American character actor of stage, films, and television. A native of
Idaho, Rainey was the son of a colorful character who was, among many
other things, a champion of local dance contests. As a boy, Rainey was
painfully shy, but found an outlet in school plays. He pursued stage
work in regional companies, then went to New York to study with the
legendary
Michael Chekhov. He worked numerous "civilian" jobs while attempting
to make a career as an actor, including work as a logger, a lineman,
and a licensed carpenter. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during
World War II, then went to California where he helped start the Ojai
Valley Players and then acted in his first film in 1949. He became a
familiar face in films and television shows of all sorts during the
next five decades while maintaining a deep attachment to the theatre.
In his ninetieth year, he played Giles Corey in "The Crucible" at
Theatricum Botanicum, the Topanga, California theatre founded by his
friend, the late
Will Geer.
Ned and Stacey(1995)as Nate
The King of Queens(1998)as Mickey
Purgatory Flats(2003)as Phil
Inferno(1999)as Pop Reynolds
ER(1994)as Army Armstrong
From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff(2002)as Self
12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards(2006)as Self - In Memoriam
White Heat: Top of the World(2005)
Steve McQueen: Man on the Edge(1989)
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy(1981)
Dan August: The Jealousy Factor(1980)as David Lyle
