John Corley

John Corley, 81, of Palm Springs Calif., passed away at Desert Regional Hospital on Tuesday evening, October 19 from complications following intestinal surgery. John had been a retired resident of Palm Springs for a dozen years, having previously lived in the Los Angeles area where he was an actor. Upon commencing his theatrical career he changed his name from Baty to Corley, a family name, because he was worried that people would mispronounce his real name. John spent his life in the theater since the age of five. He performed in his native Arkansas, New York, on several summer stock circuits and in Europe. He was always extremely serious about his show business undertakings, having not only appeared on stage but in films and television. During the latter part of his life, he participated in several entrepreneurial ventures outside of acting. He did not stop acting once he moved to the desert. He acted in many different productions at The Palm Canyon Playhouse, Groves Cabin Playhouse, The Hi-Desert Playhouse, The McCallum Theatre and The Arthur Newman Theater at the Joslyn Center. He most recently appeared in "The Sunshine Boys" at the Joslyn. One of his favorite plays was "Visiting Mr. Green" and he appeared in three different productions of it. John was almost on a yearly basis a nominee to receive The Desert League's Award for Outstanding actor. He won the honor several times. He will be missed by his large circle of friends and fans. He is survived by a brother, Robert J. Baty of Castle Park, Colorado, and a sister, Lala Pace of Springfield, Missouri. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.