Ask American Profile
Chi McBride, Lee Remick, Ray Stevens.
—Larry W., Ohio
Chi (pronounced Shy) McBride has quite a resume, considering he began acting just 10 years ago. Before his acting career took off, he worked for a phone company and was in a band, among other things. In addition to working on Boston Public, McBride, 41, has appeared in four movies released in the last year: Undercover Brother, Paid in Full, Narc, and Cradle 2 the Grave. Some viewers may recognize the Chicago native from his role as the janitor on The John Larroquette Show. McBride also had the title role in the controversial 1998 series The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer. On stage, he played eight characters in the play Nagataki Sake, which was directed by Robert Downey Sr.
What’s the status of the talented and attractive actress Lee Remick? Has she retired from acting and is she in good health?
—Charles G., New York
The actress who once said, “I make movies for grownups. When Hollywood starts making them again, I’ll start acting in them again,” died July 2, 1991, of liver and kidney cancer at age 55. The blonde, blue-eyed performer made her film debut at age 21 in Elia Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd, playing a drum majorette who becomes involved with a television personality Lonesome Rhodes, played by Andy Griffith. She emerged as a real star after her 1959 role in Anatomy of a Murder. Born in Boston, she moved with her mother at age 7 to New York, where she studied at Barnard College and the Actors’ Studio. She earned an Academy Award nomination for her role as an alcoholic in Days of Wine and Roses, but returned to theater and television between movies, then moved to England in 1970. Her television roles included A Delicate Balance and The Women’s Room. She formed a production company with James Garner and Peter Duchow in 1988. She was married twice and had two sons.
What can you tell me about country music entertainer Ray Stevens? I think he is very talented.
—Rose B., Illinois
While Stevens is best known for comic novelty recordings such as The Streak, which turned a national craze into a hit, the Clarkdale, Ga., native has won two Grammys—the first in 1970 for the inspirational Everything is Beautiful, and the second in 1975 for his country version of the jazz standard Misty. Stevens studied classical piano and music theory at Georgia State University, but his classical career was cut short in 1961 when he recorded his first novelty song, Jeremiah Peabody’s Polyunsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green & Purple Pills, He then moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he worked as pianist, arranger, and vocalist before his recording of Ahab the Arab went to Number 5 on the pop charts. While he’s recorded all kinds of music, Stevens has no desire to shake the novelty tag. “I think there’s probably more longevity in staying with a niche of entertainment,” he says.
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