George Raft

George Raft
Born: Sep 26, 1895
New York City, NY
Career: 194z-1980
Countries: USA
Genre/Type: Comedy
Drama
Mystery
Crime
Romance
Raft spent his childhood in the tough Hell's Kitchen area of New York, then left home at 13. He went on to be a prizefighter, ballroom dancer, and taxi-driver, meanwhile maintaining close contacts with New York's gangster underworld. He eventually made it to Broadway, then went to Hollywood in the late '20s. At first considered a Valentino-like romantic lead, Raft soon discovered his forte in gangster roles. He was the actor most responsible for creating the '30s cinema image of gangster-as-hero, particularly after his portrayal of coin-flipping Guido Rinaldo in Scarface (1932). He was highly successful for almost two decades, but then bad casting diminished his popularity. By the early '50s he was acting in European films in a vain attempt to regain critical respect, but he was unsuccessful. He starred in the mid-'50s TV series "I Am the Law," a failure that seriously hurt his financial status. In 1959 a Havana casino he owned was closed by the Castro government, further damaging his revenues; meanwhile, he owed a great deal to the U.S. government in back taxes. In the mid '60s he was denied entry into England (where he managed a high-class gambling club) due to his underworld associations. Most of his film appearances after 1960 were cameos. He was portrayed by Ray Danton in the biopic The George Raft Story (1961).

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Filmography

Movie/Film Released Rating Role Buy
Red Skelton: A Career of Laughter 1992 Archival Appearance
Red Skelton: A Comedy Scrapbook 1991 Archival Appearance
The Best of Abbott and Costello Live 1988 Archival Appearance
The Return of Video Yesterbloop 1986 Archival Appearance
Hollywood Outtakes and Rare Footage 1983 Archival Appearance
The Man with Bogart's Face 1980 Actor [Starring]
Sextette 1978 Actor [Starring]
Deadhead Miles 1972 Actor [Starring]
Hammersmith Is Out 1972 Actor [Starring]
Madigan's Millions 1968 Actor [Starring]
Skidoo 1968 Actor [Starring]
Casino Royale 1967 Actor [Starring]
Five Golden Dragons 1967 Actor [Starring]
Du Rififi à Paname 1966 Actor [Starring]
For Those Who Think Young 1964 Actor [Starring]
The Patsy 1964 Actor [Starring]
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Videos of George Raft

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Dancer George Raft (Ray Danton) finds himself involved with the criminal underworld. After a conflict... more | add synopsis
･ 1 River rafting in Atlanta is known locally as "shooting the Hooch." The Hooch is the Chattahoochee River... ･ 2 There are licensed vendors who rent rafts, boats, canoes, kayaks, inner tubes, etc. for day use on... ･ 3 Depending...
George Raft was born on September 26, 1895

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