US actor Spalding Gray found dead

Dental records have confirmed that a body found in a New York City river is
that of missing US actor Spalding Gray.

Gray's body was pulled out of the East river on Sunday, the city's medical
examiner's office said.

The actor had been missing for nearly two months, since he disappeared from
his home in early January.

Gray, 62, appeared in films such as The Killing Fields and Beaches but was
best known for the 1987 autobiographical movie Swimming to Cambodia.

No cause of death was given but Gray reportedly suffered from depression
and had attempted suicide before.

He also never fully recovered from a severe car accident in 2001 in Ireland
which left him in poor health.

His wife reported him missing 10 January from their New York home. He had
apparently left behind his wallet and credit cards.

"Everyone that looks like him from behind, I go up and check to make sure
it's not him," his wife told the Associated Press news agency last week.

Born in Rhode Island in 1941, Gray became famous for his intimate, moving
stage monologues, several of which were made into films such as Gray's
Anatomy and Monster in a Box.

The monologues dealt with personal topics such as his troubled youth,
relationship break-ups, his efforts to write a novel, the suicide of his
mother when he was in his mid-twenties and his own self-destructive thoughts.

He also co-founded New York's famous Wooster Theatre Group with actors such
as Willem Dafoe.

He is survived by his wife, Kathleen Russo, and their six-year-old son.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/3545009.stm

Published: 2004/03/09 00:02:39 GMT

© BBC MMIV


Jeremy Butler
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