Gray in Gray's Anatomy (1996).

Spalding Gray (June 5, 1941 – ca. January 10, 2004) was a U.S. actor, screenwriter and playwright. Born in Barrington, Rhode Island, he was best known for his performance monologues, which deal with events from his own life in a style characterised by humor, paranoia and acute self-consciousness. Image File history File links Spalding Gray in Grays Anatomy. ... Image File history File links Spalding Gray in Grays Anatomy. ... Grays Anatomy is an 80-minute movie directed by Steven Soderbergh in 1996 involving a dramatized monologue by actor/writer Spalding Gray. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is someone who writes dramatic literature or drama. ... Location of Barrington, Rhode Island. ... A monologue is a speech made by one person speaking his or her thoughts aloud or directly addressing a reader, audience or character. ... Humour (Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the ability or quality of people, objects or situations to evoke feelings of amusement in other people. ... For other senses of this word, see paranoia (disambiguation). ... For the understanding that one exists, see Self-awareness. ...

Career

After a few minor cinema roles and appearing in a number of pornographic films with titles like The Farmer's Daughter and Little Orphan Dusty, Gray first achieved national prominence with his film Swimming to Cambodia, a filmed version of one of his monologues. He based the monologue on his experiences in Southeast Asia while filming a small part in the 1984 movie The Killing Fields. Pornographic movies appeared shortly after the creation of the movie technology that made them possible. ... Spalding Grays Swimming to Cambodia is a 1987 Jonathan Demme performance film. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Killing Fields (1984) is an award-winning dramatic British film based on the experiences of Dith Pran, journalist and survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime and American journalist Sydney Schanberg. ...

He attracted some attention from postmodernist critics over the extent of the overlap between his off-stage self and his on-stage persona, and was sometimes criticised as exploitative for the way he appropriated the fortunes or misfortunes of others for material for his monologues. He was a founding member of the experimental theater company The Wooster Group. He also appeared in a Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Experimental theatre is a general term for various movements in Western theatre that began in the 20th century as a reaction against the then-dominant conventions governing the writing and production of drama, and against naturalism in particular. ... The Wooster Group is an ensemble of artists who collaborate on the development and production of theatre and media pieces. ... Thornton Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. ... Our Town is a play by Thornton Wilder that is set in the fictional community of Grovers Corners, which is based loosely on the actual town of Peterborough, NH. (At the time, Wilders residence was at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough). ...

Cover of Swimming to Cambodia (1987).

In the early 1990s, Gray published his first and only novel, Impossible Vacation. The novel is strongly based upon Gray's own life experiences, including his Christian Scientist upbringing, his WASP background, and his mother's suicide. True to form, Gray wrote a monologue about his experiences writing the book, entitled Monster in a Box. Image File history File links Cover of Swimming To Cambodia with Spalding Gray. ... Image File history File links Cover of Swimming To Cambodia with Spalding Gray. ... Spalding Grays Swimming to Cambodia is a 1987 Jonathan Demme performance film. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Church of Christ, Scientist, often known as The Christian Science Church, is a nontrinitarian Protestant Christian denomination, founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879. ... WASP is an American folk-sociological term for a member of the white establishment. Although the word is derived from an acronym for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, in practice its use has expanded beyond the strict meaning of the acronym; in use, it is frequently derogatory. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ... Monster in a Box is a performance film written by and starring Spalding Gray and directed by Nick Broomfield. ...

In June 2001 he suffered severe injuries in a car crash while on holiday in Ireland. In January 2004, Gray, known to suffer bouts of depression in part as a result of these injuries, was declared missing. 2001 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Events: June 5-June 9 - Houston, Texas is devastated by flooding when Tropical Storm Allison dumps 36 inches of rain on the city. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → January 31, 2004 The United States defence budget is set to exceed US$400 billion next year—an almost 7% increase—according to budget proposals inadvertently posted on the Pentagons website. ... Sadness redirects here. ...

Death

On March 7, 2004, the New York City medical examiner's office reported that at 3:00 Spalding Gray's body had been pulled from the East River. In light of a suicide attempt in 2002, and the fact that his mother had taken her own life in 1967, suicide was the suspected cause of death. It was reported that Gray was working on a new monologue at the time of his death, and that the subject matter of the piece – the Ireland car crash and his subsequent attempts to recover from his injuries – might have triggered his final bout of depression. March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York City waterways: 1. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Sadness redirects here. ...

Gray was survived by his wife, Kathie Russo, three children, and his brothers Rockwell Gray, an English professor in St. Louis, Missouri, and Channing Gray, arts writer for the Providence (RI) Journal. Flag Seal Nickname: Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City Location Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Missouri Independent City Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 66. ... Nickname: Beehive of Industry, The Renaissance City Official website: http://www. ...

In 2005, Gray's unfinished final monologue was published in a hardcover edition entitled Life Interrupted: The Unfinished Monologue. Running only 39 pages, the monologue -- which had been performed by Gray in one of his last public appearances -- is augmented by two additional pieces he also performed at the time, a short remembrance called "The Anniversary" and an open letter to New York City written in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Also included in the book is an extensive collection of remembrances and tributes from fellow performers and friends.

Filmography

Below is a chronological filmography.

