Ray Walston

 Ray Walston started his acting career as a spear carrier with a local stock company. When the family moved to Houston, Texas, Walston's father wanted to teach him the oil business, but Walston instead joined a traveling repertory company (selling tickets as well as acting).

Prominent in Walston's career was an association with director George Abbott which included appearing in five productions over a span of 20 years. They began working together in 1949, around the time Walston was cast in "South Pacific." Then, in 1955, Walston won a Tony Award as best male musical comedy star in the Abbott production of "Damn Yankees," a role he recreated in the 1958 film version.

Walston came to Hollywood in 1957 for "Kiss Them for Me" (1957). His other films included "The Apartment" (1960), "Portrait in Black" (1960), "Paint Your Wagon" (1969), "The Sting" (1973), "Popeye" (1980), and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982, below). The role of Mr. Hand in the latter was originally offered to Fred Gwynne who turned it down due to his objections over the tone of the sexual content in the film.

In 1963, he began the television series "My Favorite Martian," which ran for three years."I never should have done 'My Favorite Martian'. I didn't work in television or film for three years after. Everyone thought of me as a Martian. Do you know what it's like to go to Madrid, Spain, on vacation and have a guy yell out, 'Hey, Martin!' and put antennas behind his head? When that happens, you know your career is dead."

Walston won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series as Henry Bone on the drama series "Picket Fences."

"I'm an actor and that's it -- period. Producers and studios have thrown many things at me over the years: comedy, tragedy, drama, drawing-room comedy. I've managed to keep my head above water in most of these genres, but I don't put myself in any one category like 'comic actor' or 'musical-comedy' actor."

Aloha, Mr. Walston! Happy Birthday!