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Acting
Dick Powell
Also known as: Richard Ewing Powell, Дик Пауэлл, Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell
Biography
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss. Born in Mountain View, the seat of Stone County in northern Arkansas, Powell attended the former Little Rock College in the state capital, before he started his entertainment career as a singer with the Charlie Davis Orchestra, based in the midwest. He recorded a number of records with Davis and on his own, for the Vocalion label in the late 1920s. Powell moved to Pittsburgh, where he found great local success as the Master of Ceremonies at the Enright Theater and the Stanley Theater. In April 1930, Warner Bros. bought up Brunswick Records which at that time owned Vocalion. Warner Bros. was sufficiently impressed by Powell's singing and stage presence to offer him a film contract in 1932. He made his film debut as a singing bandleader in Blessed Event. He went on to star as a boyish crooner in movie musicals such as 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, Gold Diggers of 1933, Dames, Flirtation Walk, and On the Avenue, often appearing opposite Ruby Keeler and Joan Blondell. Powell desperately wanted to expand his range but Warner Bros. wouldn't allow him to do so, although they did (mis)cast him in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) as Lysander. This was to be Powell's only Shakespearean role and one he did not want to play, feeling that he was completely wrong for the part. Finally, reaching his forties and knowing that his young romantic leading man days were behind him he lobbied to play the lead in Double Indemnity. He lost out to Fred MacMurray, another Hollywood nice guy. MacMurray’s success, however, fueled Powell’s resolve to pursue projects with greater range and in 1944, he was cast in the first of a series of films noir, as private detective Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet, directed by Edward Dmytryk. The film was a big hit and Powell had successfully reinvented himself as a dramatic actor. The following year Dmytryk and Powell re-teamed to make Cornered, a gripping, post-WWII thriller that helped define the film noir style. He became a popular "tough guy" lead appearing in movies such as Johnny O'Clock and Cry Danger. But 1948 saw him step out of the brutish type when he starred in Pitfall, a film noir that sees a bored insurance company worker fall for an innocent but dangerous femme fatale, played by Lizabeth Scott. Even when he appeared in lighter fare such as The Reformer and the Redhead and Susan Slept Here (1954) he never sang in his later roles. The latter, his final onscreen appearance in a feature film, did include a dance number with costar Debbie Reynolds. From 1949-1953, Powell played the lead role in the National Broadcasting Company radio theater production Richard Diamond, Private Detective. His character in the 30-minute weekly was a likable private detective with a quick wit. When Richard Diamond came to television in 1957, the lead role was portrayed by David Janssen.
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
November 14, 1904
Day of Death
January 2, 1963
Age at Death
58 years old
Place of Birth
Mountain View, Arkansas, USA
Popularity Score
1.3
Filmography
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
Self (archive footage)
2024Movie
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
Self (archive footage)
2013Movie
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
2012Movie
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
Self (archive footage)
2006Movie
Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound
Self (archive footage)
2006Movie
Television: The First Fifty Years
Self (archive footage)
1999Movie
FDR
Self (archive footage)
1994Movie
American Experience
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1988TV
That's Dancing!
1985Movie
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(archive footage)
1984Movie
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1983Movie
It's Showtime
Self (archive footage)
1976Movie
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
1975Movie
Paper Moon
Thanks
1973Movie
Ghostbreakers
Executive Producer
1967Movie
The Losers
Executive Producer
1963Movie
Who Killed Julie Greer?
Host / Inspector Amos Burke
1961Movie
Ricochet
Self - Host
1961Movie
One Must Die
1961Movie
The DuPont Show of the Week
Self
1961TV
The Dick Powell Show
Self - Host
1961TV
Who Killed Julie Greer?
Executive Producer
1961Movie
Ricochet
Executive Producer
1961Movie
The Dick Powell Show
Producer
1961TV
The Dick Powell Show
Executive Producer
1961TV
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Paul Martin
1959TV
Woman on the Run
Director
1959Movie
The All-Star Christmas Show
Self
1958Movie
The Hunters
Director
1958Movie
The Hunters
Producer
1958Movie
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Self
1957TV
The Enemy Below
Director
1957Movie
The Enemy Below
Producer
1957Movie
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Self - Host
1956TV
The Conqueror
Director
1956Movie
You Can't Run Away from It
Director
1956Movie
The Conqueror
Producer
1956Movie
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Creator
1956TV
Susan Slept Here
Mark Christopher
1954Movie
Climax!
