George Raft Biography

Fast Facts

• Though he separated from his devoutly Catholic wife Grayce Mulrooney shortly after achieving stardom, she would not grant a divorce, and the two remained married until her death
• As a boy, he was friends with future gangster Owney Madden
• A part in the stage act at Texas Guinan's speakeasy led to a career as a dancer on Broadway
• His dancing skills and fashion sense earned him work as a dancer in nightclubs in New York City as a young man
• In the 1930s, he was one of the three most popular gangster actors alongside James Cagney and Edward G․ Robinson
• Made a name for himself as a movie gangster in the 1932 film "Scarface․"
• Allegedly used his connections with organized crime to have a hit on James Cagney cancelled
• Helped launch Mae West's movie career, and years later the two died days apart from each other and at one point their bodies were positioned alongside each other in the hallway of the same mortuary
• Worked as a greeter at the Capri Casino in Havana, Cuba, during the 1950s
• Spoke fluent German, as he learned the language from his German immigrant parents