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  • Biography
IMDbPro

Rene Ray(1911-1993)

  • Actress
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Rene Ray and Anton Walbrook in The Rat (1937)
British singer and supporting or second lead actress of stage and screen, born Irene Creese in London, England. Her father was the noted automotive and aviation engineer Alfred Edward Creese (1872-1943), inventor of the first operational monoplane and associate of Albert Einstein. In addition to her work as an actress, René authored novels (including the fantasy "Wraxton Marne"), original stories and screenplays. Most notable among these was The Strange World of Planet X (1958) (a novelisation of her later television series), which cast her among the small number of female science fiction writers active at the time.

On stage from her late teens, René made her acting debut at the Savoy Theatre as a barmaid in "Wonder Bar" (1930). A frail, wistful-looking lass with expressive eyes, she tended to appear on screen in victimised, careworn or downtrodden roles. She gave possibly her best performances in The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1935) and His Lordship (1936). She also acted in several minor musicals, including Born Lucky (1933) and Street Song (1935), capitalising on her good singing voice. René even had a crack at Hollywood, auditioning for the part of the second Mrs. de Winter in Alfred Hitchcock's classic Rebecca (1940) (of course, losing out to Joan Fontaine).

On Broadway, she received strong critical notices for her acting in J.B. Priestley's "An Inspector Calls", directed by Cedric Hardwicke. She spent most of her wartime career on stage at London's West End. René eventually gave up acting by the mid-1950's to concentrate on the new challenges of her writing career. In 1975, she married the 2nd Earl of Midleton, which effectively bestowed upon her the title of countess. He died in 1979.
BornSeptember 22, 1911
DiedAugust 28, 1993(81)
BornSeptember 22, 1911
DiedAugust 28, 1993(81)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos4

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Known for

Richard Basehart and Gloria Grahame in Les bons meurent jeunes (1954)
Les bons meurent jeunes
6.7
  • Angela
  • 1954
Diana Churchill and Phillips Holmes in Housemaster (1938)
Housemaster
6.9
  • Chris Faringdon(as René Ray)
  • 1938
His Lordship (1936)
His Lordship
6.0
  • Vera(as René Ray)
  • 1936
The Green Cockatoo (1937)
The Green Cockatoo
5.9
  • Eileen(as René Ray)
  • 1937

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress



  • ITV Play of the Week (1955)
    ITV Play of the Week
    6.7
    TV Series
    • Martha Lubin
    • Alice Kennion
    • Daisy (as René Ray)
    • 1956–1959
  • Scotland Yard joue et gagne (1957)
    Scotland Yard joue et gagne
    6.6
    • Mrs. Ambler
    • 1957
  • ITV Television Playhouse (1955)
    ITV Television Playhouse
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Nurse Chapman (as René Ray)
    • 1956
  • Richard Basehart and Gloria Grahame in Les bons meurent jeunes (1954)
    Les bons meurent jeunes
    6.7
    • Angela
    • 1954
  • BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950)
    BBC Sunday-Night Theatre
    7.2
    TV Series
    • Isabella (as René Ray)
    • 1953
  • Les filles de la pénombre (1952)
    Les filles de la pénombre
    6.6
    • Vivianne
    • 1952
  • Le Major galopant (1951)
    Le Major galopant
    6.1
    • Pam Riley
    • 1951
  • John Keats Lived Here
    TV Movie
    • Fanny Brawne (as René Ray)
    • 1949
  • Death of a Rat
    TV Movie
    • Yolan (as René Ray)
    • 1949
  • Angela Lansbury and Janet Leigh in Quand vient l'hiver (1947)
    Quand vient l'hiver
    6.4
    • Sarah, 'Low Jinks'
    • 1947
  • Trevor Howard in Je suis un fugitif (1947)
    Je suis un fugitif
    7.2
    • Cora
    • 1947
  • The Valiant
    TV Movie
    • Josephine Paris (as René Ray)
    • 1947
  • Pool of Contentment
    6.6
    Short
    • (as René Ray)
    • 1946
  • Morland Graham and John Mills in Old Bill and Son (1941)
    Old Bill and Son
    5.6
    • Sally
    • 1941
  • A Call for Arms! (1940)
    A Call for Arms!
    4.9
    Short
    • Joan (as René Ray)
    • 1940

Writer



  • The Strange World of Planet X (1958)
    The Strange World of Planet X
    4.8
    • based on the novel by
    • 1958
  • The Strange World of Planet X (1956)
    The Strange World of Planet X
    6.1
    TV Series
    • writer (as René Ray)
    • 1956

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Renee Ray
  • Born
    • September 22, 1911
    • London, England, UK
  • Died
    • August 28, 1993
    • Jersey, Channel Islands, UK(undisclosed)
  • Spouses
      Charles Francis Meade1975 - 1979 (his death)
  • Other works
    She acted in Michael Egan's play, "The Dominant Sex", at the Embassy Repertory Theatre in London, England with Diana Churchill, Richard Bird and Ellen Pollock in the cast. John Fernald was the director.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Pictorials

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