Today, September 26th, is George’s birthday, but the year of his birth has been in question for a long time. Records like his Social Security registration state the year as 1901 and a New York census would seem to back that up. In a few places, the year is listed as 1903. But in his final interview which was with Mike Douglas in February, 1980, George said he was born in 1895. My guess is that he gave his birth year as 1901 until it no longer mattered to his career, and then switched to 1895 which was the correct date. That would mean George lived to be 85 despite having emphysema for many years. The actor who played tough guys was also tough in real life.
Here is the interview where he states his birth year. Also, in the comments below, a family member confirms the date of 1895. So that settles that.
My family lore tells of a story from my uncle, who, during prohibition
moved to the Chicago
area & belonged to an
“Outfit” of gangster origin. He was said to be friends with Raft, as Geo
was associating with
a few “tough guys” in
order to pick up mannerisms to apply to his acting of such characters. My uncle
passed away in 1958
That’s interesting. George grew up with guys who became gangsters, associating with them in Hell’s Kitchen where he was born. Rumor has it that they copied George rather than he copied them. At least in terms of style and dress, that was most certainly true. Your uncle must have had some stories to tell. Did anyone keep a record of them?
Myself and my dysfunctional Raft family tend not to comment on these sites as it often ends in arguments but just thought I would stop by and say hi.
George was born in 1895. The other dates as you have figured out were invented by the studios. I’ve had a few people over the years that were writing books contact me and ask about that. Even after speaking to me personally, most just perpetuate the fictional narrative.
I’ll take a look around the site. It seems like you’ve done a good job.
Greetings!
Thank you so much for confirming George’s birth year. Frankly, I am delighted to hear from you. The last thing you will ever get from me is an argument. Like you, I have run across such things and have been disappointed in the people and the outcomes.
George did not want to be forgotten and this site is intended to insure that doesn’t happen. My daughter has agreed to keep it going when I am no longer able, so it should live a very long time. She has much experience at representing famous family members from the same era as George so I trust her with his site.
This site is a work in progress. Much of its further development and maintenance is beyond my existing skills so I must learn as I go. Any comments or suggestions would be welcome. The more truth I can put out there about George the better. I post about him on Instagram under my personal account and was just today looking at possible names for a separate account better suited to him and his movies. I will post something on the blog when that is settled.
If you would like to talk privately, let me know via the contact form at the bottom of the homepage, and I will send you my email address. Do let me know if you find any errors on his site and I will be happy to correct them.
Thank you!