Ray Wise Biography

RAY WISE

Date of Birth: August 29, 1947

Born in Portland, Oregon, Ray Wise got his start in 1970 on the soap opera Love of Life, taped in New York City. After playing the role of Jamie Rawlins for six years, he decided to make the move to California, where he began landing guest appearances on night time series such as Charlie's Angels, Barnaby Jones and Lou Grant before joining the cast of the hit CBS series Dallas in 1982 as Blair Sullivan. Although he was only with the show for one year, non-stop guest appearances followed on various primetime series such as T.J. Hooker, Hart to Hart, Remington Steele, The A-Team, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, L.A. Law and Walker, Texas Ranger, as well as a year-long stint on ABC's The Colbys in 1986.

Meanwhile, Ray began racking up credits on the big screen, starting with small parts and working his way up to supporting roles in films such as Wes Craven's The Swamp Thing (1982), The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) and Robocop (1987). In 1988, he was a regular on Knot's Landing before scoring the role of Leland Palmer on the new series Twin Peaks. Though it only ran one season, the show was immensely popular and brought newfound attention Ray's way. He reprised the role in the feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me(1992).

In 1999, he volunteered his time to play the lead in Pennyweight, a short film by the directing team of Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin. When the two young directors made their feature film debut with The Battle of Shaker Heights (2003), they repaid the favor by casting Ray in a substantial role.

Ray appeared in two other films released the same year: Jeeper Creepers 2 and Dead End, as well as making a guest appearance during the final season of the WB teen series Dawson's Creek. He continues to work non-stop both in feature films and on television. More recently, he played a role in the movie sequel, God's Not Dead 2 (2016).

Ray has a son and daughter with his wife, Kass McClaskey.

Filmography:

God's Not Dead 2 (2016)
Suburban Gothic (2015)
The Aggression Scale (2012)
Rosewood Lane (2012)
Chillerama (2011)
One Missed Call (2008)
Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
The Rain Makers (2005)
Sharkskin 6 (2005)
Cyxork 7 (2005)
The Battle of Shaker Heights (2003)
Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)
Dead End (2003)
Scream at the Sound of the Beep (2002)
Landspeed (2001)
Windfall (2001)
Two Can Play That Game (2001)
Almost Salinas (2001)
Closing the Deal (2000)
Evasive Action (1998)
Powder (1995)
The Crew (1994)
The Chase (1994)
Body Shot (1993)
The Killing Box (1993)
Rising Sun (1993)
Bob Roberts (1992)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
La Grieta (1990)
Write to Kill (1990)
Race for Glory (1989)
RoboCop (1987)
The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
Cat People (1982)
Swamp Thing (1982)