‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ – Doc Turner

By Sherry Larson

People’s Defender

David Gray of Ripley, Ohio, always loved movies. He taught history in the Felicity School District and served as Mayor of Ripley from 1995 to 1998. But his creative side led him to an extracurricular activity – acting, and Gray ended up on the big screen. It was so big that he played the role of Doc Turner in “Coal Miner’s Daughter”. Based on Loretta Lynn’s young life, the film won many Oscar nominations and an Oscar win for Sissy Spacek.

In a 1999 askjimmycarter.com interview, Spacek said the movie “Changed things for me.” Gray shared that he ran into her a few years ago in Bethel, where she was filming with Robert Redford. He didn’t think she would remember him, but she ran over to hug him when he called her name. He said, “I didn’t think you’d remember me.” She replied, “I told you when somebody helps you win an Oscar, you never forget them.”

Before Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gray acted in a couple of shows with the Maysville Players. In 1978, Universal Pictures came to Augusta, Kentucky, to film the mini-series Centennial. Gray auditioned for a speaking role but didn’t get it. The casting director invited him to be an extra and get a feel for the business. He told Gray that “Coal Miner’s Daughter” would be filmed in about a year in this part of the country. He said, “I think there will be something in there for you. Keep your eye out in the trades like The Hollywood Reporter and find out when they are casting for it.” He gave Gray the name of the film’s casting director, Garrison True, and said, “Tell him I recommended you, and they’ll give you a shot.”

True didn’t end up casting the film, but when Gray saw it advertised, he contacted Jo Doster in casting, and she auditioned him in Cincinnati. She called Gray a few days later, telling him the film’s director, Michael Apted, was going from Los Angeles to New York. Apted had a layover in Cincinnati and wanted to meet with Gray. They met at the Drawbridge Inn, and Apted handed Gray a script. Doster read the part of Loretta Lynn, and Gray read the part of Doc Turner. Apted said, “I’ve been looking for the doctor and I’ve found him.”

The doctor’s office scene with Spacek was filmed in Fleming-Neon, Kentucky. Gray returned two weeks later to film a scene with Tommy Lee Jones, who played Lynn’s husband “Doolittle.”

Gray describes Spacek as “very, very nice.” On the first day of filming, he recalls, “There is this little knock on my dressing room door, and it’s Sissy. She said, ‘Well, we work this morning, and I want to ask you what you think of this.’” Spacek then ran through her lines and asked Gray’s opinion. He believes she did that to put him at ease.

The experience introduced Gray to plenty of characters. He said, “They were all good to me.” He enjoyed a drink with Tommy Lee Jones, who he described as someone who likes to stay in character while filming.

Gray went on to act in a few other films, including a holiday movie entitled “A Christmas Tree Miracle”, filmed in Wheeling, West Virginia, and “Feisley’s Tree Farm” in Belmont, Ohio. Gray played William ‘Pappy’ George.

These days, Gray enjoys retirement with his lovely wife, Linda, who often accompanied him on his acting adventures. Today, they spend time at their stately home on the Ohio River in Ripley, enjoying the view from the shaded porch. They have two sons, Clark, Brown County’s Clerk of Courts, and Cary, a teacher at Georgetown High School. They have seven grandchildren, and their oldest, Spencer, joins The University of Rio Grande this year on a baseball scholarship. Gray maintains his Screen Actors Guild membership and is a member of MENSA.

Gray hasn’t done any acting for a few years. He said, “Auditions and travel – I think maybe I’ve had enough, but it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun, and I met many interesting people.”