Part of it went on gambling, and part of it went on women. The rest I spent foolishly.
Part of the $10 million I spent on gambling, part on booze and part on women. The rest I spent foolishly.
A recent critic called George Raft the "Bruce Willis of his day." That remark was not meant as a compliment.
In the 1982 remake of Scarface, Raft's character was played by Steven Bauer.
Raft was a close friend of Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher.
Raft grew up in the tough Hell's Kitchen section of New York City.
James Cagney claimed Raft used his underworld connections to get a mob contract on Cagney canceled. Cagney, then president of the Screen Actors Guild, had been fighting the mob's attempts to infiltrate and takeover his union.
Raft was married to Grace Mulrooney from 1923 until her death in 1970 but they had separated years earlier. To his credit, Raft faithfully supported his estranged wife until her death.
Raft stood 5 feet, 6 inches tall.
Raft's last truly memorable screen appearance came in 1959 when he satirized his gangster image in Some Like It Hot in support of Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon.
Raft has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6150 Hollywood Boulevard.
Raft is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetary in Los Angeles.
Raft never watched any of his own movies. He even turned away when a clip of They Drive by Night was shown during a Today show appearance in 1974.
Raft and Edward G. Robinson, both known for their gangster roles, despised each other.
Raft's 1932 film Night After Night marked the film debut of Mae West. He also appeared in her final film, the atrocious 1978 bomb Sextette.
Raft claimed to have been friends with notorious mobster Al Capone but today most doubt that the two men ever met.
Raft reportedly slugged Peter Lorre on the set of Background to Danger because he thought Lorre was deliberately trying to steal a scene from him.
Raft's first entry into show biz was as a dancer.
Raft sold the movie rights to his own life story in 1961 because he desperately needed money.
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