Raymond Andrew Bailey was born and raised in Sheridan, Colorado, where he lived in the same house until he was 20 years old. At that time, he moved across the street to live with his grandma, Mamaw, along with the rest of his family.
In 1991, Ray had his acting debut on stage as a Lolli-Pop kid in the "Wizard of OZ" during the 6th grade. Although he wasn't yet hooked on acting, he continued to explore his creative side. Up until his freshman year at Sheridan High School, Ray had dreams of becoming a professional rock climber, but he didn't know if that was even a viable career path.
Ray's life took a dramatic turn when his band instructor asked him to meet with the Choir/Acting Director, Ms. Mary Lewis, to discuss a big role in the school musical, "Lil Abner," as Pappy Yokum. Ray was initially hesitant due to his plans to play in the pit orchestra, but he agreed to take on the role. This marked the beginning of his acting journey, as he discovered the joy of making people laugh and entertaining them.
After that, Ray took his acting seriously and became best friends with Ms. Mary Lewis, with whom he still keeps in contact to this day.
After high school, Ray attended Oklahoma Christian University, focusing on Communications/Theatre, and was trained by acting coach Phil Reagan. However, Ray wanted to explore opportunities beyond the college bubble in the TV/Film world. He heard about an audition for a $15,000 contract on a WB TV show and decided to give it a shot.
Ray won 1st place for the state of Oklahoma with a monologue from "Dawson's Creek" and landed his first TV debut in a Coca Cola/Clean and Clear commercial that aired during his favorite TV show, "Friends." He went on to compete the following year and landed the lead role in the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," earning a write-up in "The Daily Oklahoman" newspaper for his similar acting style to Michael J. Fox.
Ray graduated in December 2001 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication/Theatre and a Minor in Mass Comm/TV& Film Productions from Oklahoma Christian University.
After college, Ray moved back to Colorado and signed up for the Colorado Film and Video Association Newsletter. In 2003, he heard about an audition for an independent movie titled "11:59" and landed the lead role as Aaron Doherty, a news photojournalist who wakes up in the middle of nowhere with no memory of how he got there. Ray was immediately drawn to the script and impressed by the friendliness of the crew, where he met lifelong friends, Jamin Winans, Joe Sekiya, and Jeff Pointer.
Ray has since done numerous commercial projects and short films in the Denver Area, remaining a devoted actor with Big Fish Talent Agency, and has big plans for the future.
