Spalding Gray (1941–2004) was an American actor, playwright, and performer, considered a pioneer of the autobiographical monologue. His career took off in New York as a founding member of the experimental theater company The Wooster Group. He achieved international fame in the 1980s through a series of performances in which, seated at a simple desk, he narrated stories from his own life with a unique style that blended neurotic humor, vulnerability, and keen observation. His most celebrated work is *Swimming to Cambodia* (1985), an account of his experience as an actor in the film *The Killing Fields*, which earned him an Obie Award and was later adapted into a film by Jonathan Demme. His other notable monologues include *Monster in a Box* and *Gray's Anatomy*. For his work, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship and also had a prolific career as a character actor in numerous films.