Ray Vitte
Raymond Vitte (1949–1983) was an American actor who starred mostly in comedy and drama films in the 1970s and early 1980s. He made numerous guest appearances on television shows and was a cast member of the show Doc in 1976.[1]
Ray Vitte | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 20, 1949 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 20, 1983 (aged 33) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1973–1983 |
Vitte, who had been fevered for days and acting strangely for hours in his Los Angeles home, died in 1983 following a scuffle with two Los Angeles Police Department officers who were transporting Vitte to a nearby hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.[2]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Airport 1975 | Passenger | Uncredited |
| 1976 | Car Wash | Geronimo | |
| 1978 | Thank God It's Friday | Bobby Speed | |
| 1978–1979 | David Cassidy: Man Undercover | Officer T.J. Epps | |
| 1978 | Mother, Jugs & Speed | Mother | TV short |
| 1978 | Up in Smoke | The Band: Bass - James | |
| 1979 | A Force of One | Newton | |
| 1979 | The Man in the Santa Claus Suit | Eddie | |
| 1980 | Cruising | ||
| 1980 | Heart Beat | Undercover Agent | |
| 1980 | 9 to 5 | Eddie | |
| 1981 | Grambling's White Tiger | Rags | |
| 1982 | The Quest (1982 TV series) | Cody Johnson |
In 1981, Vitte also appeared on Gimme a Break as Ken.
Only five episodes of his final show "The Quest" had aired when the series was cancelled in Nov 1982. Tragically, Ray Vitte died only 3 months later after the LA police department were called to his home shortly before 11pm by neighbors saying that a man was shouting and chanting all day. Ray ordered the officers to leave and allegedly placed a curse on them. Afterwards the actor lunged twice at the two officers who struck Ray with their nightsticks and sprayed him with mace (pepper spray) with no apparent effect. The officers in their report said the actor then ran towards an outdoor swimming pool, but fell on the concrete. The actor was then carried screaming to a patrol car in which the officers planned to take him to a hospital for a mental evaluation. Once in the car, however, Ray ceased breathing, In the weeks leading up to this death, Ray suffered from a chronic fever which ran as high as 104 degrees (F). Ray had a battery of medical tests run just eight days prior to his death. The 20 April 1983 issue of the Palm Springs Desert Sun ran an AP article citing "sickle cell disease and complications" as the official cause of death.
References
- Fearn-Banks, Kathleen. "Ray Vitte." The A to Z of African-American Television, Scarecrow Press, 2009, pp. 464–464.
- Barabak, Mark (February 22, 1983). "Actor Raymond Vitte dies in police scuffle". United Press International. Retrieved January 17, 2020.