Ray, Nicholas

orig. Raymond Nicholas Kienzle

(born Aug. 7, 1911, Galesville, Wis., U.S.—died June 16, 1979, New York, N.Y.) U.S. film director. He studied architecture and drama and began directing plays in the mid-1930s. After working in New York with John Houseman and Elia Kazan, he followed them to Hollywood, where he directed They Live by Night (1948). Ray was praised for demonstrating a personal style in movies such as In a Lonely Place (1950), The Lusty Men (1952), Johnny Guitar (1954), and the landmark film of youthful rebellion, Rebel Without a Cause (1955). He also directed Bigger Than Life (1956), Bitter Victory (1958), and 55 Days at Peking (1963). He later tried directing in Yugoslavia and taught at the State University of New York.

Ray, Nicholas (b. Raymond Nicholas Kienzle) (1911–79) film director; born in La Crosse, Wis. After studying architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright, he became an actor and sometime director for radio and the stage. His film directorial debut came with They Live by Night (1949). A specialist in movies of social rebellion, characterized by tense and restless camera movement, he directed such movies as Knock on Any Door (1949), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and 55 Days at Peking (1963). With this last film he effectively retired from Hollywood (although he worked with New York State University students in filming You Can't Go Home Again, finished in 1976), but his reputation continued to increase due primarily to the tributes from foreign students of films and from many Hollywood insiders.