Actor Ray Stricklyn, 73, dies after long battle with emphysema

Ray Stricklyn, who received rave reviews for his one-man show about Tennessee Williams, died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles following a long battle with chronic emphysema, reports the Los Angeles Times. Stricklyn portrayed Williams in the playwright's declining years in Confessions of a Nightingale, based on interviews with Williams conducted by Charlotte Chandler and C. Robert Jennings. In addition to his acting career, Stricklyn worked as a publicist in the West Coast office of John Springer Associates, where his clients included Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Lynn Redgrave. Stricklyn originally moved to Hollywood in 1955 to act in films--his screen work includes The Proud and the Profane, The Catered Affair, and Ten North Frederick. He also appeared on such TV series as Cheers, The Nanny, Seinfeld, and Days of Our Lives, among others. He is survived by his sister, Mary Ann, and his longtime companion, Los Angeles stage director David Galligan.