Roland Ray

born: 25 February 1894 Los Angeles, California, United States of America

died: 23 December 1963 Los Angeles, California, United States of America (cardio respiratory failure/metastatic kidney cancer, age 69)

Tall, distinguished-looking American actor of stage and screen who later became a makeup artist for film and television; his death certificate says he worked as a makeup artist for 27 years. He was previously known as Rollin Arenz (his real name) and Rollin Rae (his first and a variant of his middle name), later being definitively known as Roland Ray. He was married four times: to Sarah R. Iversen (m. 1915, div. 1926), actress Estelle Goulding Cooks (1888-1970; m. 1943, div. 1947), Betty Boyd (m. 1948, div. 1950), and film/TV hairstylist Gertrude L. Lundin (née Orton; m. 1957, ended with his death). Roland Ray passed away at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles, California, from cardio respiratory failure (duration: 7 days) due to "carcinoma [of the right] kidney with metastases" (duration: 5 months). He was cremated through, and his remains are interred at, Grand View Memorial Park and Crematory in Glendale, California. For his appearance in "Among Those Present," The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia mis-transcribes his surname as "Aremz."

Real name: Rollin Ray Arenz Height: 5'11½"

Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography.

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1921 Among Those Present [?] 1921 A Sailor-Made Man One of Mildred's suitors 1923 Where Am I? Chauffeur 1925 Laughing Ladies Bus passenger 1927 A One-Mama Man Party guest Acknowledgements: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGLW-5CNJ (birth report) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGL7-F4Y8 (supplemental birth report, 1942) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGLW-431Q (supplemental birth report, 1942) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGLW-1N1W (birth report) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGL4-GN69 (supplemental birth report, 1942) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4V2T-DXT2 (birth record) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQMM-FGP (1900 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KN3R-DM4 (1915 marriage) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZK9-SPS (WWI draft reg. card) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHQL-3VR (1920 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCJB-XYP (1930 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9CX-5Y8 (1940 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V4DH-6JG (WWII draft reg. card) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K826-XCL (1943 marriage) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8KG-J83 (1948 marriage) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VVLW-FDZ (1957 marriage) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VVTQ-CZJ (1957 marriage) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP6D-9BZ (CA Death Index) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGFY-6MQX (death certificate) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47546037 (Find a Grave) https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?keyword=%22rollin+arenz%22&sort=paper-date-asc (Newspapers.com, search) https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?county=Los+Angeles&keyword=%22rollin+rae%22®ion=us-ca&sort=paper-date-asc (Newspapers.com, search) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/380297964/ (Los Angeles Times, 20 Jul 1926) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/380635629/ (Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov 1926) https://archive.org/details/homemovies194209verh/page/148/mode/1up?q=%22roland+ray%22&view=theater (Home Movies, Apr 1942) https://archive.org/details/showmenstraderev43lewi/page/n228/mode/1up?q=%22roland+ray%22&view=theater (Showmen's Trade Review, 27 Oct 1945) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/380724207/ (Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan 1947) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/380840270/ (Los Angeles Times, 08 Mar 1947) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/381225851/ (Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan 1950) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/693291993/ (Los Angeles Mirror, 11 Jan 1950) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/381205691/ (Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb 1950) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/693312512/ (Los Angeles Mirror, 11 Feb 1950) https://archive.org/details/variety-1964-01/page/n56/mode/1up?q=%22roland+ray%22&view=theater (Variety, 01 Jan 1964) The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd (book) Jesse Brisson (bio notes; identification in all films) This page was last updated on: 31 August 2025