Ray Collins

Ray Bidwell Collins (December 10, 1889 – July 11, 1965) was an American actor in film, stage, radio, and television  He started acting on stage at the age of 14, and moved to British Columbia where he headed up his own theatrical stock company until moving on to Broadway.

In the mid-1930s, now an established stage and radio actor, Collins began working with Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre leading to some of his most memorable roles. Collins became a regular on The Mercury Theatre on the Air; through the run of the series, he played many roles in literary adaptations, from Squire Livesey from Treasure Island and Dr. Watson to Mr. Pickwick in an adaptation of Pickwick Papers. Collins made his first notable screen appearance in Citizen Kane, as ruthless Boss Jim Gettys. He would also play key roles in Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons and Touch of Evil. Collins appeared in over 90 films in all, including Leave Her to Heaven (1945), The Best Years of Our Lives and Crack-Up (1946) A Double Life (1947), two entries in the Ma and Pa Kettle series (as in-law Benjamin Parker), and the 1953 version of The Desert Song, in which he played the non-singing role of Kathryn Grayson’s father. He displayed a remarkable comic ability in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), and The Man from Colorado (1948).

He may be best remembered for his work on television, playing Lt. Tragg on Perry Mason in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also a regular as John Merriweather on the television version of The Halls of Ivy starring Ronald Colman. In July 1965, Collins died of emphysema at the age of 75.