Spalding Grey
A body found floating in the East River has been officially identified as Spalding Grey. He was reported missing on January 10 when he left his apartment to meet a friend for a drink and never turned up. He had reportedly been suffering from clinical depression for some time.
Beginning with his early work at the Performing Garage in the 1970s, and including his many appearances on the big screen, Spalding was an enormous influence on many of us New Yorkers who take to the stage. His work helped to make the autobiographical monologue leap from the printed page and into the context of live performance.
Incredibly, though he was best known for the filmed versions of his monologues, "Swimming To Cambodia," and "Gray's Anatomy," he also appeared in the 1976 cult classic, "Ilsa, Keeper Of the Oil Sheik's Harem!"