Spalding Gray, 1941— 2004: Monologuist 'made art out of his life'

NEW YORK — The body of actor-writer Spalding Gray was pulled from the East River over the weekend, two months after he walked out of his Manhattan apartment and disappeared. He was 62.

Mr. Gray, who laid bare his life and mingled performance art with comedy in acclaimed monologues such as "Swimming to Cambodia" and "Monster in a Box," was identified yesterday through dental records and X-rays.

The cause of his death was still under investigation. But Mr. Gray was known to have been deeply troubled and had attempted suicide before.

Mr. Gray frequently performed in Seattle, with shows at On the Boards, Bumbershoot and the Moore Theatre, where he appeared less than a year ago. Mr. Gray was scheduled to perform at the Moore again March 26-27; the shows were canceled after he went missing.

In 2001, Mr. Gray made his first and only appearance at Bumbershoot, Seattle's annual arts and music festival, engaging the audience at the Opera House with his "Interviewing the Audience" format. In his monologue at the opening of the performance, Mr. Gray opened up about the horrific car crash in Ireland earlier that year that left him with a broken hip, fractured skull and other injuries.

He was twice hospitalized for depression after the crash, and he jumped from a bridge near his Long Island home in 2002.

Judith Roche, literary arts director at One Reel, the arts organization that presents Bumbershoot, recalls seeing Mr. Gray perform for the first time in Seattle some 25 years ago. He was "a great talent. He made art out of his life," Roche said. "He was funny, self-absorbed and ... a master performer."

Gray's riveting live performances generally featured only a desk and a glass of water as props.

His greatest success was his Obie-winning monologue "Swimming to Cambodia," which recounted in part his movie role in "The Killing Fields." The monologue, developed over two years of performance, became a film directed by Jonathan Demme. His book "Gray's Anatomy" was also made into a film.

He had roles in other films including David Byrne's "True Stories," "Beaches" and "The Paper" — 38 appearances in all.

Mr. Gray was born on June 5, 1941, in Barrington, R.I. His mother committed suicide when she was 52, and he spoke openly about considering the same fate.

Mr. Gray is survived by his wife, Kathleen Russo; three children; and a brother.

Seattle Times reporter Tina Potterf contributed to this report.