Studio One in Hollywood 
1957   Studio 57 
1956   Zane Grey Theater 
1956   Schlitz Playhouse 
1956   The Ford Television Theatre 
1956   Playhouse 90  
1956   Goodyear Playhouse
1956   Playwrights '56 
1956   Screen Directors Playhouse 
1948-1956  The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
1956   Star Stage
1955   The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
1955   G.E. True Theater 
1954   The Elgin Hour 
1949-1954  Man Against Crime 
1950   Your Show of Shows  
1945   Lady on a Train  
1945   Delightfully Dangerous 
1944   Guest in the House 
1942   The Great Impersonation
1942   Men of Texas  
1942   Lady in a Jam  
1942   The Ghost of Frankenstein  
1941   The Wolf Man  
1941   Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring  
1941 Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime
1941   Dive Bomber  
1941   Affectionately Yours  
1941   Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery
1941   Footsteps in the Dark
1940   Ellery Queen, Master Detective 
1940   Meet the Wildcat  
1940   Public Deb No. 1  
1940   Dance, Girl, Dance
1940   Queen of the Mob  
1940   Brother Orchid
1940   Flight Angels 
1940   His Girl Friday  
1939   Coast Guard  
1939   Blind Alley  
1939   Let Us Live
1939   Smashing the Spy Ring  
1938   Trade Winds 
1938   Girls' School  
1938   Carefree 
1938   Boy Meets Girl 
1938   Fools for Scandal
1938   The Crime of Doctor Hallet  
1937   The Awful Truth  
1937   It Can't Last Forever  
1937   Let's Get Married  
1936   Counterfeit Lady  
1936   Wild Brian Kent  
1936   The Man Who Lived Twice  
1936   Straight from the Shoulder  
1936   The Final Hour
1936   Roaming Lady
1936   Dangerous Intrigue
1935   Hands Across the Table 
1935   Navy Wife  
1935   The Healer
1935   Air Hawks  
1935   Eight Bells  
1935   The Wedding Night  
1935   Gigolette 
1935   Rendezvous at Midnight  
1935   Helldorado  
1934   Woman in the Dark
1934   Girl in Danger  
1934   One Is Guilty  
1934   The Crime of Helen Stanley  
1934   This Man Is Mine  
1934   Once to Every Woman 
1934   Spitfire  
1933   Before Midnight  
1933   Ever in My Heart  
1933   Ace of Aces  
1933   Headline Shooter  
1933   Blind Adventure 
1933   Flying Devils  
1933   The Narrow Corner 
1933   Picture Snatcher 
1933   Destination Unknown 
1933   Below the Sea  
1933   Parole Girl 
1933   Second Hand Wife  
1932   Air Mail  
1932   Wild Girl  
1932   Almost Married
1932   Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
1932   The Woman in Room 13 
1932   Young America
1932   Disorderly Conduct
1932   Forbidden
1931   Surrender
1931   West of Broadway
1931   The Magnificent Lie  
1931   The Secret Six