Richard Dix | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dix in 1923 | |
| Born | Ernst Carlton Brimmer (1893-07-18)July 18, 1893 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | September 20, 1949(1949-09-20) (aged 56) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1914–1947 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Hollywood Walk of Fame |
Richard Dix (bornErnst Carlton Brimmer;[1] July 18, 1893 – September 20, 1949) was an Americanmotion pictureactor who achieved popularity in bothsilent andsound film.[2] His standard on-screen image was that of the rugged and stalwart hero. He was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor for his lead role in theBest Picture-winning epicCimarron (1931).[3]
Dix appeared in 101 film roles, credited from his first appearance. Plagued by alcoholism, he died at 56, just two years after his film career had ended.
Dix was born Ernst Carlton Brimmer on July 18, 1893, inSaint Paul, Minnesota.[4] He received his schooling there, intending to become a surgeon to please his father. Standing 6 feet and weighing 180 pounds, Dix excelled in sports, especially football and baseball. His obvious acting talent in his school dramatic club also led him to leading roles in most of the school plays. After a year at theUniversity of Minnesota, he took a position at a bank, and trained for the stage in the evening. His professional start was with a local stock company, and this led to similar work in New York City. He then went to Los Angeles and became leading man for the Morosco Stock Company.[5] His success there earned him a contract withParamount Pictures.
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Upon arrival atParamount studios Brimmer changed his name to Richard Dix. He began hisHollywood film career in dramas and romantic comedies. His firstWestern was in 1923,To the Last Man, his seventeenth picture, immediately followed by his best-remembered early role inCecil B. Demille's silent version ofThe Ten Commandments.
Able to successfully bridge the transition from silent films to talkies and remain aleading man, he was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor in 1931 for his performance as Yancey Cravat inRKO'sCimarron. Based on the popular novel byEdna Ferber, it took theBest Picture award. Another memorable starring role for Dix was in a followup RKO blockbuster, the adventureThe Lost Squadron.
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Plagued by alcoholism, Dix was unable to maintain hisA-list leading man status, and spiraled intoB pictures. He starred in the 1935 British futuristic filmThe Tunnel, as well asThe Great Jasper andBlind Alibi in the late 1930s. Dix also starred as the homicidal Captain Stone in theVal Lewton production ofThe Ghost Ship.
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In 1941, Dix playedWild Bill Hickok inBadlands of Dakota and portrayedWyatt Earp the following year inTombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die.
In 1944, he starred inThe Whistler, a feature film produced byColumbia Pictures based on the popular radio program. The film adaptation was popular enough to become a series. In these offbeat, crime-related stories, Dix didnot play "The Whistler" (who was an unseen narrator representing the central character's conscience). He appeared in a variety of characterizations, some sympathetic, others hard-boiled, but always victims of fate and circumstances conspiring against him. Dix retired from acting after the seventh of these films,The Thirteenth Hour. He suffered a heart attack in October 1948[6] and continued to have heart trouble until his death within the year.
Dix supportedThomas Dewey in the1944 United States presidential election.[7]
After years of fighting alcoholism, Dix suffered a seriousheart attack at 56 on September 12, 1949 (either on a train from New York to Los Angeles[8][4] or while on board a ship returning from France[9]). He died eight days later at the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital,[9] and is interred inForest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery inGlendale, California.[10]
Dix has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in the Motion Pictures section at 1610 Vine Street. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.[11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | One of Many | James Lowery | Lost film |
| 1921 | Not Guilty | Paul Ellison / Arthur Ellison | Lost film |
| All's Fair in Love | Bobby Cameron | Lost film | |
| Dangerous Curve Ahead | Harley Jones | Lost film | |
| The Poverty of Riches | John Colby | Lost film | |
| 1922 | Yellow Men and Gold | Parrish | Lost film |
| Fools First | Tommy Frazer | Lost film | |
| The Wall Flower | Walt Breen | Lost film | |
| The Bonded Woman | Lee Marvin | A copy is held at Gosfilmofond | |
| The Sin Flood | Bill Bear | Lost film | |
| The Glorious Fool | Billy Grant | Lost film | |
| 1923 | The Christian | John Storm | A copy is held at the George Eastman House |
| Quicksands | Lieutenant Bill | Lost film | |
| Souls for Sale | Frank Claymore | ||
| The Woman with Four Faces | Richard Templar | Lost film | |
| Racing Hearts | Robby Smith | Lost film | |
| To the Last Man | Jean Isbel | A copy is held at Gosfilmofond | |
| The Ten Commandments | John McTavish | Copies are held at George Eastman and the Library of Congress | |
| The Call of the Canyon | Glenn Kilbourne | Copies are held at Gosfilmofond and the Library of Congress | |
| 1924 | The Stranger | Larry Darrant | Lost film |
| Icebound | Ben Jordan | Lost film | |
| Unguarded Women | Douglas Albright | Lost film | |
| Sinners In Heaven | Alan Croft | Lost film | |
| Manhattan | Peter Minuit | ||
| 1925 | Too Many Kisses | Richard Gaylord Jr | A copy is held at the Library of Congress |
| A Man Must Live | Geoffrey Farnell | Lost film | |
| The Shock Punch | Randall Lee Savage | A copy is held at the Library of Congress | |
| Men and Women | Will Prescott | Lost film | |
| The Lucky Devil | Randy Farnum | A copy is held at the Library of Congress | |
| The Vanishing American | Nophaie | A copy is held at the Library of Congress | |
| Womanhandled | Bill Dana | A copy is held at the Library of Congress | |
| 1926 | Let's Get Married | Billy Dexter | A copy is held at the Library of Congress |
| Fascinating Youth | Himself (cameo) | Lost film | |
| Say It Again | Bob Howard | Lost film | |
| The Quarterback | Jack Stone | A copy is held at the Library of Congress | |
| 1927 | Paradise for Two | Steve Porter | Lost film |
| Knockout Reilly | Dundee "Knockout" Reilly | Lost film | |
| Man Power | Tom Roberts | Lost film | |
| Shanghai Bound | Jim Bucklin | Lost film | |
| The Gay Defender | Joaquin Murrieta | Lost film | |
| 1928 | Sporting Goods | Richard Shelby | Lost film |
| Easy Come, Easy Go | Robert Parker | Lost film | |
| Warming Up | Bert Tulliver | Lost film filmed in silent andMovietone sound version with music and sound effects only | |
| Moran of the Marines | Michael Moran | Lost film | |
| 1929 | Redskin | Wingfoot | A copy is held at the Library of Congress; partly filmed inTechnicolor |
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