By the mid-1950s, Raft was reduced to making cameos while serving as a greeter at a Cuban casino for known mobster Meyer Lansky. Raft continued to star in a number of films throughout the decade like 'Background to Danger' (1943), 'Johnny Angel' (1945) and 'Outpost to Morocco' (1949), but each film dimmed his once bright star, along with rumors he was connected to the Mafia. But just as he was on the cusp of true stardom, Raft famously turned down the leads in 'High Sierra' (1941) and 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941), both of which went to Humphrey Bogart, turning him into a major star.
An overnight success, he went on to appear in 'The Bowery' (1933), 'Bolero' (1934), 'The Glass Key' (1935), 'Each Dawn I Die' (1939) and the excellent melodrama 'They Drive by Night' (1940). After gaining attention on Broadway for his unbelievably fast Charleston, Raft moved to Hollywood, where he had numerous supporting parts before landing his breakout role in Howard Hawks' infamous crime drama, 'Scarface' (1932). A former Broadway dancer who befriended a number of New York mobsters, actor George Raft developed a rather notorious stardom playing tough guys throughout the 1930s and 1940s.
