Gene Raymond

Gene Raymond (born Raymond Guion; August 13, 1908 – May 3, 1998) was an American film, television, and stage actor whose career spanned the golden age of Hollywood and the early years of television. He began his training at the Professional Children’s School in New York City and made his Broadway debut at seventeen in The Cradle Snatchers, a production that ran for two years and featured future legends such as Humphrey Bogart. Raymond’s screen debut came with Personal Maid (1931) and he quickly became known for his blond good looks, classic profile, and a versatility that took him from light RKO musicals with Ann Sothern to dramatic roles in Red Dust (1932) alongside Jean Harlow and Clark Gable. Among his most celebrated films are Zoo in Budapest (1933) with Loretta Young, Flying Down to Rio (1933) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941). In addition to acting, he wrote popular songs such as “Will You?” and composed pieces that were performed by his wife, soprano Jeanette MacDonald. During World II he entered the United States Army Air Forces, serving as an observer aboard B‑17s, later becoming an assistant operations officer in the VIII Bomber Command, and ultimately retiring from the Air Force Reserve as a colonel in 1968, earning the Legion of Merit for his service. After the war Raymond returned to Hollywood, writing, directing and starring in Million Dollar Weekend (1949) and appearing in notable later films such as The Best Man (1964). He transitioned to television in the 1950s, guest‑starring on series like The Outer Limits, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Mannix, and continued to act sporadically into the 1970s. His personal life was marked by a high‑profile marriage to Jeanette MacDonald from 1937 until her death in 1965, a union that produced no children and was later scrutinized for alleged difficulties. In 1974 he married Nelson Bentley Hees, remaining together until her death in 1995. Raymond was a lifelong Republican, a charter member of the Hollywood Republican Committee, and was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to motion pictures and television. He died of pneumonia in Los Angeles on May 3 1998 at the age of 89 and was interred beside MacDonald at Forest Lawn, Glendale.