Terry Ray

Terry Ray (born February 12, 1961) is an American actor, screenwriter, playwright and producer. Some of his work includes Gaydar and the long-running play Electricity (2016). Gaydar appeared in over 120 film festivals around the world, winning numerous awards and was named by California Independent Film Festival as one of the "Best Short Comedy Films of the Decade". Ray is the creator and writer of Here TVs sitcom From Here on OUT, the first original gay sitcom created by a gay network. Terry stars in the sitcom, along with Juliet Mills, Suzanne Whang and T.J. Hoban. Ray wrote and co-starred along with Dawn Wells in a series of spoofs of her classic Mary Ann character from Gilligan's Island called She's Still on That Freakin' Island. Terry is also the co-creator, co-writer and stars in the series My Sister Is So Gay with Loni Anderson who plays his mother. The show also stars Tilky Jones, Wendy Michaels, Debra Wilson and Rae Dawn Chong.

Terry Ray is the playwright of the hit play Electricity which Ray has been starring in since 2016 and touring the country to rave reviews. Over four years in three venues Electricity became the longest running play in Palm Springs. Ray won The Desert Theatre League Star Award for Best Original Play.

Terry Ray's 1987 appearance on Scrabble is listed as number 3 in the 10 Great Gay Moments in Game Show History, after Charles Nelson Reilly and Paul Lynde. In the same appearance, Terry was also named as one of the 5 Weirdest Game Show Contestants Ever, by Movieline.

Terry's first professional writing job was the stage performance "Hollywood Goes Classical" at the venerable Dorothy Chandler Pavilion starring Mickey Rooney, Michael York, Dean Jones, Rhonda Fleming and several other classic film stars. He wrote and starred in two more shows at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, one co-starring Amanda Bynes and the other Hilary Duff.

Each episode of Ray's series TV Therapy features a different classic TV character played once again by the original actor in therapy today with all the issues that character would have now. Guest stars include Erin Murphy as Tabitha from Bewitched, Dawn Wells as Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island, Ted Lange as Isaac from The Love Boat, Kathy Garver as Cissy from Family Affair, Juliet Mills as Nanny in Nanny and the Professor, Bob Bergen as Porky Pig, Wesley Eure and Kathy Coleman as Will and Holly from Land of the Lost, Butch Patrick as Eddie from The Munsters, Alexandra Paul as Stephanie from Baywatch, Johnny Whitaker as Johnny in Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, and Jon Provost as Timmy from Lassie.

Terry is also the voice of the Gaydar Gun, a spinoff toy from the film Gaydar.

Ray has acted in over 120 plays in theaters across the country, sharing the stage with stars such as Elaine Stritch, Dixie Carter, Patricia Heaton and Matthew Perry. In December of 2022, Terry Ray, along with Steve Rosenbaum, co-founded the LGBT theater, The Bent, in Palm Springs which launched with the world premiere of Terry Ray's play The Lincoln Debate, a comedic but entirely factual examination of the four years Abraham Lincoln shared a bed with Joshua Speed, a man history records as Lincoln's best friend. The Bent is one of only a handful of theaters in Southern California dedicated entirely to presenting LGBTQ stories and authors. Its home is at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Since its inception The Bent has quickly grown to be one of the most respected theaters in the Coachella Valley with its production winning multiple awards year after year.

Filmography Year Title Role 2024 Here We Are Bobby The Lair: OnlyFangs Irving 2022 Jacked Malcolm 2019-Current TV Therapy Dr. Stephen Nielsen (plus writer / producer) 2021 Gays Without Cages Gavin (plus director) 2012-2019 Child of the '70s James Hunter 2016-2019 My Sister Is So Gay Seth (plus writer / producer) 2017 Love Unplugged (screenwriter) 2015-2017 She's Still on that Freakin' Island Actor (plus writer) 2015 Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser Mr. Yauch Modd Couples (co-creator & writer) It Had to Be You writer (story by) 2014 Mentor WalterFrom Here on OUT Jimmy Randall (plus creator & writer) 2012 A.N.T. Farm Samuel French The End of Our Lives Kenneth 2011 The Rosie Show Bruce the Elf 2009 SpongeBob SquarePants Craig Ferguson's Assistant Cost of Living Buck (plus writer & producer) 2007 Drake & Josh Wedding Coordinator 2005 Passions Tom Stevens Receiver Joe McCormick 2004 Men's Mix 1 Randy (Gaydar Segment) The Mullets Greeter 2003 Titillating Steven Hotel Desk Clerk 2002 Gaydar Randy (plus writer & producer) Waiting Room Nurse Teddy Bears' Picnic Can-Can Dancer All That Dad with toupee 2001 The Amanda Show Waiter 2000 7th Heaven Theater Manager Kenan & Kel Peppy Employee 7-Teen Sips Jimmy McDonald 1999 Days of Our Lives French Waiter 1998 The Godson Waiter 1997 The Good Bad Guy Milo 1996 Clown TV Nosy (plus writer) 1995 Angel's Tide Bank Teller 1994 Confessions of a Marriage Junkie Thayer Threadgill In Living Color Man with Shish Kebab 1989 Road House Dancing Barfly (uncredited) 1988 Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Nerdy Townsperson (uncredited) Die Hard S.W.A.T. (uncredited) Midnight Run Deplaning Passenger (uncredited) Night Wars P.O.W. Hell Comes to Frogtown Frog Guard