Ray Walston (November 2, 1914
[Death certificate information via SSDI; search for Herman Walston] – January 1, 2001) was an American
stage,
television and
film actor who played the title character on the
situation comedy My Favorite Martian and Judge Henry Bone on the
drama series
Picket Fences.
Biography
Early life
He was born
Herman Walston in
New Orleans, Louisiana (some sources indicate
Laurel, Mississippi) to working-class parents Mittie (
née Kimball) and Harry Norman Walston, a
lumber man.
[Ray Walston Biography (1918–2001)] He started acting at an early age, beginning his tenure as a "
spear carrier" rounding out productions at many New Orleans theaters. He mostly played small roles with stock companies, where he not only starred in travelling shows but also worked at a
movie theater, selling tickets and cleaning the stage floors. His family moved to
Houston,
Texas, where he joined the
Houston Civic Theater's repertory company under
Margo Jones, debuting in 1938.
