Ray Lovelock was a charismatic and multifaceted actor born on June 19, 1950, in Rome, Italy, to an Italian mother and an English father who had played a crucial role in liberating Italy from a fascist regime in 1944.
As the third of four sons and the only artist in the family, Lovelock's interest in acting emerged during his teenage years while attending college. He began his career by working as an extra in films and television commercials to supplement his income.
His breakthrough came when an acting agent discovered him performing in a Roman nightclub, the Piper, where he was part of a rock band with longtime friend and fellow actor Tomas Milian. This led to his first role in the spaghetti Western Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! in 1967.
However, it was his part in the highly successful The Violent Four in 1968 that truly launched his acting career. Lovelock's portrayal of David, a free-spirited hippie drifter, in the eerie Queens of Evil in 1970 was particularly noteworthy, as was his singing of the haunting folk theme song.
He went on to appear in several notable films, including Let Sleeping Corpses Lie in 1974, Autopsy in 1975, and The Last House on the Beach in 1978. Lovelock's performances were often marked by his ability to bring depth and nuance to his characters.
In addition to his film work, Lovelock had a recurring role as surgeon Dr. Hans Rudolf on the Italian television series "Incantesimo." He was also married to his agent, Gioia, whom he met in 1968 and married in 1970. Their daughter, Francesca Lovelock, was born in 1971 and has followed in her parents' footsteps, working as an assistant director and production manager in Naples.
A soccer enthusiast, Lovelock served as the captain of an Italian actors' soccer team that played charity matches to raise money for various causes. He passed away on November 10, 2017, at the age of 67, after a battle with cancer.
