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2 articles from 2004

8 March 2004 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

The body of Spalding Gray was found this weekend in the East River, confirming suspicions that the actor, writer and monologuist had died two months ago, when he left his Manhattan apartment and never returned; he was 62. While the official cause of death had not yet been determined, it was widely reported that Gray had battled severe depression and had previously attempted suicide, including a 2002 attempt in which he tried to jump from a Long Island bridge. Last seen on January 10, Gray's family had kept up a search for him despite pressing evidence that he may have taken his own life. A superb live performer, Gray began his acting career in the 70s, but came to prominence with Swimming to Cambodia, a staged monologue that recounted his adventures while making the 1984 film The Killing Fields; Jonathan Demme filmed Cambodia in 1987. The resulting acclaim helped garner Gray roles in such films as True Stories, Beaches, King of the Hill, The Paper, and Kate & Leopold, among others, and his recounting of his travails with an eye condition was turned into Gray's Anatomy (1996), directed by Steven Soderbergh. Despite his film career, Gray continued to work onstage, playing the Stage Manager in a Tony Award-winning revival of Our Town, and turning his midlife crises into another acclaimed monologue, It's a Slippery Slope. Gray's life was marred by tragedy in recent years, as he suffered a horrible car accident in Ireland in 2001, which jeopardized his health, derailed his most recent monologue, Blind Spot, and seemed to accelerate his depression. Gray is survived by his wife, Kathleen Russo, and their two children. --Prepared by IMDb staff

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14 January 2004 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Family and friends of actor and writer Spalding Gray are anxiously awaiting news from New York police, after the depressed Kate & Leopold star went missing on Sunday. Cops in Manhattan and the Southampton area of New York, where Gray lives, have confirmed they're searching for the star who tried to commit suicide in 2001 following a long battle with depression. His brother, Rockwell Gray, admits Gray was in a troubled state when he saw him over Christmas. He says, "I wouldn't say he was in a happy state. (But) it wasn't unusual. He's been in a fairly depressed condition for some time." Gray's wife Kathleen Russo is refusing to discuss his disappearance. The 62-year-old - who co-founded the experimental Wooster Group Theater in New York in 1977 - is best known for writing and appearing in the autobiographical 1987 film Swimming To Cambodia, for which he received two Independent Spirit Award nominations. He has featured in such films as 1984's The Killing Fields, 1988's Beaches and 1994's The Paper.

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2 articles from 2004