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.
American Empire
(Dan Taylor)
The Ten Commandments
(John McTavish)
The Thirteenth Hour
(Steve Reynolds)
The Ghost Ship
(Capt. Will Stone)
The Whistler
(Earl C. Conrad)
The Tunnel
(Richard 'Mack' McAllan)
Mysterious Intruder
(Don Gale)
The Secret of the Whistler
(Ralph Harrison)
The Mark of the Whistler
(Lee Selfridge Nugent)
Voice of the Whistler
(John Sinclair / John Carter)
The Power of the Whistler
(William Everest)
Cimarron
(Yancey Cravat)
Yellow Men and Gold
(Parrish)
The Poverty of Riches
(John Colby)
Fools First
(Tommy Frazer)
The Sin Flood
(Bill Bear)
Quicksands
(Lt. Bill)
The Glorious Fool
(Billy Grant)
Racing Hearts
(Robby Smith)
The Woman with Four Faces
(Richard Templar)
Say It Again
(Bob Howard)
Paradise for Two
(Steve Porter)
Man Power
(Tom Roberts)
Shanghai Bound
(Jim Bucklin)
The Gay Defender
(Joaquin Murrieta)
Sporting Goods
(Richard Shelby)
The Love Doctor
(Dr. Gerald Summer)
The Kansan
(John Bonniwell)
Badlands of Dakota
(James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok)
Hell's Highway
(Frank 'Duke' Ellis)
The Lost Squadron
(Capt. 'Gibby' Gibson)
Special Investigator
(Bill Fenwick)
Blind Alibi
(Paul Dover)
Twelve Crowded Hours
(Nick Green)
Eyes of the Underworld
(Police Chief Richard Bryan)
Men Against the Sky
(Phil Mercedes)
Sky Giant
(Capt. W.R. 'Stag' Cahill)
Ace of Aces
(Rex 'Rocky' Thorne)
Seven Keys to Baldpate
(William Magee)
Buckskin Frontier
(Stephen Brent)
The Vanishing American
(Nophaie)
Redskin
(Wing Foot)
Nothing But the Truth
(Robert Bennett)
It Happened in Hollywood
(Tim Bart)
The Public Defender
(Pike Winslow)
Day of Reckoning
(John Day)
Man of Conquest
(Sam Houston)
Womanhandled
(Bill Dana)
Stingaree
(Stingaree)
The Arizonian
(Clay Tallant)
Secret Service
(Lewis Dumont)
A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic
(Self)
His Greatest Gamble
(Phillip)
Lovin' the Ladies
(Peter)
The Conquerors
(Roger Standish / Roger Lennox)
Reno
(William Shayne)
Top Man
(Tom Warren)
Here I Am a Stranger
(Duke Allen)
Roar of the Dragon
(Carson)
Shooting Straight
(Larry Sheldon / Ted Walters)
The Marines Fly High
(Lt. Danny Darrick)
Men and Women
(Will Prescott)
Icebound
(Ben Jordan)
The Christian
(John Storm)
Easy Come, Easy Go
(Robert Parker)
The Devil Is Driving
(Paul Driscoll)
Yellow Dust
(Bob Culpepper)
Souls for Sale
(Frank Claymore)
The Great Jasper
(Jasper Horn)
Devil's Playground
(Jack Dorgan)
Devil's Squadron
(Paul Redmond)
West of the Pecos
(Pecos Smith)
Cherokee Strip
(Marshal Dave Lovell)
No Marriage Ties
(Bruce Foster)
The Roundup
(Steve Payson)
Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die
(Wyatt Earp)
The Stolen Jools
(Richard Dix)
The Quarterback
(Jack Stone)
Too Many Kisses
(Richard Gaylord, Jr.)
The Lucky Devil
(Randy Farnum)
Fascinating Youth
(Richard Dix)
Let's Get Married
(Billy Dexter)
Warming Up
(Bert Tulliver)
The Stranger
(Larry Darrant)
Young Donovan's Kid
(Jim Donovan)
The Call of the Canyon
(Glenn Kilbourne)
To the Last Man
(Jean Isbel)
The Shock Punch
(Randall Lee Savage)
Moran of the Marines
(Michael Moran)
Knockout Reilly
(Dundee 'Knockout' Reilly)
A Man Must Live
(Geoffrey Farnell)
The Bonded Woman
(Lee Marvin)
The Wheel of Life
(Capt. Leslie Yeullet)
The Wall Flower
(Walt Breen)
Unguarded Women
(Douglas Albright)
Sinners in Heaven
(Alan Croft)
Not Guilty
(Paul / Arthur Ellison (twins))
All's Fair in Love
(Bobby Cameron)
One of Many
(James Lowery - Butler)
Dangerous Curve Ahead
(Harley Jones)
Manhattan
(Peter Minuit)