Recalling Raymond Bailey ('Mr. Drysdale' on 'Beverly Hillbillies'): 4 Decades After His Tragic Death

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Not everyone recognized his name in real life, but to millions of TV viewers over the decades, actor Raymond Bailey, who died in North Hollywood, CA at only 75 in 1980, was known as the greedy but beloved banker Milburn Drysdal (a.k.a. Mr. Drysdal) on TV's The Beverly Hillbillies. This is his story.

Born as Baily

Raymond Baily was born with the middle name of Thomas on May 6, 1904, in San Francisco, CA. He enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated with a degree in Business Administration. He then found employment as a banker, which served as an omen of sorts to his later role as Mr. Drysdal on The Beverly Hillbillies.

Before he found fame on that classic sitcom, which originally aired on CBS from (1962-1971), Bailey made his Broadway debut in the play The Great Barrington in 1932. He made his film debut in the movie The Big Broadcast of 1938 (released that year).

Baily made a name for himself on the big screen, many times performing sans the toupee he wore as Mr. Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies. He appeared in feature films including The Caine Mutiny (1954), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and The Great Race (1965), among others.

Beyond The Beverly Hillbillies, Baily's other TV appearances includes semi-regular roles on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (CBS, 1959-1963) and Mr. Ed (CBS, 1961-1966), and guest spots on sitcoms like The Doris Day Show (CBS, 1968–1973) and the iconic hour-long dramedy The Love Boat (ABC, 1977–1986).

Behind the Camera

Raymond Bailey's first job in Hollywood was as a laborer, but he was fired for sneaking into a mob sequence during a movie shoot.

Bailey had also worked as a deckhand on a freighter in China, Japan, Hawaii, the Philippines and the Mediterranean.

The actor, whose nephew was William Sylvestor, was dear friends with actress Nancy Kulp, who played his loyal but frustrated secretary Jane Hathaway (a.k.a. "Miss Hathaway," "Miss Jane") on The Beverly Hillbillies. Bailey referred to the thin-formed actress as "Slim."

The Lasting Memory

As fate would have it, Raymond Baily, whose alter TV ego was a banker, died on Tax Day April 15, 1980. However, he will always be remembered by his countless fans as a wonderful actor.