Ray Sharkey

Raymond Sharkey Jr. (November 14, 1952 – June 11, 1993) was an American stage, film and television actor.

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.

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.

An early standout performance in a character role came in Who'll Stop the Rain (1978), directed by Karel Reisz.

The film's editor, John Bloom, said, "I do not believe there’s ever been a better pair of villains than Richard Masur and Ray Sharkey — funny and terrifying in equal measure."

This echoed a contemporary review, which called them "psychopaths played to the hilt" and added, "They're a great team. Whether they are supposed to be so funny, even when they are shouting obscenities, only the director knows. But funny they are."

His most notable film role was Vincent Vacarri in the 1980 film The Idolmaker, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

He is also known for his role as Sonny Steelgrave in the television series Wiseguy.

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.

In 1980, Sharkey portrayed rock promoter 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.

Four days after leaving rehab, he won the role of Sonny Steelgrave in the series Wiseguy.

One reviewer remarked, "The Steelgrave episodes were wonderful, partly because of Sharkey's performance as the tough-tender Sonny."

Another stated, "Sharkey's portrayal of Steelgrave, with his murderous, mercurial charm, has been likened to James Cagney's Cody Jarrett in White Heat".

Producer Stephen J. Cannell and many fans were sorry to see Sharkey's character go, but the format of Wiseguy was self-contained story "arcs" of several episodes.

The character proved to be popular with audiences.

Many letters came in to ask that he return, prompting speculation about flashback Steelgrave episodes (which never happened).

Sharkey's next role was in the 1989 black comedy film Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills.

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.

A 2008 Entertainment Weekly retrospective on "The 50 Biggest Emmy Snubs" ranked Sharkey's Steelgrave as #26.

With that career boost, 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."