Richard Dix
Richard Dix was a major leading man at RKO Radio Pictures from 1929 through 1943. He was born Ernest Carlton Brimmer July 18, 1893, in St. Paul, Minnesota. There he was educated, and at the desires of his father, studied to be a surgeon. His obvious acting talent in his school dramatic club led him to leading roles in most of the school plays. At 6' 0" and 180 pounds, Dix excelled in sports, especially football and baseball. These skills would serve him well in the vigorous film roles he would go on to play. After a year at the University of Minnesota he took a position at a bank, spending his evenings training for the stage. His professional start was with a local stock company, and this led to similar work in New York. The death of his father left him with a mother and sister to support. He went to Los Angeles, became leading man for the Morosco Stock Company and his success there got him a contract with Paramount Pictures. His rugged good looks and dark features made him a popular player in westerns. His athletic ability led to his starring role in Paramount's Warming Up (1928), a baseball story and also the studio's first feature with synchronized score and sound effects. His deep voice and commanding presence were perfectly suited for the talkies, and he was signed by RKO Radio Pictures in 1929, scoring an early triumph in the all-talking mystery drama, Seven Keys to Baldpate (1929). In 1931 he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his masterful performance in Cimarron (1931), winner of the Best Picture Oscar that year. Throughout the 1930s Dix would be a big box-office draw at RKO, appearing in mystery thrillers, potboilers, westerns and programmers. He appeared in the "Whistler" series of mystery films at Columbia in the mid-40s. He retired from films in 1947. He first married Winifred Coe on October 20, 1931, had a daughter, Martha Mary Ellen, then divorced in 1933. He then married Virginia Webster on June 29, 1934. They had twin boys, Richard Jr. and Robert Dix and an adopted daughter, Sara Sue. Richard Dix the actor, died at age 56 on September 20, 1949.
Known For
Credits
- 1947 · The Thirteenth Hour as Steve Reynolds
- 1946 · The Secret of the Whistler as Ralph Harrison
- 1946 · Mysterious Intruder as Don Gale
- 1945 · Voice of the Whistler as John Sinclair / John Carter
- 1945 · The Power of the Whistler as William Everest
- 1944 · The Mark of the Whistler as Lee Selfridge Nugent
- 1944 · The Whistler as Earl C. Conrad
- 1943 · The Ghost Ship as Capt. Will Stone
- 1943 · Top Man as Tom Warren
- 1943 · The Kansan as John Bonniwell
- 1943 · Buckskin Frontier as Stephen Brent
- 1942 · American Empire as Dan Taylor
- 1942 · Eyes of the Underworld as Police Chief Richard Bryan
- 1942 · Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die as Wyatt Earp
- 1941 · Badlands Of Dakota as James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
- 1941 · The Roundup as Steve Payson
- 1940 · Cherokee Strip as Marshal Dave Lovell
- 1940 · Men Against the Sky as Phil Mercedes
- 1940 · The Marines Fly High as Lt. Danny Darrick
- 1939 · Reno as William Shayne
- 1939 · Here I Am a Stranger as Duke Allen
- 1939 · Man of Conquest as Sam Houston
- 1939 · Twelve Crowded Hours as Nick Green
- 1938 · Sky Giant as Capt. W.R. 'Stag' Cahill
- 1938 · Blind Alibi as Paul Dover
- 1937 · It Happened in Hollywood as Tim Bart
- 1937 · The Devil Is Driving as Paul Driscoll
- 1937 · Devil's Playground as Jack Dorgan
- 1936 · Special Investigator as Bill Fenwick
- 1936 · Devil's Squadron as Paul Redmond
- 1936 · Yellow Dust as Bob Culpepper
- 1935 · The Tunnel as Richard 'Mack' McAllan
- 1935 · The Arizonian as Clay Tallant
- 1934 · West of the Pecos as Pecos Smith
- 1934 · His Greatest Gamble as Phillip
- 1934 · Stingaree as Stingaree
- 1933 · Day of Reckoning as John Day
- 1933 · Ace of Aces as Rex 'Rocky' Thorne
- 1933 · No Marriage Ties as Bruce Foster
- 1933 · The Great Jasper as Jasper Horn
- 1932 · The Conquerors as Roger Standish / Roger Lennox
- 1932 · Hell's Highway as Frank 'Duke' Ellis
- 1932 · Roar of the Dragon as Carson
- 1932 · The Lost Squadron as Capt. 'Gibby' Gibson
- 1931 · Secret Service as Lewis Dumont
- 1931 · The Public Defender as Pike Winslow
- 1931 · Young Donovan's Kid as Jim Donovan
- 1931 · The Stolen Jools as Richard Dix
- 1931 · Cimarron as Yancey Cravat
- 1930 · Shooting Straight as Larry Sheldon / Ted Walters
- 1930 · Lovin' the Ladies as Peter
- 1929 · Seven Keys to Baldpate as William Magee
- 1929 · Redskin as Wing Foot
- 1929 · The Wheel of Life as Capt. Leslie Yeullet
- 1929 · A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic as Self
- 1929 · Nothing But the Truth as Robert Bennett
- 1929 · The Love Doctor as Dr. Gerald Summer
- 1928 · Moran of the Marines as Michael Moran
- 1928 · Warming Up as Bert Tulliver
- 1928 · Easy Come, Easy Go as Robert Parker
- 1928 · Sporting Goods as Richard Shelby
- 1927 · The Gay Defender as Joaquin Murrieta
- 1927 · Shanghai Bound as Jim Bucklin
- 1927 · Man Power as Tom Roberts
- 1927 · Knockout Reilly as Dundee 'Knockout' Reilly
- 1927 · Paradise for Two as Steve Porter
- 1926 · The Quarterback as Jack Stone
- 1926 · Say It Again as Bob Howard
- 1926 · Fascinating Youth as Richard Dix
- 1926 · Let's Get Married as Billy Dexter
- 1925 · Womanhandled as Bill Dana
- 1925 · The Vanishing American as Nophaie
- 1925 · The Lucky Devil as Randy Farnum
- 1925 · Men and Women as Will Prescott
- 1925 · The Shock Punch as Randall Lee Savage
- 1925 · A Man Must Live as Geoffrey Farnell
- 1925 · Too Many Kisses as Richard Gaylord, Jr.
- 1924 · Manhattan as Peter Minuit
- 1924 · Sinners in Heaven as Alan Croft
- 1924 · Unguarded Women as Douglas Albright
- 1924 · Icebound as Ben Jordan
- 1924 · The Stranger as Larry Darrant
- 1923 · The Call of the Canyon as Glenn Kilbourne
- 1923 · The Ten Commandments as John McTavish
- 1923 · To the Last Man as Jean Isbel
- 1923 · Racing Hearts as Robby Smith
- 1923 · The Woman with Four Faces as Richard Templar
- 1923 · Souls for Sale as Frank Claymore
- 1923 · Quicksands as Lt. Bill
- 1923 · The Christian as John Storm
- 1922 · The Sin Flood as Bill Bear
- 1922 · The Bonded Woman as Lee Marvin
- 1922 · Fools First as Tommy Frazer
- 1922 · Yellow Men and Gold as Parrish
- 1922 · The Wall Flower as Walt Breen
- 1922 · The Glorious Fool as Billy Grant
- 1921 · The Poverty of Riches as John Colby
- 1921 · Dangerous Curve Ahead as Harley Jones
- 1921 · All's Fair in Love as Bobby Cameron
- 1921 · Not Guilty as Paul / Arthur Ellison (twins)
- 1917 · One of Many as James Lowery - Butler