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Ray "Crash" Corrigan | |
|---|---|
 Corrigan in The White Gorilla (1945) | |
| Born | Raymond Benitz February 14, 1902 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | August 10, 1976 (aged 74) Brookings, Oregon, U.S. |
| Resting place | Inglewood Park Cemetery, California |
| Other names | Raymond Benard Ray Benard Gorilla |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1932–1958 |
| Spouses | Rita Jane Smeal
(m. 1920; div. 1954)Elaine DuPont
(m. 1956; div. 1967) |
| Children | 3 |
Ray "Crash" Corrigan (born Raymond Benitz; February 14, 1902 – August 10, 1976) was an American actor most famous for appearing in many B-Western movies (among these the Three Mesquiteers and The Range Busters film series). He also was a stuntman and frequently acted as silver screen gorillas using his own gorilla costumes.
In 1937, Corrigan purchased land in the Santa Susana Mountains foothills in Simi Valley and developed it into a movie ranch called "Corriganville". The movie ranch was used for location filming in film serials, feature films, and television shows, as well as for the performance of live western shows for tourists. Bob Hope later bought the ranch in 1966 and renamed it "Hopetown". It is now a Regional Park and nature preserve.[1]
- ^ "Corriganville Park", LAMountains.com; retrieved June 23, 2013.