Ray Cooney Biography (1932-)

Full name, Raymond George Alfred Cooney; born May 30, 1932, in London, England; son of Gerald and Olive (maiden name, Clarke) Cooney; married Linda Dixon,1962; children: two sons. Addresses: Agent: International Creative Management, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

Nationality: British
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, director, producer, playwright
Birth Details: May 30, 1932; London, United Kingdom

Famous Works

CREDITS
Stage Appearances
Song of Norway, Palace Theatre, London, 1946
Calcutta in the Morning, Players' Theatre, London, 1947
Larkin, The Hidden Years, Fortune Theatre, London, 1948
Dry Rot, Whitehall Theatre, London, 1956
Corporal Flight, Simple Spymen, Whitehall Theatre, 1958
One for the Pot, Whitehall Theatre, 1961
Sergeant Trotter, The Mousetrap, Ambassadors Theatre, London, 1964
Simon Sparrow, Doctors at Sea, Prince of Wales Theatre, London, 1966
Prosser, Uproar in the House, Whitehall Theatre, 1967
Wainwright, Charlie Girl, Adelphi Theatre, London, 1968
Not Now, Darling, Savoy Theatre, London, 1968, then New York Cityproduction, 1970
Timothy Westerby, There Goes the Bride, Ambassadors Theatre, 1975
Mr. Pink, Banana Ridge, Savoy Theatre, 1976
Two into One, produced in Leicester, 1981, then Guildford, England, 1985, later Paper Mill Playhouse, Milburn, NJ, 1988
John Smith, Run for Your Wife, produced in Guildford and London, both 1983, then Virginia Theatre, New York City, 1989
Out of Order, London production, 1990
It Runs in the Family, London production, 1992
Major Tours
Appearances
Move Over, Mrs. Markham, U.S. cities, 1989-1990
Stage Work
Producer and director, Thark, 1965
Producer, Doctor at Sea, Prince of Wales Theatre, London, 1966
Producer and director, In at the Death, 1967
Producer, My Giddy Aunt, 1968
Director, Press Cuttings, produced in England, 1970, then New YorkCity
Producer, Not Now, Darling, Savoy Theatre, London, 1968, then NewYork City production, 1970
Producer and director, Move Over, Mrs. Markham, 1971
Producer and director, The Mating Game, 1972
Producer, Lloyd George Knew My Father, 1972
Producer, Two and Two Make Sex, 1973
Producer, Say Goodnight to Grandma, 1973
Producer, At the End of the Day, 1973
Producer and director, Why Not Stay for Breakfast?, 1973
Director of Birds of Paradise, 1974
Producer, There Goes the Bride, Ambassadors Theatre, 1975
Producer, Run for Your Wife, produced in Guildford, England, and London, both 1983, then Virginia Theatre, New York City, 1989
Director, It Runs in the Family, The Playhouse, London, 1992
Other productions include The Dame of Sark, The Little Hut, The Bedwinner, Jack the Ripper, A Ghost on Tiptoe, andThe Sack Race, all 1974; Hinge and Bracket, Murder at the Vicarage, and Ipi Tombi, all 1975; Fringe Benefits and Dear Daddy, both 1976; Fire Angel and Elvis, both 1977; Spinechiller and Lady Harry, both 1978; Clouds, 1978; WhoseLife Is It Anyway?, produced in England, 1978, then New York City, 1979;Chicago, Bodies, Brasil Tropical, Hello, Dolly, Ain't Misbehavin', Beatlemania, and Irma La Douce, all 1979; Out of Order, 1990; Duet for One, produced in London and New York City; producer of the plays The Queen's Highland Servant, That's No Lady, That's My Husband, My Son's Father, The Sackingof Norman Banks, Springtime for Henry, Saint Joan, The Trials of Oscar Wilde, What's a Nice Country Like US Doing in a State Like This?, Some of My Best Friends Are Husbands, They're Playing Our Song, Aladdin, See How They Run, Pygmalion, Passion Play, Intimate Exchanges, and revivals of Loot andAn Italian Straw Hat.

Major Tours
Work
Producer and director, The Mating Game, 1970
Producer, Dandy Dick, 1970
Director, Move Over, Mrs. Markham, U.S. cities, 1989-1990
Film Appearances
(Uncredited) Ralph Hingston, My Brother Jonathan, Allied Artists,1949
Corporal, The Night We Dropped a Clanger (also known as Make Mine a Double), Ellis, 1959
Pollitt, The Hand, American International, 1960
Man with cartwheel, The Night We Got the Bird, 1961
Arnold Crouch, Not Now, Darling, Dimension, 1975
Mr. Laver, Not Now, Comrade, 1977
Colonel Hickering, Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman (also known as Jack Frost II), A-pix Entertainment, 2000
Film Work
(With David Croft) Director, Not Now, Darling, Dimension, 1975
Director, Not Now, Comrade, 1977
Executive producer, Why Not Stay for Breakfast?, 1979
Producer, There Goes the Bride, Vanguard, 1980
Executive producer, Whose Life Is It, Anyway?, 1981
Television Appearances
Specials
Himself, The John Thaw Story, 2002
Episodic
French proprietor, "Last Post and Pigeon," Last of the Summer Wine, BBC, 2000
WRITINGS
Plays
(With Tony Hilton) One for the Pot, produced at Whitehall Theatre,London, 1961
Chase Me, Comrade, produced at Whitehall Theatre, 1964
(With Hilton) Stand by Your Bedouin, produced, 1966
(With Chapman) of My Giddy Aunt, produced, 1968
(With Hugh and Margaret Williams) Charlie Girl, produced at Adelphi Theatre, London, 1968
(With John Chapman) Not Now, Darling, produced at Savoy Theatre, London, 1968, then in New York City, 1970; published by English Theatre Guild(London), 1970, and Dramatists Play Service (New York City), 1971
(With Chapman) Move Over, Mrs. Markham, produced, 1971; publishedby English Theatre Guild, 1972
(With Gene Stone) Why Not Stay for Breakfast?, produced, 1973
(With Chapman) There Goes the Bride, produced at Ambassadors Theatre, London, 1974; published by English Theatre Guild, 1975
It Runs in the Family, produced at The Playhouse, London, 1992; published by Samuel French (New York City), 1980
Wife Begins at Forty, produced, 1986
Two into One, produced in Leicester, 1981, then Guildford, England, 1985, later Paper Mill Playhouse, Milburn, NJ, 1988
John Smith, Run for Your Wife, produced in Guildford and London, both 1983, then Virginia Theatre, New York City, 1989
Out of Order, produced, 1990; published by Samuel French (London),1991
Funny Money, produced at The Playhouse, 1994
Screenplays
(With Tony Hilton) The Hand, American International, 1960
(With Hilton and Darcy Conyers) The Night We Got the Bird (based on the play The Love Birds by Basil Thomas), British Lion, 1961
(With Hilton) What a Carve Up! (also known as No Place Like Homicide; based on the novel The Ghoul by Frank King), Embassy, 1962
Charlie Girl, 1972
Not Now Darling, Dimension, 1975
Not Now, Comrade, 1977
Why Not Stay for Breakfast? (based on his play), 1979
There Goes the Bride (based on his play), Vanguard, 1980
Television Specials
Boobs in the Wood, 1960
Round the Bend, 1962
Pappie, hier ben ik, 1991
Kink in de kabel, 1994
Bleib doch zum Fruehstueck, 2000
Radio Plays
Tale of the Repertory Actor, 1971
(With John Chapman) Mr. Willow's Wife, 1972
Starring Leslie Willey, 1987

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Contemporary Dramatists, St. James Press, 1999

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