# Ronny Graham > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ronny_Graham > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ronny_Graham.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronny_Graham > Source revision: 1356856837 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American actor, director and composer}} {{use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Ronny Graham | image = Ronny Graham nf.jpg | caption = | birth_name = Ronald Montcrief Stringer | birth_date = {{Birth date|1919|8|26|mf=y}} | birth_place = [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), Pennsylvania, US | death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1999|7|4|1919|8|26}} | death_place = [Los Angeles, California](/source/Los_Angeles%2C_California), US | years_active = 1959–1999 | occupation = {{hlist|Actor|theater director|composer|writer}} }} '''Ronny Graham''' (August 26, 1919 – July 4, 1999) was an American [actor](/source/actor), [theater director](/source/theatre_director), [composer](/source/composer), [lyricist](/source/lyricist), and [writer](/source/writer). ==Life and career== Graham was born '''Ronald Montcrief Stringer''' in [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania), the second of five children born to vaudeville performers Florence ([née](/source/married_and_maiden_names) Sweeney) and Thomas Graham Stringer (a.k.a. Steve Graham).{{cite web| url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/8/Ronny-Graham.html| title=Ronny Graham Biography (1919-)| website=FilmReference}} Graham, a self-taught jazz pianist, began his career as a [nightclub](/source/nightclub) comic with a specialty in wry character monologues for which he provided the musical accompaniment, à la Dwight Fiske. During [World War II](/source/World_War_II), Graham served in the Army, where he entertained GIs with a piano trio.{{cite news| url=https://variety.com/1999/scene/people-news/ronny-graham-1117883018/| title=Ronny Graham| magazine=[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))| date=July 13, 1999| access-date=June 23, 2025}} He made his [Broadway](/source/Broadway_theatre) debut in the [revue](/source/revue) ''[New Faces of 1952](/source/New_Faces_of_1952)'', to which he contributed sketches and lyrics and in which he performed. He won a [Theatre World Award](/source/Theatre_World_Award) for his efforts. He later made similar contributions to ''New Faces of 1956'' and ''New Faces of 1962''. He wrote the lyrics for ''[Bravo Giovanni](/source/Bravo_Giovanni)'', which garnered him a [Tony Award](/source/Tony_Award) nomination, and directed a string of unsuccessful plays, two of which closed on opening night, in the mid-1960s to early 1970s. As a writer, Graham penned seven episodes of ''[M*A*S*H](/source/M*A*S*H_(TV_series))'' (and guest starred as Sgt. Gribble in the episode "Your Hit Parade," for which he was program consultant) and nine episodes of ''[The Brady Bunch Hour](/source/The_Brady_Bunch_Hour)''. He also co-wrote the screenplays for the [Mel Brooks](/source/Mel_Brooks) films ''[To Be or Not to Be](/source/To_Be_or_Not_to_Be_(1983_film))'' (1983) and ''[Spaceballs](/source/Spaceballs)'' (1987), appearing onscreen as Sondheim in the former and the Minister in the latter. His other film credits included roles in ''[Dirty Little Billy](/source/Dirty_Little_Billy)'' (1972), ''[Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood](/source/Won_Ton_Ton%2C_the_Dog_Who_Saved_Hollywood)'' (1976), ''[The World's Greatest Lover](/source/The_World's_Greatest_Lover)'' (1977) and ''[History of the World, Part I](/source/History_of_the_World%2C_Part_I)'' (1981). He had a recurring role on ''[Chico and the Man](/source/Chico_and_the_Man)'' and made guest appearances on ''[Murder She Wrote](/source/Murder_She_Wrote)'', ''[Picket Fences](/source/Picket_Fences)'', and ''[Chicago Hope](/source/Chicago_Hope)''. He was a frequent guest on ''[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson](/source/The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson)''. Graham played the