Dan Duryea ( , January 23, 1907 – June 7, 1968) was an American actor in film, stage, and television. Known for portraying villains, he had a long career in a variety of leading and secondary roles.

Early life

Duryea was born and raised in White Plains, New York. He graduated from White Plains High School in 1924 and Cornell University in 1928. While at Cornell, Duryea was elected into the Sphinx Head Society, Cornell's oldest senior honor society. He majored in English, and in his senior year succeeded Franchot Tone as president of the college drama society. He appeared on Broadway in Many Mansions (1937) and Missouri Legend (1938).

Film

thumb|right|upright|[[Trailer (promotion)|Trailer for Along Came Jones (1945)]]

thumb|right|upright|With [[Jane Wyman and John McIntire in television series Wagon Train (1962)]]

In 1940, Duryea moved to Hollywood to appear in the film version of The Little Foxes. He continued to establish himself with supporting and secondary roles in films such as The Pride of the Yankees (1942) and None But the Lonely Heart (1944). As the 1940s progressed, he found his niche as the "sniveling, deliberately taunting" antagonist in a number of films noir (Scarlet Street, The Woman in the Window, The Great Flamarion, Criss Cross, Too Late for Tears, Johnny Stool Pigeon), and Westerns such as Along Came Jones and Black Bart, although he was sometimes cast in more sympathetic roles (Black Angel, One Way Street).

Duryea co-starred opposite Gary Cooper three times in the 1940s: Ball of Fire, Pride of the Yankees and Along Came Jones. In the 1950s, Duryea co-starred with James Stewart in three films, Winchester '73 (as the dastardly "Waco Johnny" Dean), Thunder Bay, and Night Passage. He was featured in several other westerns, including Silver Lode, Ride Clear of Diablo, and The Marauders, and in more film-noir productions like 36 Hours, Chicago Calling, Storm Fear, and The Burglar.

When interviewed by Hedda Hopper in the early 1950s, Duryea spoke of career goals and his preparation for roles:

<blockquote>Well, first of all, let's set the stage or goal I set for myself when I decided to become an actor ... not just 'an actor', but a successful one. I looked in the mirror and knew with my "puss" and 155-pound weakling body, I couldn't pass for a leading man, and I had to be different. And I sure had to be courageous, so I chose to be the meanest s.o.b. in the movies ... strictly against my mild nature, as I'm an ordinary, peace-loving husband and father. Inasmuch, as I admired fine actors like Richard Widmark, Victor Mature, Robert Mitchum, and others who had made their early marks in the dark, sordid, and guilt-ridden world of film noir; here, indeed, was a market for my talents. I thought the meaner I presented myself, the tougher I was with women, slapping them around in well-produced films where evil and death seem to lurk in every nightmare alley and behind every venetian blind in every seedy apartment, I could find a market for my screen characters.... At first it was very hard as I am a very even-tempered guy, but I used my past life experiences to motivate me as I thought about some of the people I hated in my early, as well as later, life ... like the school bully who used to try and beat the hell out of me at least once a week ... a sadistic family doctor that believed feeling pain when he treated you was the birthright of every man inasmuch as women suffered giving birth ... little incidents with trade-people who enjoyed acting superior because they owned their business, overcharging you. Then the one I used when I had to slap a woman around was easy! I was slapping the over-bearing teacher who would fail you in their 'holier-than-thou' class and enjoy it! And especially the experiences I had dealing with the unbelievable pompous 'know-it-all-experts' that I dealt with during my advertising agency days ... almost going 'nuts' trying to please these 'corporate heads' until I finally got out of that racket!"</blockquote>

In his last years, Duryea reteamed with Stewart for the adventure film The Flight of the Phoenix, about men stranded in the Sahara desert by a downed airplane, appearing as a mild-mannered accountant, closer to his real-life persona. He worked in overseas film productions including the British neo-noir thriller Do You Know This Voice? (1964), the Italian Western The Hills Run Red, aka Un Fiume di dollari, (1966) and the spy thriller Five Golden Dragons (1967) in West Germany, while continuing to find roles on American television. He appeared twice on the big screen with his son, character actor Peter Duryea, in the low-budget Westerns Taggart (1964) and The Bounty Killer (1965).

Personal life and death

Duryea was different from the unsavory characters he often portrayed. He was married for 35 years to his wife, Helen, until her death in January 1967. The couple had two sons: Peter (who worked for a time as an actor), and Richard, a talent agent. At home, Duryea lived a quiet life at his house in the San Fernando Valley, devoting himself to gardening, boating, and community activities including, at various times, active membership in the local parent-teacher association and Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop.

