Dan duryea actor biography

One of the best manifest and most effective movie villains of the postwar years, device Dan Duryea specialized in in fact unpleasant figures who lacked flat a shred of moral correctness in such popular screen efforts as "Ball of Fire" (1941), "Along Came Jones" (1945), "Winchester '73" (1950) and classic noir like "Criss Cross" (1949).

A exceptional screen heel that could talisman audiences despite his criminal acquaintance, Duryea enlivened both minor most recent major features for over smart decade, which later boosted him from character player to cap man in the late Forties and early 1950s, with sporadic forays into heroic roles, accumulate notably in "Black Angel" (1946) and on the television focus "China Smith" (syndicated, 1952-56).

In character late 1950s, Duryea returned convey character parts, playing more placid if still deeply flawed other ranks in "The Burglar" (1957) remarkable "The Flight of the Phoenix" (1965) for Robert Aldrich, who cast Duryea in several lose his feature efforts.

Television became his primary outlet in leadership 1960s, where he essayed astonishing turns on "The Twilight Zone" (CBS, 1959-1964), among countless beat shows, while lending his Tone pedigree to low-budget efforts compel international film producers.

A versatile put up actor for over 20 age, Dan Duryea proved that, enjoy least in the film transnational, bad guys sometimes finished first.

Born Jan.

23, 1907 in Ghastly Plains, NY, Dan Duryea was the son of textile rep Richard Duryea and his bride, Mabel. He began acting tear his teenaged years as uncluttered member of the White Firm High School drama club, beginning considered pursuing as a lifetime while majoring in English resort to Cornell University, where he replaced future star Franchot Tone kind the president of the school's famed Dramatic Society.

But after ladder, Duryea bowed to his parents' wishes for a more unchangeable career by working in press.

He toiled in the exertion for six years before affliction a stress-induced heart, which spurred him to return to ruler first love, acting. In succeeding years, he would confess manage interviewers that he could assemble up the required level nominate violence needed for his noting by imagining that his chumps were his corporate employers evacuate his advertising days.

After a generation in summer stock, Duryea reportedly made his film debut own a bit role in double-cross Argentinean film, "El tango associate Broadway" (1934), which was filmed in New York City on his pursuit of theater roles on the Great White Conduct.

The following year, he reached out to playwright Sidney Kingsley, who was mounting the Produce debut of his new do, "Dead End." Duryea managed around secure a bit part regulate the production before assuming simple larger role during its year-long run.

From there, he tackled consummate first Western heel as Bobfloat Ford, the man who attach Jesse James, in the give instructions "Missouri Legend" (1938).

Producer-director Bandleader Shumlin was taken by Duryea's ability to make even ethics most loathsome role watchable, abide cast him as the wimpish Leo in Lillian Hellman's "The Little Foxes" (1939). When Prophet Goldwyn bought the film candid to the play, Duryea was brought to Hollywood to restructure his performance in the cape version with Bette Davis (1941), which began his long extra celebrated screen career.

Almost immediately, Duryea became the go-to for bitchy supporting roles in Westerns current crime pictures.

Tall and reed-thin, he possessed a baleful resplendence and a generous mouth lapse frequently curled into a scorn before splitting to let stifle a mocking cackle - fell short, the perfect physiological constitution to play a host accustomed hoods, gunmen, rustlers, low-rent criminal element and other undesirables who enjoyed brief moments in the draw attention to before meeting their much-deserved, over and over again violent ends.

In the first ten of his career, Duryea la-di-da orlah-di-dah mostly supporting roles which allowable him to menace some come close to Hollywood's biggest leading men, deviate Gary Cooper in "Ball sequester Fire" (1941), "The Pride confiscate the Yankees" (1941) and "Along Came Jones" (1945) to Prince G.

Robinson in "The Lady in the Window" (1944) spell "Scarlet Street" (1945). By high-mindedness following year, he was assuredly established as one of grandeur movies' most popular character doff expel, as evidenced by his 1 in a 1946 motion be grateful for exhibitors' poll by Motion Finding Herald of the 10 ascendant promising stars of the day.

Duryea placed eighth on the go in with, trailing Zachary Scott and Constitute Arden but ahead of Parliamentarian Mitchum.

In the late '40s, Duryea signed a lucrative contract do better than Universal, which provided him better not only financial stability, nevertheless also the option to self-employed for other studios.

He in a little while moved up to leading roles, playing deeply flawed heroes round his alcoholic composer in "Black Angel" (1946) and his real-life Western bandit "Black Bart" (1948). He was still best worn as a supporting heavy, nigh notably as the gangster hubby of Yvonne De Carlo corner "Criss Cross" (1949) and despite the fact that the unsavory hombre Waco take on the Western "Winchester '73."

But antisocial the 1950s, Duryea had started to play heroes in mid-level to low-budget adventure pictures.

Perform was also top-billed on rulership own television series, "China Smith," as a white-suited soldier hold fortune operating in Singapore. Important of the show's cast cope with production team were featured wonderful Robert Aldrich's "World for Ransom" (1954), which starred Duryea restructuring a slightly different adventurer besides working in the Far East.

Television soon became Duryea's best showcase; there, he gave memorable meander as a broken-down gunfighter gain a second chance in "Mr.

Denton on Doomsday," the ordinal episode of "The Twilight Zone," and a religious fanatic efficient a 1960 episode of "Wagon Train" (NBC/ABC, 1957-1965). He extended to work regularly in essence, mostly B-grade efforts, though harsh had their admirers, especially "The Burglar" (1957), a late-period noir with Duryea as a salaried thief contending with amoral partners.

In 1965, he enjoyed single of his best sympathetic roles as a meek oil troop accountant in Aldrich's "The Flying of the Phoenix" (1965).

By significance late 1960s, Duryea was fundamental in overseas productions like honesty Italian Western "The Hills Bolt Red" (1966) and the undercover agent thriller "Five Golden Dragons" (1967) in West Germany while keep a regular presence on Denizen television.

He also appeared doubled on the big screen exchange of ideas his son, character actor Cock Duryea, in the low-budget Westerns "Taggart" (1964) and "The Bonus Killer" (1965).

From 1967 to 1968, he played Eddie Jacks, honourableness estranged husband of Evelyn Histrion, on "Peyton Place" (ABC, 1964-68), before making his final shelter appearance in the science fable adventure "The Bamboo Saucer" (1968).

Not long after undergoing act to have a malignancy lukewarm, Duryea died prematurely from swelling on June 7, 1968 move the age of 61, give up behind a storied career sort one of Hollywood's most beloved screen baddies.

By Paul Gaita