Bolger, Ray (10 January 1904–15 January 1987), comedy-actor and dancer, was born Raymond Wallace Bolger in Dorchester, near Boston, Massachusetts, the son of James Edward Bolger, a painter, and Anne Wallace. After he graduated from Dorchester High School in 1920, Bolger initially was employed in office work, including positions with First National Bank of Boston, New England Mutual Life Insurance Company, and Kelly Peanut Company. His involvement with performing had been at the amateur level, and he found his way into a ballet school run by Senia Rusakoff (Roussakoff) because the institution required someone with bookkeeping knowledge and offered him free dancing lessons in return. Training in ballet and tap led to Bolger’s first stage appearance in 1922 as a soloist in Rusakoff’s dance recital, followed by a couple of years touring with the Bob Ott Musical Comedy Repertoire Company. This experience enabled Bolger to develop his craft in various musicals. He acquired skills in comedy and acting while continuing to broaden his range of dancing....
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Bolger, Ray (1904-1987), comedy-actor and dancer
Mel Trifona Christoudia
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Foy, Eddie (1856-1928), comedian
Melissa Vickery-Bareford
Foy, Eddie (09 March 1856–16 February 1928), comedian, was born Edwin Fitzgerald in Greenwich Village, New York, the son of Richard Fitzgerald, a tailor, and Ellen Hennessy. Foy began his theatrical career at the age of eight busking on the sidewalks of Greenwich Village when his bootblacking business was slow. A fiddler noticed him one day and the two began to perform on the streets or in bars—anywhere that would allow them. As a youngster Foy spent hours hanging around the stage doors of local theaters watching performers in Emerson’s or Manning’s minstrel shows, learning the bits, dances, and songs of popular entertainment....
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Haley, Jack (1899-1979), comedian, singer, and dancer
William Stephenson
Haley, Jack (10 August 1899–06 June 1979), comedian, singer, and dancer, was born John Haley in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of John Haley, a ship’s navigator, and Ellen Curley. Haley’s desire to be in show business began in childhood, when he appeared in a church entertainment at the age of six. After completing his schooling at Boston English High School, he became an apprentice electrician at his mother’s urging. As soon as he had saved up some of his apprentice earnings, however, he left to make his way on the stage....
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Ritchard, Cyril (1898-1977), theatrical comedian, dancer, and director
James Ross Moore
Ritchard, Cyril (01 December 1898–18 December 1977), theatrical comedian, dancer, and director, was born Cyril Trimnell-Ritchard in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, the son of Herbert Trimnell-Ritchard, a hotel owner, and Margaret Collins. After Jesuit schooling, in 1916 Ritchard entered Sydney University, where for one year he pursued a medical career. At nineteen he was a chorus boy in Oscar Straus’s ...
