Spalding Gray Biography (1941-)

Born June 5, 1941, in Providence, RI; son of Rockwell (a factory worker) andMargaret Elizabeth (a homemaker; maiden name, Horton) Gray; married Renee Shafransky (a writer and stage director), August, 1991 (divorced); married KathyRusso; children: Marissa (stepdaughter), Forrest, Theo. Addresses: Agent: Chris Schmidt, Writers and Artists Agency, 8383 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Beverly Hills, CA 90211; (voice work) William Morris Agency, 151 El CaminoDr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, performance artist, writer
Birth Details: June 5, 1941; Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Stage Appearances
(Stage debut) Hanibal, Fryeburg Academy, 1965
The Curious Savage, Fryeburg Academy, 1965
The Knack, Cape Cod, MA, 1965
Long Day's Journey into Night, Cape Cod, 1965
Scales, Northampton, MA, 1966, then New York City, 1975
(Off-Broadway debut) King of the May, Endicott and the Red Cross,American Palace Theatre, New York City, 1968
Hoss, The Tooth of Crime, Performing Garage Theatre, New York City, 1973
Swiss cheese, Mother Courage and Her Children, Performing Garage Theatre, 1975
Sakonnet Point, Performing Garage Theatre, 1975
Cook, soldier, and peasant man, Mother Courage and Her Children, Performing Garage Theatre, 1977
Spud, Rumstick Road, Performing Garage Theatre, 1977
Spud, "Rumstick Road," Three Places in Rhode Island, Performing Garage Theatre, 1978
Spalding, "Nayatt School," Three Places in Rhode Island, Performing Garage Theatre, 1978
"Sakonnet Point," Three Places in Rhode Island, Performing GarageTheatre, 1978
Czerwicki, Cops, Performance Group, Envelope Theatre, New York City, 1978
Bishop, The Balcony, Performing Garage Theatre, 1979
Sex and Death at Age 14 (monologues), Performing Garage Theatre, 1979
India and After (America) (monologues), Performing Garage Theatre,1979
Booze, Cars, and College Girls (monologues), Performing Garage Theatre, 1979
Point Judith: An Epilog, Performing Garage Theatre, 1979
Nobody Ever Wanted to Sit behind a Desk, New York City, 1980
A Personal History of the American Theatre, New York City, 1980
Interviewing the Audience (monologue), New York City, 1981
47 Beds (monologue), New York City, 1981
In Search of the Monkey Girl, New York City, 1982
8 x Gray (monologues), New York City, 1982
North Atlantic, New York City, 1984
Travels through New England (monologues), Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA, 1984
Swimming to Cambodia, Parts I and II (monologues), Performing Garage Theatre, 1984, then Center Theatre Group, Taper Too Theatre, Los Angeles,1985
Art in the Anchorage (improvisation), 1985
Terrors of Pleasure: The House (monologue), Cambridge, 1985, thenNew York City, 1986, later London, 1987
Terrors of Pleasure (monologues), Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI, then Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, New York City, both 1986
Sex and Death at Age 14 (monologues), Trinity Repertory Company, then Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, both 1986
Swimming to Cambodia (monologues), Trinity Repertory Company, thenMitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, both 1986
General Lance Benders, North Atlantic, John F. Kennedy Center forthe Performing Arts, Washington, DC, 1986
(London debut) Swimming to Cambodia (monologue), Riverside Theatre, London, 1988
Monster in a Box and Terrors of Pleasure (monologues), Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL, 1990
Monster in a Box (monologue), Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, New YorkCity, 1990-1991
Gray's Anatomy, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New YorkCity, 1993-1994
Stage manager, Our Town, Lincoln Center Theatre, 1994
It's a Slippery Slope, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, 1996-1997 then Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, MN, later Tribeca Performing ArtsCenter, New York City, both 1998
Morning, Noon, and Night (monologue), San Francisco, CA, 1998, then Goodman Theatre, 1999, later Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, 1999-2000
The Best Man, Broadway production, 2001
Also appeared in Terrors of Pleasure--The Uncut Version; appearedat Alley Theatre, Houston, TX, c. 1965; in small theatre productions, Saratoga, NY, 1967; in Tom Paine, La Mama Experimental Theatre Club, New YorkCity, late 1960s; and in the "Carplays" series, Olympic Arts Festival.
Major Tours
Swiss cheese, Mother Courage and Her Children, Indian cities, 1976
Interviewing the Audience (monologue), U.S. and European cities, 1982
Also tours U.S. cities in performances of his monologues.
Stage Director
Scales, Northampton, MA, then Amherst, MA, both 1966
(With Elizabeth LeComte) Rumstick Road, Performing Garage Theatre,1977
Film Appearances
Radical, Cowards, Jaylo, 1970
George, The Farmer's Daughter, 1973
Little Orphan Dusty (also known as Jaws of Delight), 1976
Candy Lips, 1977
Maraschino Cherry, 1978
Travel agent, Almost You, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1984
Voice of obscene phone caller, Variety, Horizon, 1984
Terry Norfolk, Hard Choices, Screenland-Breakout, 1984
The Communists Are Happy (and Three Other Stories) (also known asThe Communists Are Comfortable), 1985
U.S. consul, The Killing Fields, Warner Bros., 1986
Dr. Rodney, Seven Minutes in Heaven, Warner Bros., 1986
Earl Culver, True Stories, Warner Bros., 1986
Himself, Swimming to Cambodia (also known as Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia), Cinecom, 1987

