Editing Ray Walston (section)

==Early life and education ==
Walston was born on November 2, 1914, in [[Laurel, Mississippi]], the second son and youngest of three children born to [[lumberjack]] Harry Rex Walston and Camilla "Mittie" (née Kimbrell) Walston.<ref name="WalstonDOB">{{Cite news|title=Birth certificate for Herman Ray Walston |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herman_Raymond_Walston_birth_certificate.jpg|publisher=[[State of Mississippi]]|date=August 9, 1951}}</ref><ref>The New York Times obituary states "Mr. Walston was born in New Orleans", which is contradicted by his Mississippi birth certificate and the [[1920 United States Census]]. The certificate was issued in 1951 and was based on the presentation of his school records from 1925 showing his date of birth as "November 2, 1914" and place of birth as "Mississippi". An identification card was also used as evidence, which also used "Mississippi" as his place of birth. The [[Social Security Death Index]], and his Social Security application filed in November of 1936, both cite "November 2, 1914" as his date of birth. Some sources cited "December 2, 1914", incorrectly.</ref> 

He started acting at an early age, beginning his tenure as a [[spear carrier]] rounding out productions at many [[New Orleans]] theaters. He mostly played small roles with stock companies, where he not only starred in traveling shows, but also worked at a movie theater, selling tickets and cleaning the stage floors. His family moved to [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], where he joined a [[Repertory theatre|repertory theater]] company under [[Margo Jones]] in 1938.<ref name=aebio>{{cite web |title=Ray Walston Biography |url=https://www.biography.com/people/ray-walston-9542216 |url-status=live |website=Biography |publisher=A&E |access-date=24 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119112846/https://www.biography.com/people/ray-walston-9542216 |archive-date=19 January 2019}}</ref> He stayed at the Houston Civic Theater six years, "averaging 12 roles a year."<ref>"Theater Notes." Chicago Tribune, 4 April 1954.</ref>