Ron Raines, who was born on December 2, 1949 in Texas City, Texas, is best known for his portrayal of Alan Spaulding on the soap opera, Guiding Light. For his work on the show, he received a Daytime Emmy-Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama in 2003 and 2004, and three nominations for Soap Opera Digest's Outstanding Villain Award. In 2006, he received his first nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Raines started performing at a young age in church and high school glee clubs as he grew up in a family of Texas gospel singers. Graduating from Nacogdoches High School in Texas, he attended college only to stay out of the Vietnam War. He then moved on to pursuing a singing career in American musical theater. His performances include those in Chicago, Showboat, Teddy and Alice, One Touch of Venus, the tour of the national production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown and the international production of Can Can. He was even offered a role in the national touring production of The Sound of Music with Marie Osmond but turned it down because he was asked to work on Guiding Light at the same day.
Moving on to television, Raines appeared on shows such as One Life to Live and Big Brother Jake. Still finding his roots in music, he has released two solo albums. These are So In Love With Broadway and Broadway Passion. He has appeared in musicals as well, including Man of LaMancha and Pajama Game. As a teenager, he performed with the rock band Renaissance, something he refers to as the time of his “hippie days.” He has also been heard singing the national anthems during games for the Knicks, the Devils, the Rangers and Nets.
(Photo courtesy of CBS.com)