Reverend Cardew, Stars and Bars (also known as Englishman in New York), Columbia, 1988
Dr. Peter Epstein, Clara's Heart, Warner Bros., 1988
Heavy Petting (documentary), Fossil, 1988
Dr. Richard Milstein, Beaches (also known as Forever Friends), Buena Vista, 1988
Monster in a Box, Fine Line, 1992
Dr. Erdman, Straight Talk, Buena Vista, 1992
Mr. Mungo, King of the Hill, Gramercy, 1993
Doctor, The Pickle, Columbia, 1993
Priest, Twenty Bucks, Triton Pictures, 1993
Paul Bladden, The Paper, Universal, 1994
Walter Curl, Bad Company, Buena Vista, 1995
Jeremy Watt, Beyond Rangoon, Columbia, 1995
Simon Veatch, Diabolique, Warner Bros., 1996
Jack's dad, Glory Daze, Seventh Art Releasing, 1996
Gray's Anatomy, 1996
Alfred, Bliss, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 1997
Jimmy Zip, Asylum/Highland Crest Pictures, 1999
Mr. Jennings, Coming Soon, Unapix Entertainment, 2000
Mr. Miranda, Julie Johnson, Shooting Gallery International/Universal Focus, 2001
Professor Jackson, How High, MCA/Universal, 2001
Dr. Geisler, Kate & Leopold, Miramax, 2001
Scooter McCrae, Revolution #9, Exile Pictures, 2002
Also appeared in Spalding Gray's Map of L.A.
Television Appearances
Episodic
Edward Niles, "I Confess," Spencer: For Hire, ABC, 1985
Voice of talk show host, "What You Mean We?," Alive from Off Center, 1986
Late Night with David Letterman, 1986
Gary, "Bedtime Story," Trying Times, PBS, 1987
"Spalding Gray: Terrors of Pleasure," On Location, HBO, 1987
Stage manager, "Our Town," Great Performances, PBS, 1989
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, 1991
In the Prime, PBS, 1997
Professor Beaumont, "Out of Their League," The Mike O'Malley Show,NBC, 1999
Series
Dr. Jack Miller, a recurring role, The Nanny, CBS, 1997-1998
Specials
Caffe Lena (documentary), PBS, 1990
Voiceover, Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud, 1996
Voice of Thomas Watson, The Telephone, PBS, 1997
Barry Levinson on the Future in the 20th Century: Yesterday's Tomorrows (also known as The 20th Century: Yesterday's Tomorrows), Showtime, 1999
Only a Teacher, PBS, 2001
Movies
Frank Goodrich, The Image, HBO, 1990
Hobart, To Save a Child (also known as The Craft), ABC, 1991
Judge Sayre, Zelda, TNT, 1993
Louis, Drunks, Showtime, 1996
Pilots
The American Dream, NBC, 1996
Jared, Missing Links, ABC, 1997
Miniseries
Voice, New York: A Documentary Film, PBS, 1999
RECORDINGS
Taped Readings
Sex and Death at Age 14, Random House Audiobooks, 1986
It's a Slippery Slope, Mercury Records, 1998
Videos
Voice of interviewer (in archive footage), Laurie Anderson: CollectedVideos, 1990
WRITINGS
Plays
Scales, produced in Northampton, MA, then Amherst, MA, 1966
(With Elizabeth LeComte) Sakonnet Point, produced at Performing Garage Theatre, New York City, 1975, later performed in Three Places in Rhode Island, Performing Garage Theatre, 1978
(With LeComte) Rumstick Road, produced at Performing Garage Theatre, 1977, later performed in Three Places in Rhode Island, Performing Garage Theatre, 1978
(With LeComte) Nayatt School, produced at Performing Garage Theatre, 1978, later performed in Three Places in Rhode Island, Performing Garage Theatre, 1978
(With LeComte) Point Judith: An Epilog (one-act), produced at Performing Garage Theatre, 1979
Booze, Cars, and College Girls (monologues), produced at Performing Garage Theatre, 1979, published in Sex and Death at Age 14, Random House (New York City), 1986, and in Swimming to Cambodia: The Collected Works of Spalding Gray, Pan Books, 1987
Sex and Death at Age 14 (monologues; also known as Sex and Death to the Age 14), produced at Performing Garage Theatre, 1979, publishedby Random House, 1986, and in Swimming to Cambodia: The Collected Works ofSpalding Gray, Pan Books, 1987
India and After (America) (monologues), produced at Performing Garage Theatre, 1979
