Ray was born on March 18, 1931, in New Orleans to parents Walter and Jeannette Ray. She was the youngest of seven children and attended Oakland Technical School and UC Berkeley, where she earned a degree in Recreation and Theatre Arts.
After she graduated from Ray went to work in the Bay Area before relocating to Europe to work as a recreation and entertainment director with the U.S. Special Services. She was working in Germany while overseas and when she returned to the U.S. in 1965 she helped to launch the acting group, The Aldridge Players-West in San Francisco.
Ray moved to Los Angeles in 1969 and soon found work on popular show such as The Bill Cosby Show, Bewitched, Ironside, The Odd Couple and Good Times. In 1980, she starred as Evelyn Lewis on the spinoff sitcom Sanford after having starred on Sanford and Son.
That year she also joined the cast of Y&R. She originated the role of Mamie Johnson, a role that was later taken on by Veronica Redd. In 1989, she appeared in the primetime soap Dynasty as Jane Matthews. Her last role was in a 2001 episode of the WB sitcom Men, Women & Dogs.
Mamie Johnson was a longtime employee of the Abbott family. In fact the kind housekeeper practically raised the kids after their mom Dina Mergeron (Marla Adams) left the family to live her own life.
As such Mamie was involved in many important Abbott family moments and at one point it looked like she and John Abbott (Jerry Douglas) might embark on a relationship.
Mamie was the aunt of Drucilla Winters (Victoria Rowell) who came to town as a rebellious teen and was taken in by her aunt. Mamie managed to help tame Dru who died after plunging from a cliff.
Ray was on the boards of several advocacy groups, including notably the Kwanzaa Foundation, Jenesse Center, and The Actor’s Fund.
We send our sincere condolences to Marguerite Ray’s family.
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