| Ronald Graham | |
| Birth Name: | Maurice John Ronald Graham |
| Birth Place: | Hamilton, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Birth Date: | 16 August 1911 |
| Death Place: | New York City, New York, United States |
| Years Active: | 1931–1950 |
| Spouse: | Florence Sundstrom |
Ronald Graham (August 16, 1911 – July 4, 1950[1]) was a Scottish born actor and singer who had a career performing in American radio, film, and theater from the early 1930s until his death in 1950. After winning a national singing competition, he became a regular performer on the radio program Blue Monday Jamboree from 1931 to 1935. He is best remembered for his many appearances in Broadway musicals from 1937 to 1944; notably creating roles in the original productions of works by Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Cole Porter, and Arthur Schwartz.
Born Maurice John Ronald Graham[2] in Hamilton, Scotland, Graham moved to the United States with his family at the age of 10.[1] [3] He was educated at the University of California where he was trained as a baritone, and was a member of the theatrical group The Players.[1] In 1931 he married Edna O'Keefe; they divorced in 1939.[3] [4]
Graham began his career in 1931 as a singer on radio in San Francisco after winning the Atwater Kent Prize, a national singing competition.[1] He was a regular performer on the radio program Blue Monday Jamboree.[5] In 1933 he appeared in vaudeville productions at the Golden Gate Theatre.[6] He made his film debut in 1935 as Ronald in Old Man Rhythm. His other film credits include a featured singer in To Beat the Band (1935) and Dr. Hugh Mayberry in Ladies of Washington (1944).[1]
Graham made his Broadway debut in 1937 as Colonel Richard Fairfax in Arthur Schwartz's Virginia.[7] He appeared regularly in Broadway over the next decade, starring in Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's The Boys from Syracuse (1938–1939, as Antipholus of Ephesus), Cole Porter's Du Barry Was a Lady (1939–1940, as Alex Barton), Rodgers and Hart's By Jupiter (1942–1943, as Theseus), and Clay Warnick's Dream With Music (1944).[1] His other theatre performances included a portrayal of Gaylord Ravenal in Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Show Boat with The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis in 1938.[8] During World War II, he volunteered his talents at the American Theatre Wing's Stage Door Canteen to entertain American troops.[9]
In 1944 Graham replaced Alfred Drake as the host of the CBS Radio program Broadway Matinee.[10] In the late 1940s he was active in regional theatre, and appeared in variety programs on American television and radio.[1]
He married the actress Florence Sundstrom on December 20, 1940.[11] He died in New York City on July 4, 1950, one week after a heart attack.[1]