• 2001 Kate and Leopold – Actor: Dr. Geisler
• 2001 How High – Actor: Professor Jackson
• 2001 Julie Johnson – Actor: Mr. Miranda
• 2001 Revolution #9 – Actor: Scooter McCrae
• 1999 Coming Soon – Actor: Mr. Jennings
• 1997 Drunks – Actor: Louis
• 1997 Bliss – Actor: Alfred
• 1996 Diabolique – Actor: Simon Veatch
• 1996 Gray's Anatomy – Actor: Himself; Also: Screenwriter
• 1996 Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud
• 1996 Glory Daze
• 1995 Hoogste Tijd – Actor: Jack's Father
• 1995 Bad Company – Actor: Walter Curl
• 1995 Beyond Rangoon – Actor: Jeremy Watt
• 1994 The Paper – Actor: Paul Bladden
• 1993 The Pickle – Actor: Dr. Spalding
• 1993 Twenty Bucks – Actor: Priest
• 1993 Zelda – Actor: Sayre
• 1993 King of the Hill – Actor: Mr. Mungo
• 1992 Straight Talk – Actor: Dr. Erdman
• 1991 Monster in a Box – Actor: Himself; Also: Screenwriter
• 1991 To Save a Child – Actor: Hobart
• 1989 Heavy Petting
• 1989 The Image – Actor: Frank Goodrich
• 1988 Clara's Heart – Actor: Dr. Peter Epstein
• 1988 Stars and Bars – Actor: Rev. Cardew
• 1988 Spalding Gray: Terrors of Pleasure
• 1988 Beaches – Actor: Dr. Richard Milstein
• 1987 Swimming to Cambodia – Actor: Himself; Also: Screenwriter
• 1986 True Stories – Actor: Earl Culver
• 1985 Seven Minutes in Heaven – Actor: Dr. Rodney
• 1985 The Communists Are Comfortable (And Three Other Stories)
• 1984 The Killing Fields – Actor: United States consul
• 1984 Hard Choices – Actor: Terry Norfolk
• 1984 Almost You – Actor: Travel Agent
• 1983 Variety
• 1978 Maraschino Cherry
• 1976 Little Orphan Dusty – Actor
• 1973 The Farmer's Daughter – Actor: George
• 1972 Love-In '72 – Actor: Radical at party
• 1970 Cowards – Actor: Radical

Kate & Leopold is a 2001 motion picture that tells a story of Duke who time travels from 1876 to the present and falls in love with a career woman in New York. ... Promotional poster for How High How High (2001) is a comedy film, directed by Jesse Dylan, which is a feature film debut for him. ... mi humps is mi favorite song im listenin to it right now ... Diabolique is a 1996 American film directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik. ... Grays Anatomy is an 80-minute movie directed by Steven Soderbergh in 1996 involving a dramatized monologue by actor/writer Spalding Gray. ... Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud (1996) is a PBS American Masters TV documentary on the inventor/visionary/thinker R. Buckminster Fuller, produced and directed by Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon. ... Glory Daze is a low-budget movie starring Ben Affleck, Sam Rockwell, and French Stewart. ... Self-titled album cover Bad Company were a British rock band founded in 1973, consisting of band members from Free (Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke), Mott The Hoople (Mick Ralphs) and King Crimson (Boz Burrell). ... Beyond Rangoon is a 1995 film about Laura Bowman, an American tourist who vacations in Burma (Myanmar) in 1988, the year in which the 8888 Uprising takes place. ... Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) is the editor of a New York City tabloid. ... Twenty Bucks is a 1993 film that follows the travels of a $20 bill from a crisp new bill from the ATM through various transactions an incidents from person to person through the city. ... Zelda is a 1993 television movie. ... The 1993 film King of the Hill -- not to be confused with Mike Judges animated cartoon of the same name -- was Steven Soderberghs third feature film, and the second he directed from his own screenplay following his 1989 Palme dOr-winning effort sex, lies, and videotape. ... straight talk -- plain, honest speaking. ... Monster in a Box is a performance film written by and starring Spalding Gray and directed by Nick Broomfield. ... The Image DVD The Image is a 1975 French film. ... Dear Whoopi I wanted you to know that i like you so much and i really mean that so you are my favorite and also you are my role model and my famous singer the whole time how i feel about you is you are my Favorite Celeberty into my... The following are the flags used by the short-lived Confederate States of America. ... Spalding Gray: Terrors of Pleasure is a 1988 filming of a monologue written and performed by Spalding Gray. ... Beaches is a 1988 movie adapted by Mary Agnes Donoghue from the novel Beaches by Iris Rainer Dart. ... Spalding Grays Swimming to Cambodia is a 1987 Jonathan Demme performance film. ... True Stories is the title of an American musical motion picture released in 1986. ... Seven Minutes in Heaven is a 1985 teen film directed by Linda Feferman, starring Jennifer Connelly in one of her first roles. ... The Killing Fields (1984) is an award-winning dramatic British film based on the experiences of Dith Pran, journalist and survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime and American journalist Sydney Schanberg. ... Cowardice is a vice that is conventionally viewed as the corruption of prudence. ...

Bibliography

(All are based on monologues unless noted)

• 1985 Swimming to Cambodia
• 1986 Sex and Death to the Age 14
• 1987 In Search of the Monkey Girl
• 1992 Monster in a Box
• 1993 Impossible Vacation (novel)
• 1994 Gray's Anatomy
• 1997 It's a Slippery Slope
• 1999 Morning, Noon and Night
• 2005 Life Interrupted: The Unfinished Monologue

Spalding Grays Swimming to Cambodia is a 1987 Jonathan Demme performance film. ... Monster in a Box is a performance film written by and starring Spalding Gray and directed by Nick Broomfield. ...

External links

• Spalding Gray at the Internet Movie Database
• Remembering Spalding Gray – Fresh Air Audio Archives (NPR)
• Overview of Spalding Gray's Work
• Website and Homage from the Estate of Spalding Grey
• Body of writer, actor found in East River (CNN)
• Swimming to Cambodia by Josh Woodward A song about Spalding Gray's death
• Gray Matters A journalist recalls his last interaction with Spalding.