A Personal History of the American Theatre, produced in New York City, 1980
Nobody Ever Wanted to Sit behind a Desk, produced in New York City, 1980, published in Sex and Death at Age 14, Random House, 1986, andin Swimming to Cambodia: The Collected Works of Spalding Gray, Pan Books, 1987
Interviewing the Audience (monologue), produced in New York City,1981
47 Beds (monologue), produced in New York City, 1981, published inSex and Death at Age 14, Random House, 1986, and in Swimming to Cambodia: The Collected Works of Spalding Gray, Pan Books, 1987
(With Randal Levenson) In Search of the Monkey Girl, produced in New York City, 1982, published by Aperture, 1982
8 x Gray (monologues), produced in New York City, 1982
Travels through New England (monologues), produced at Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA, 1984, published in Swimming to Cambodia: The CollectedWorks of Spalding Gray, Pan Books, 1987
Swimming to Cambodia, Parts I and II (monologues), produced at Performing Garage Theatre, 1984, published by Theatre Communications Group (NewYork City), 1985, and in Swimming to Cambodia: The Collected Works of Spalding Gray, Pan Books, 1987
Rivkala's Ring (adaptation of "The Witch," a story by Anton Chekhov), produced in Urbana, IL, 1985, then by Acting Company, Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York City, 1986, published by Knopf (New York City), 1986
Terrors of Pleasure: The House (monologue), produced in Cambridge,MA, 1985, published in Sex and Death at Age 14, Random House, 1986
Orchards (adaptation of work by Chekhov), produced at Lucille Lortel Theatre, 1986
Terrors of Pleasure (monologues), produced at Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI, then Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, New York City, both 1986, published in Swimming to Cambodia: The Collected Works of Spalding Gray, Pan Books, 1987
Monster in a Box (monologue), produced at Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, New York City, 1990-1991, published by Vintage Books (New York City), 1992
Gray's Anatomy, produced at Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York City, 1993-1994, published by Vintage Books, 1994
It's a Slippery Slope (monologue), produced at Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, 1996-1997, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York City), 1997
Morning, Noon, and Night (monologue), produced in San Francisco, CA, 1998, then at Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL, 1999, later Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, 1999-2000, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1999
Play Collections
Sex and Death at Age 14, Random House (New York City), 1986
Swimming to Cambodia: The Collected Works of Spalding Gray, Pan Books, 1987
Screenplays
Swimming to Cambodia (also known as Spalding Gray's Swimming toCambodia), Cinecom, 1987
Monster in a Box, Fine Line, 1992
Gray's Anatomy, 1996
Television Episodes
(With Renee Shafransky) "Bedtime Story," Trying Times, PBS, 1987
Television Specials
"Spalding Gray: Terrors of Pleasure," On Location, HBO, 1987
Other
Seven Scenes from a Family Album (short stories), Benzene Press, 1981
Impossible Vacation (novel), Knopf (New York City), 1989
Contributor to periodicals, including Drama Review, Elle, Gentleman's Quarterly, Performing Arts Journal, and Rolling Stone.

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Contemporary Dramatists, 6th edition, St. James Press, 1999

Periodicals

Billboard, June 6, 1998, p. 11
Contemporary Literature, summer, 1996, pp. 237-58
Nation, December 23, 1996, pp. 33-35
Publishers Weekly, May 13, 2002, p. 24
Skiing, November, 1997, p. 56

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