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 The Uneasy Three Party guest 1925 Laughing Ladies Bus passenger 1926 Mama Behave Cafe Riskae patron 1926 The Nickel-Hopper Crowd extra 1927 A One-Mama Man Party guest 1927 Sugar Daddies Hotel 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: 24 May 2026