Ray Woolf

Ray Woolf

Birth : 1945-11-13, Great Britain

History

Woolf and his family arrived in New Zealand in 1962 when he was 17. He had sung in rock bands in his native Dagenham in Essex since the age of 13, and after a few appearances at Auckland dance halls was signed to Zodiac Records and began recording. Throughout the 1970s he featured on a string of pop shows such as In the Groove, On the Beat Side, C'Mon and Happen Inn. Later, he had his own chat show, The Ray Woolf Show, which had its own live band and audience. Woolf also presented New Zealand children's show Playschool for 18 months, sticking by the philosophy of taking any opportunity that came his way. Hosting the show allowed Woolf more freedom than the structured pop shows he was used to. One of his favourite acting roles was when he played the helmsman of the steamship Venture in Peter Jackson's Кинг Конг (2005), released in 2005. He had the occasional line in the movie but his actual screen time was quite short. He liked the job due to the good company on it. Woolf is a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to entertainment and has also starred in shows like The Sound of Music (2004), West Side Story and The New Rocky Horror Show. He has collaborated with a range of musicians over the years, and some of his more ongoing gigs have been with the jazzy Rodger Fox Big Band. Woolf is on the pension these days but is still adamant that he will keep on entertaining and that nothing will change despite the regular pay cheques from the government.

Profile

Ray Woolf

Movies

Siege
Garry Fraser
On the 7th of May 2009, Senior Constables Len Snee, Grant Diver and Bruce Miller arrived at 41 Chaucer Rd in Napier to serve a search warrant on Jan Molenaar for the growing of cannabis. This was just a routine warrant, something they had done countless times. What was meant to be an ordinary procedure turned into three of New Zealand’s darkest days and ended with one police officer dead, two officers critically injured and a member of the public fighting for his life. In some fifty hours Jan Molenaar made a permanent and devastating imprint upon the national psyche of New Zealand as he changed the lives of individuals, families, a police community, and a city. The siege was one of the worst and unexpected cases of violence both Napier and New Zealand had witnessed and it was all the more shocking because of its ordinary suburban backdrop.
The Insatiable Moon
Roger
When Arthur, self-proclaimed son of God, sets off on a mission to find the Queen of Heaven, his world changes.
King Kong
Venture Crew - Helmsman
In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with the leading lady.
Maiden Voyage
Captain Morrison
A former firefighter and Special Forces officer takes on a team of murderous terrorists when the oceanliner he's working on is hijacked shortly after leaving port. Hired to evaluate security on a luxury cruise ship, blaze battler and former military man Kyle Considine (Casper Van Dien) brings his young son Zach along for a week of fun at sea. The fun stops, however, when the ship sets sail and a highly organized team of terrorists threaten the lives of everyone onboard.
Lucy
Ed Sedgwick
MOW about the life of Lucille Ball, focusing on the loving yet tumultuous relationship with Desi Arnaz.
One of Them!
Mr. Stephenson
One of Them! was one of two dramas (alongside Niki Caro movie Memory and Desire) inspired by short stories collected in Peter Wells' 1991 book Dangerous Desires. It was made for TV One as a Montana Sunday drama. Set in Auckland, 1965, One of Them! follows Lemmy and Jamie, two teenage boys coming to terms with their sexuality. In the dark days before gay liberation, bullying and intimidation was rife, and while the boys flaunt their sissyness, their internalized homophobia wreaks havoc on their emotional lives — until they can admit to being "one of them".