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.
Filmography
all 103
Movies 92
self 28
TV Shows 11
Director 6
Producer 3
Writer 1
Voice 1
The Conqueror (Hollywood Fallout) (2023)
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored (2013)
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage (2006)
That's Dancing! (1985)
Going Hollywood: The '30s (1984)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983)
It's Showtime (1976)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1975)
Paper Moon (1973)
Ghostbreakers (1967)
The Love Goddesses (1965)
The Losers (1963)
Pericles on 31st Street (1962)
Ricochet (1961)
The Dick Powell Show (1961)
Who Killed Julie Greer? (1961)
The DuPont Show of the Week (1961)
The DuPont Show with June Allyson (1959)
Woman on the Run (1959)
The Hunters (1958)
The Enemy Below (1957)
You Can't Run Away from It (1956)
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (1956)
The Conqueror (1956)
Climax! (1954)
Susan Slept Here (1954)
Split Second (1953)
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
This Is Your Life (1952)
Four Star Playhouse (1952)
You Never Can Tell (1951)
The Tall Target (1951)
Cry Danger (1951)
Right Cross (1950)
Lux Video Theatre (1950)
The Reformer and the Redhead (1950)
What's My Line? (1950)
Mrs. Mike (1949)
The Emmy Awards (1949)
Rogues' Regiment (1948)
Station West (1948)
Pitfall (1948)
The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)
To the Ends of the Earth (1948)
Blow-Ups of 1947 (1947)
Johnny O'Clock (1947)
Cornered (1945)
Murder, My Sweet (1944)
Meet the People (1944)
It Happened Tomorrow (1944)
True to Life (1943)
Riding High (1943)
Three Cheers for the Girls (1943)
Happy Go Lucky (1943)
Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
In the Navy (1941)
Model Wife (1941)
Christmas in July (1940)
I Want a Divorce (1940)
Naughty But Nice (1939)
Hollywood Hobbies (1939)
Going Places (1938)
Breakdowns of 1938 (1938)
Hard to Get (1938)
Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938)
Hollywood Hotel (1938)
Breakdowns of 1937 (1937)
Varsity Show (1937)
The Singing Marine (1937)
On the Avenue (1937)
Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936)
Stage Struck (1936)
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) (1936)
Hearts Divided (1936)
Colleen (1936)
One And One Is One (1936)
A Dream Comes True (1935)
Things You Never See on the Screen (1935)
Thanks a Million (1935)
Shipmates Forever (1935)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Page Miss Glory (1935)
Broadway Gondolier (1935)
Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
Flirtation Walk (1934)
Happiness Ahead (1934)
Dames (1934)
Studio Highlights (1934)
Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934)
Wonder Bar (1934)
And She Learned About Dames (1934)
Hollywood Newsreel (1934)
Convention City (1933)
College Coach (1933)
Footlight Parade (1933)
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
42nd Street (1933)
The King's Vacation (1933)
The Road Is Open Again (1933)
Just Around the Corner (1933)
Too Busy to Work (1932)
Big City Blues (1932)
Blessed Event (1932)
Ratings
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1904-11-14
Deathday1963-01-02 (58 years old)
Birth PlaceMountain View, United States of America
ReligionChristian Science
RelationshipsJune Allyson (1945-08-19 - 1963-01-01), Joan Blondell (1936-09-19 - 1944-01-01)
SpouseMildred Maund
ChildrenRichard Powell, Jr., Ellen Powell
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
ResidencesLittle Rock · Berryville · Mountain View, United States of America
Also Known AsRichard Ewing Powell, Дик Пауэлл, Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell
AwardsTrustees Award, Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame, star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
- Dick Powell
- Filmography
- Information
- Related Persons