Ray Danton (September 19, 1931–February 11, 1992) also known as Raymond Danton was a smooth looking radio, film, stage, and television actor, director, and producer whose most famous role was The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960). He was married to actress Julie Adams from 1955–1974.

Handsome and smooth natured leading man who often played oily individuals, Ray Danton was born in New York and dramatically trained at Carnegie Tech. First debuted onscreen as a moody Native American in Chief Crazy Horse (1955) and regularly guest-starred in many 1950s TV shows including "Playhouse 90" (1956), "Wagon Train" (1957), and "77 Sunset Strip" (1958)...often as a gunslinger or a slippery criminal. Danton found plenty of demand for his talents and appeared in several minor films including Night Runner, The (1957), Tarawa Beachhead (1958), during which he met his wife, Julie Adams (I), and then as a serial rapist in Beat Generation, The (1959). However, his most well remembered role was as the vicious prohibition gangster Jack Diamond in the superb Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond, The (1960) also starring a young 'Warren Oates ' and directed by Budd Boetticher. Danton reprised his Legs Diamond role only a year later in the unrelated, and not as enjoyable Portrait of a Mobster (1961). Cornering the market on playing shady characters, Danton then portrayed troubled actor George Raft in George Raft Story, The (1961), but he was back on the side of good in 1962 playing an Allied officer at the invasion of Normandy in Longest Day, The (1962). Europe then beckoned for the virile Danton, and like many other young US actors in the early 1960s, he made several films in Italy and Spain between 1964 and 1969 with a mixture of success. Danton returned to the USA in the early 1970s and appeared in several other low budget features; however, he also turned his hand to direction and his first film was the AIP production of Deathmaster (1972) starring Robert Quarry who was riding high on the success of the Count Yorga vampire films. Danton directed another couple of minor horror films before becoming involved in television and directing episodes of some of the most popular TV series of the 1970/80s including "Quincy M.E." (1976), "Incredible Hulk, The" (1978), "Magnum, P.I." (1980) and "Cagney & Lacey" (1982). His final directorial work was on the TV series "Vietnam War Story" (1987) in 1987. Danton passed away in 1992 from kidney failure aged only 61.