character who dropped the [clapperboard](/source/clapperboard) repeatedly in a 1969 [Alka-Seltzer](/source/Alka-Seltzer) "Spicy Meatball" advertisement{{cite web| url=http://triviafrog.com/?p=70 |title=Commercials: Alka Seltzer and Spicy Meatballs| website=Triviafrog| access-date=2014-08-07| archive-date=2014-08-10| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810210025/http://triviafrog.com/?p=70| url-status=usurped}}{{cite web| title=1969 Alka Seltzer "Spicy Meatball" Commercial| website=[YouTube](/source/YouTube)| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQhwNtY3N2k| access-date=7 March 2015}} and played the part of "Mr. Dirt" on a series of commercials for [Mobil Oil](/source/Mobil_Oil) in the 1970s. In 1975–76, Graham was featured in the recurring role of the Reverend Bemis during season 2 of the NBC sitcom ''[Chico and the Man](/source/Chico_and_the_Man)''. In 1976 he co-wrote the [Paul Lynde Halloween Special](/source/Paul_Lynde_Halloween_Special) along with [Bruce Vilanch](/source/Bruce_Vilanch). In 1996, he appeared as the character Louis Foukold in the screen adaptation of the [Jon Robin Baitz](/source/Jon_Robin_Baitz) play ''[The Substance of Fire](/source/The_Substance_of_Fire).'' Graham was married four times, to Jean Spitzbarth (1947–1950), with whom he had one child; actress [Ellen Hanley](/source/Ellen_Hanley) (1951–1963), with whom he had two children; Sigyn Lund (1965–1973), with whom he had two children; and Pamela Gill (1974–1999), to whom he was married when he died of [liver disease](/source/liver_disease) in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles).{{cite news| title=Comedian-Writer Ronny Graham, of New Faces, is Dead at 79| url=https://playbill.com/article/comedian-writer-ronny-graham-of-new-faces-is-dead-at-79-com-83023| first=Kenneth| last=Jones| date=July 9, 1999| magazine=[Playbill](/source/Playbill)| access-date=June 23, 2025}} ==Filmography== {{incomplete list|date=March 2018}} *''[New Faces of 1952](/source/New_Faces_of_1952)'' (1952) - Ronny *''[Dirty Little Billy](/source/Dirty_Little_Billy)'' (1972) - Charle Nile *''[Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood](/source/Won_Ton_Ton%2C_the_Dog_Who_Saved_Hollywood)'' (1976) - Mark Bennett *''[The World's Greatest Lover](/source/The_World's_Greatest_Lover)'' (1977) - Director Dorsey *MASH, Season 6, Episode 19, Your Hit Parade (1978) - Sergeant Gribble *''[History of the World, Part I](/source/History_of_the_World%2C_Part_I)'' (1981) - Oedipus - The Roman Empire / Jew #2 - The Spanish Inquisition *''[To Be or Not to Be](/source/To_Be_or_Not_to_Be_(1983_film))'' (1983) - Sondheim *''[Spaceballs](/source/Spaceballs)'' (1987) - Minister *''[Life Stinks](/source/Life_Stinks)'' (1991) - Priest (voice) *''[Robin Hood: Men in Tights](/source/Robin_Hood%3A_Men_in_Tights)'' (1993) - Villager *''The Substance of Fire'' (1996) - Louis Foukold ==See also== *[Julius Monk](/source/Julius_Monk) ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * {{IMDb name|0334283}} *{{IBDB name}} *{{iobdb name|28092}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Ronny}} Category:1919 births Category:1999 deaths Category:American male film actors Category:American lyricists Category:American male screenwriters Category:American male stage actors Category:American male television actors Category:American male television writers Category:American television writers Category:American theatre directors Category:Donaldson Award winners Category:Male actors from Philadelphia Category:20th-century American male actors Category:Songwriters from Pennsylvania Category:20th-century American male writers Category:Screenwriters from Pennsylvania Category:20th-century American screenwriters Category:United States Army personnel of World War II Category:20th-century American songwriters --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ronny Graham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronny_Graham) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronny_Graham?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.