Richard Dix (born Ernst Carlton Brimmer;[1] July 18, 1893 – September 20, 1949) was an American motion picture actor who achieved popularity in both silent and sound film.[2] His standard on-screen image was that of the rugged and stalwart hero. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his lead role in the Best Picture-winning epic Cimarron (1931).[3]
Richard Dix | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dix in 1923 | |
| Born | Ernst Carlton Brimmer July 18, 1893 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | September 20, 1949 (aged 56) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1914–1947 |
| Spouses | Winifred Coe (m. 1931; div. 1933)Virginia Webster (m. 1934) |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Hollywood Walk of Fame |
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.
Early life
editDix was born Ernst Carlton Brimmer on July 18, 1893, in Saint 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 the University 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 with Paramount Pictures.
Career
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Upon arrival at Paramount studios Brimmer changed his name to Richard Dix. He began his Hollywood film career in dramas and romantic comedies. His first Western was in 1923, To the Last Man, his seventeenth picture, immediately followed by his best-remembered early role in Cecil B. Demille's silent version of The Ten Commandments.
Able to successfully bridge the transition from silent films to talkies and remain a leading man, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1931 for his performance as Yancey Cravat in RKO's Cimarron. Based on the popular novel by Edna Ferber, it took the Best Picture award. Another memorable starring role for Dix was in a followup RKO blockbuster, the adventure The Lost Squadron.
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Plagued by alcoholism, Dix was unable to maintain his A-list leading man status, and spiraled into B pictures. He starred in the 1935 British futuristic film The Tunnel, as well as The Great Jasper and Blind Alibi in the late 1930s. Dix also starred as the homicidal Captain Stone in the Val Lewton production of The Ghost Ship.
_The_Kansan_(1943).jpg)
In 1941, Dix played Wild Bill Hickok in Badlands of Dakota and portrayed Wyatt Earp the following year in Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die.
In 1944, he starred in The Whistler, a feature film produced by Columbia Pictures based on the popular radio program. The film adaptation was popular enough to become a series. In these offbeat, crime-related stories, Dix did not 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.
Personal life
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2024) |
According to the July 1934 Movies magazine, Dix raised thousands of chickens and turkeys each year on his ranch near Hollywood, the location of which he kept a close secret. He also had a collection of thousands of smoking pipes, and at one time had 36 Scotties and English setters. He also read at least five books a week.
Richard Dix married Winifred Coe on October 20, 1931. A daughter, Martha Mary Ellen, followed. They divorced in 1933. He married Virginia Webster, on June 29, 1934. They had twin boys, Richard Jr. and Robert Dix (1935–2018), and adopted a daughter, Sara Sue.
Dix supported Thomas Dewey in the 1944 United States presidential election.[7]
After years of fighting alcoholism, Dix suffered a serious heart 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 was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.[10]
Legacy
editDix has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Motion Pictures section at 1610 Vine Street. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.[11]
Filmography
editSilent Films
edit| 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 and Movietone 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 in Technicolor |
Sound films
editReferences
edit- ^ Stephens, E. J.; Wanamaker, Marc (2014). Early Poverty Row Studios. Arcadia Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 9781439648292. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
- ^ Obituary Variety, September 21, 1949.
- ^ "("Richard Dix" search results)". Academy Awards Database. Retrieved May 28, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Slide, Anthony (2010). Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813127088. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
- ^ Marsh, Molly (December 16, 1934). "Richard Dix---A Gentleman of the Soil". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. p. 62. Retrieved May 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Motion Picture Daily, "Richard Dix Is Ill," October 27, 1948, p. 2.
- ^ Critchlow, Donald T. (October 21, 2013). When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107650282.
- ^ The Advertiser (Adelaide), "Richard Dix Ill", September 14, 1949, pg. 1.
- ^ a b Katchmer, George A. (2009). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. p. 96. ISBN 9781476609058. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9781476625997 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Richard Dix". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
Bibliography
edit- Dix, Robert. Out of Hollywood: Two Generations of Actors. Ernest Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-0-9822436-0-2
- Van Neste, Dan. "The Whistler: Stepping Into the Shadows". Albany, GA: BearManor Media, 2011. ISBN 978-1-59393-402-6
External links
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