A Guide to the Ralph Bellamy Oral History Interview, 1986.

Biographical Note

Ralph Bellamy (1904-1991) was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lilla Louise (née Smith) and Charles Rexford Bellamy. In 1927, he began stage acting and made his film debut in 1931. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Awful Truth (1937). Three years later, he played a similar role in His Girl Friday (1940). Bellamy also helped found the Screen Actors Guild and served as President of Actors' Equity from 1952-1964. In 1960, he played Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Sunrise at Campobello and a physician in Rosemary's Baby (1968). Bellamy later appeared in Trading Places (1983), Coming to America (1988), and Pretty Woman (1990). In 1984, he received a Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild and received an Honorary Academy Award in 1987.

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Scope and Contents

Comprising an oral history transcript, the Ralph Bellamy Oral History Interview, 1893-1947, documents Bellamy’s career as an actor, and the history of the Screen Actor’s guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA).

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use. Written permission from donor is required for quoting from material.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Ralph Bellamy Oral History Interview, 1986, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s “History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project,” 2009-2011.

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Detailed Description of the Papers

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