Philip Marlowe
1954TV
Split Second
Director
1953Movie
The Bad and the Beautiful
James Lee Bartlow
1952Movie
This Is Your Life
Self
1952TV
Four Star Playhouse
Willie Dante
1952TV
Cry Danger
Rocky Mulloy
1951Movie
The Tall Target
John Kennedy
1951Movie
You Never Can Tell
Rex Shepherd
1951Movie
Cry Danger
Director
1951Movie
The Reformer and the Redhead
Andrew Hale
1950Movie
Right Cross
Rick Garvey
1950Movie
Lux Video Theatre
Self - Intermission Guest
1950TV
What's My Line?
Self
1950TV
The Jack Benny Program
Dick Powell
1950TV
Mrs. Mike
Sgt. Mike Flannigan
1949Movie
The Emmy Awards
Self
1949TV
Pitfall
John Forbes
1948Movie
Station West
Lt. John Martin Haven
1948Movie
To the Ends of the Earth
Commissioner Michael Barrows
1948Movie
Rogues' Regiment
Whit Corbett
1948Movie
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948TV
Johnny O'Clock
Johnny O'Clock
1947Movie
Blow-Ups of 1947
Self
1947Movie
Cornered
Laurence Gerard
1945Movie
Murder, My Sweet
Philip Marlowe
1944Movie
It Happened Tomorrow
Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens
1944Movie
Meet the People
William 'Swanee' Swanson
1944Movie
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Host
1944TV
Happy Go Lucky
Pete Hamilton
1943Movie
Riding High
Steve Baird
1943Movie
True to Life
Link Ferris
1943Movie
Three Cheers for the Girls
Singer (archive footage) (uncredited)
1943Movie
Star Spangled Rhythm
Dick Powell
1942Movie
In the Navy
Thomas Halstead
1941Movie
Model Wife
Frederick "Fred" Chambers
1941Movie
Christmas in July
Jimmy MacDonald
1940Movie
I Want a Divorce
Alan MacNally
1940Movie
Naughty but Nice
Professor Donald Hardwick
1939Movie
Hollywood Hobbies
Self (uncredited)
1939Movie
Hollywood Hotel
Ronnie Bowers
1938Movie
Going Places
Peter Mason
1938Movie
Cowboy from Brooklyn
Elly Jordan
1938Movie
Hard to Get
Bill Davis
1938Movie
Breakdowns of 1938
Elly Jordan (archive footage) (uncredited)
1938Movie
On the Avenue
Gary Blake
1937Movie
Varsity Show
Charles 'Chuck' Daly
1937Movie
The Singing Marine
Bob Brent
1937Movie
Breakdowns of 1937
Self
1937Movie
Gold Diggers of 1937
Rosmer Peck
1936Movie
Colleen
Donald Ames
1936Movie
Hearts Divided
Jerome Bonaparte
1936Movie
Stage Struck
George Randall
1936Movie
One And One Is One
Himself
1936Movie
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
Self
1936Movie
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 5"
1936Movie
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 1, From beginning"
1936Movie
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 3, Normie"
1936Movie
One And One Is One
Director
1936Movie
Broadway Gondolier
Richard 'Dick' Purcell, aka Ricardo Purcelli
1935Movie
Gold Diggers of 1935
Dick Curtis
1935Movie
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Lysander
1935Movie
Thanks a Million
Eric Land
1935Movie
Page Miss Glory
Bingo Nelson
1935Movie
Shipmates Forever
Richard 'Dick' Melville III
1935Movie
Things You Never See on the Screen
Self
1935Movie
A Dream Comes True
Himself (uncredited)
1935Movie
Dames
Jimmy Higgens
1934Movie
Flirtation Walk
Dick "Canary" Dorcy
1934Movie
Twenty Million Sweethearts
Buddy Clayton
1934Movie
Happiness Ahead
Bob Lane
1934Movie
Wonder Bar
Tommy
1934Movie
Hollywood Newsreel
Himself
1934Movie
And She Learned About Dames
Himself
1934Movie
Studio Highlights
Self (archive footage)
1934Movie
Hollywood on Parade No. B-10
Self
1934Movie
42nd Street
Billy Lawler
1933Movie
Gold Diggers of 1933
Brad
1933Movie
Footlight Parade
Scotty
1933Movie
The King's Vacation
John Kent
1933Movie
College Coach
Phil "Sarge" Sargeant
1933Movie
The Road Is Open Again
The Songwriter
1933Movie
Just Around the Corner
Jerry
1933Movie
Convention City
Jerry Ford
1933Movie
Blessed Event
Bunny Harmon
1932Movie
Too Busy to Work
Dan Hardy
1932Movie
Big City Blues
Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
1932Movie