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Raymond Bailey (May 6, 1904 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor. He is best-known for his role as the wealthy banker, Miburn Drysdale, in the long-running TV series The Beverly Hillbillies.
He was born in San Francisco, California. When he was a teenager he went to Hollywood to become a movie star. He found it was harder than he had thought, however, and took a variety of short-term jobs. He worked for a time as a laborer at a movie studio, but was fired for sneaking into a mob scene that was being filmed. He also worked for a while in a bank.
Having no success getting any kind of movie roles, Bailey then went to New York where he had no better success getting roles in the Theatre. Eventually he became a crewman on a freighter and began sailing to various parts of the world, including China, Japan, the Philippines and the Mediterranean. While docked in Hawaii, he worked on a pineapple plantation, acted at a community theatre and sang on a local radio program.
In 1938, he decided to try Hollywood again. His luck changed for the better when he actually began getting some bit parts in movies, but after the United States entered World War II he joined the Merchant Marine and went back to sea. When the war was over he returned to Hollywood and eventually began getting bigger character roles.
Bailey was married to Gaby Aida George, who was ten years younger than him.
In the early 1950s, he began being cast in a lot of character roles in TV programs. His numerous appearances include episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Playhouse 90, The Rifleman, The Jack Benny Program, Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, The Untouchables and Mister Ed.
He appeared in three plays on Broadway, playing An Unknown Man in The Bat (1953), A.J. Alexander in Sing Till Tomorrow (1953), and Captain Randolph Southard in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1954-1955) starring Henry Fonda.
Bailey's movie roles include playing a member of the board in the comedy/romance Sabrina (1954) starring Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden, Mr. Benson in the drama Picnic (1955) starring William Holden and Kim Novak, a doctor in Hitchcock's drama/thriller Vertigo (1958) starring James Stewart and Kim Novak, a Colonel in the comedy No Time for Sergeants (1958) starring Andy Griffith, the warden of San Quentin in the crime/drama I Want to Live! (1958) starring Susan Hayward, and Lawyer Brancato in the crime drama Al Capone (1959) starring Rod Steiger.
In 1962, he was cast in his most famous role as the greedy bank president, Milburn Drysdale, on the hit TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies and at last achieved fame. After the show went off the air in 1971, Bailey did a couple more movie roles. He then retired and became somewhat of a recluse in Laguna Niguel, California, where he and his wife, Gaby, lived.
Raymond Bailey died of a heart attack at seventy-five years of age in Irvine, California. He was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.
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