Ray Sharkey (Actor) – Overview, Biography

Name:Ray Sharkey
Occupation: Actor
Gender:Male
Birth Day: November 14,
1952
Death Date:June 11, 1993(1993-06-11) (aged 40)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Age: Aged 40
Birth Place:  Brooklyn, New York,
United States
Zodiac Sign:Sagittarius

Ray Sharkey

Ray Sharkey was born on November 14, 1952 in  Brooklyn, New York, United States (40 years old). Ray Sharkey is an Actor, zodiac sign: Sagittarius. Nationality: United States. Approx. Net Worth: Undisclosed.

Net Worth 2020

Undisclosed
Find out more about Ray Sharkey net worth here.

Family Members

#NameRelationshipNet WorthSalaryAgeOccupation
#1Cecelia Sharkey Children N/A N/A N/A
#2Carole Graham Spouse N/A N/A N/A
#3Rebecca Wood Spouse N/A N/A N/A

Does Ray Sharkey Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, Ray Sharkey died on June 11, 1993(1993-06-11) (aged 40)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S..

Physique

HeightWeightHair ColourEye ColourBlood TypeTattoo(s)
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Biography

Biography Timeline

1962

Sharkey was born in Brooklyn to Cecelia and Ray Sharkey, Sr. He was of Irish and Italian descent. Sharkey’s father was a professional drummer who abandoned the family when Sharkey was five years old. He was raised by his mother, Cecelia in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood. Sharkey became interested in acting after seeing Jack Lemmon in the 1962 film Days of Wine and Roses. After attending New York City Community College for one year, he enrolled at the HB Studio to study acting. While attending the HB Studio, Sharkey performed in various Off-Broadway stage productions. In 1973, he and his friend boxer/actor Chu Chu Malave moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting careers.

1974

In 1974, he made his film debut in The Lords of Flatbush. Sharkey went on to appear in more than forty motion pictures and dozens of guest appearances on various television series.

1980

In 1980, Sharkey portrayed rock promoter “Vincent “Vinnie” Vacarri” in The Idolmaker. The role boosted Sharkey’s career and earned him a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the film. The following year, he was nominated for another Golden Globe for his role in The Ordeal of Bill Carney, in which he played the title role. Shortly after appearing in The Idolmaker, Sharkey developed a $400 a day heroin habit. As a result of his drug use, his career declined and he was relegated to mainly supporting roles. He overdosed several times and was involved in four drug-related car accidents, two of which required him to undergo microsurgery on his eyes. He tried undergoing rehab treatment several times but would ultimately relapse a few months later. In 1987, Sharkey spent two months in an Orange County rehab center in an effort to kick his drug and alcohol addiction for good.

1981

In May 1981, Sharkey married model Rebecca Wood. The marriage ended in 1986 due to Sharkey’s drug abuse. In 1988, he married actress Carole Graham. That marriage produced one daughter, Cecelia, in 1989. In November 1992, Graham divorced Sharkey also citing his drug abuse as the reason for the divorce.

1989

Four days after leaving rehab, he won the role of Sonny Steelgrave in the series Wiseguy. The character proved to be popular with audiences and boosted Sharkey’s career. The character was written out of the series in 1989. Sharkey then co-starred in the biographical film Wired. Based on the life of John Belushi, Sharkey portrayed a Puerto Rican angel who meets Belushi after his death in the morgue and “show[s] him the error of his ways.” Sharkey’s next role was in the 1989 black comedy film Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills.

1991

In 1991, he starred in the ABC sitcom The Man in the Family. While Sharkey received good reviews for his performance, the show was panned by critics and canceled after one season. The following year, he appeared in a guest spot on Jake and the Fatman, and starred in the television movie In the Line of Duty: Street War. On July 30, 1992, while filming a guest spot on the television series, The Hat Squad, in Vancouver, he was arrested for drug possession. Canadian customs officials, making a routine inspection of incoming cargo at the airport, discovered small amounts of cocaine and heroin in a black envelope being sent from Los Angeles to Sharkey in Vancouver. Police searched his hotel room and found an additional supply of drugs. He was jailed and later released on bail. Sharkey was later fired from The Hat Squad. Sharkey’s final role was in the 1993 comedy film Cop and a Half.

In April 1991, Sharkey began a relationship with model/actress Elena Monica, daughter of comedian Corbett Monica. In July 1991, she became ill and was hospitalized with aseptic meningitis. During a routine check, she tested positive for HIV. Monica believed she contracted the virus from Sharkey who continued to deny that he had infected her. Monica ended the relationship in October 1991 due to her suspicions. In July 1992, she learned that another woman also suspected that Sharkey had infected her with HIV as well. Later that same year, Monica filed a $52 million lawsuit against the actor for knowingly infecting her with HIV.

1993

In an interview with Details magazine conducted in March 1993, three months before his death, Sharkey told the reporter that he was in fact HIV-positive by saying that he “harbored a strain of HIV” that he believed would never develop into AIDS. At the time of the interview, Sharkey weighed 80 pounds (36 kg), had a hacking cough and was suffering from a brain lesion. When asked about his ex-girlfriend Elena Monica who accused him of infecting her with HIV, Sharkey said, “This disease is funny. One day you’re negative and the next day you’re positive. And people suffer. I don’t think she suffered from me.” Monica won her lawsuit against Sharkey by default judgment after his death (Sharkey declined to challenge her suit when it was originally filed), but she received no compensation from his estate because the actor had very little money.

On June 11, 1993, Sharkey died of complications from AIDS at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, at age 40. He is interred in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.

In June 1993, shortly after Sharkey’s death, a Beverly Hills graphic designer, who said she had an on-and-off relationship with Sharkey from 1985 to 1991, announced that she was suing Sharkey’s estate. The woman, who was only identified as “Joyce”, cared for Sharkey in his final months and said that she believed that she also had contracted HIV from Sharkey after she was diagnosed with the virus in April 1992.

2015

On September 22, 2015, Sharkey’s daughter, Cecelia Bonnie Sharkey, was charged with capital murder for the death of her boyfriend’s mother, Patricia Metropoulous (Hickerson) . In November 2017 she pleaded no contest, was declared insane at the time of the crime and was committed to Patton State Hospital.

🎂 Upcoming Birthday

Currently, Ray Sharkey is 69 years, 1 months and 4 days old. Ray Sharkey will celebrate 70th birthday on a Monday 14th of November 2022.

Find out about Ray Sharkey birthday activities in timeline view here.

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