Duryea died of esophageal cancer on June 7, 1968, at the age of 61. The New York Times noted the passing of a "heel with sex appeal." His remains are interred in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year

! Film

! Role

! Director

! class="unsortable" | Notes

|-

| 1934

| The Tango on Broadway

| Laurita's Boyfriend

| Louis J. Gasnier

| uncredited

|-

| 1941

| The Little Foxes

| Leo Hubbard

| William Wyler

|

|-

| 1941

| Ball of Fire

| Duke Pastrami

| Howard Hawks

|

|-

| 1942

| The Pride of the Yankees

| Hank Hanneman

| Sam Wood

|

|-

| 1942

| That Other Woman

| Ralph Cobb

| Ray McCarey

|

|-

| 1943

| Sahara

| Jimmy Doyle

| Zoltán Korda

|

|-

| 1944

| Man from Frisco

| Jim Benson

| Robert Florey

|

|-

| 1944

| Mrs. Parkington

| Jack Stilham

| Tay Garnett

|

|-

| 1944

| None But the Lonely Heart

| Lew Tate

| Clifford Odets

|

|-

| 1944

| The Woman in the Window

| Heidt / Tim, the Doorman

| Fritz Lang

|

|-

| 1944

| Ministry of Fear

| Cost / Travers the Tailor

| Fritz Lang

|

|-

| 1945

| Main Street After Dark

| Posey Dibson

| Edward L. Cahn

|

|-

| 1945

| The Great Flamarion

| Al Wallace

| Anthony Mann

|

|-

| 1945

| The Valley of Decision

| William Scott Jr.

| Tay Garnett

|

|-

| 1945

| Along Came Jones

| Monte Jarrad

| Stuart Heisler

|

|-

| 1945

| Lady on a Train

| Arnold Waring

| Charles David

|

|-

| 1945

| Scarlet Street

| Johnny Prince

| Fritz Lang

|

|-

| 1946

| Black Angel

| Martin Blair

| Roy William Neill

|

|-

| 1946

| White Tie and Tails

| Charles Dumont

| Charles Barton

|

|-

| 1948

| Black Bart

| Charles E. Boles / Black Bart

| George Sherman

|

|-

| 1948

| River Lady

| Beauvais

| George Sherman

|

|-

| 1948

| Another Part of the Forest

| Oscar Hubbard

| Michael Gordon

|

|-

| 1948

| Larceny

| Silky Randall

| George Sherman

|

|-

| 1949

| Criss Cross

| Slim Dundee

| Robert Siodmak

|

|-

| 1949

| Manhandled

| Karl Benson

| Lewis R. Foster

|

|-

| 1949

| Too Late for Tears

| Danny Fuller

| Byron Haskin

|

|-

| 1949

| Johnny Stool Pigeon

| Johnny Evans

| William Castle

|

|-

| 1950

| One Way Street

| John Wheeler

| Hugo Fregonese

|

|-

| 1950

| Winchester '73

| Waco Johnny Dean

| Anthony Mann

|

|-

| 1950

| The Underworld Story

| Mike Reese

| Cy Endfield

|

|-

| 1951

| Chicago Calling

| William R. Cannon

| John Reinhardt

|

|-

| 1951

| Al Jennings of Oklahoma

| Al Jennings

| Ray Nazarro

|

|-

| 1953

| Thunder Bay

| Gambi

| Anthony Mann

|

|-

| 1953

| Sky Commando

| Colonel Ed (E.D.) Wyatt

| Fred F. Sears

|

|-

| 1953

| Terror Street

| Major Bill Rogers

|

|

|-

| 1954

| World for Ransom

| Mike Callahan / Corrigan

| Robert Aldrich (uncredited)

|

|-

| 1954

| Ride Clear of Diablo

| Whitey Kincade

| Jesse Hibbs

|

|-

| 1954

| Rails Into Laramie

| Jim Shanessy

| Jesse Hibbs

|

|-

| 1954

| Silver Lode

| Fred McCarty

| Allan Dwan

|

|-

| 1954

| This Is My Love

| Murray Myer

| Stuart Heisler

|

|-

| 1955

| Foxfire

| Hugh Slater

| Joseph Pevney

|

|-

| 1955

| The Marauders

| Avery

| Gerald Mayer

|

|-

| 1955

| Storm Fear

| Fred Blake

| Cornel Wilde

|

|-

| 1956

| Battle Hymn

| Sergeant Herman

| Douglas Sirk

|

|-

| 1957

| The Burglar

| Nat Harbin

| Paul Wendkos

|

|-

| 1957

| Night Passage

| Whitey Harbin

| James Neilson

|

|-

| 1957

| Slaughter on Tenth Avenue

| John Jacob Masters

| Arnold Laven

|

|-

| 1958

| Kathy O

| Harry Johnson

| Jack Sher

|

|-

| 1960

| Platinum High School

| Major Redfern Kelly

| Charles Haas

|

|-

| 1962

| Six Black Horses

| Frank Jesse

| Harry Keller

|

|-

| 1965

| Daniel Boone

| Simon Perigore

|

|

|-

| 1964

| He Rides Tall

| Bart Thorne

| R. G. Springsteen

|

|-

| 1964

| Do You Know This Voice?

| John Hopta

|

|

|-

| 1964

| Walk a Tightrope

| Carl Lutcher

| Frank Nesbitt

|

|-

| 1964

| Taggart

| Jay Jason

| R. G. Springsteen

|

|-

| 1965

| The Bounty Killer

| Willie Duggan

| Spencer Gordon Bennet

|

|-

| 1965

| The Flight of the Phoenix

| Standish

| Robert Aldrich

|

|-

| 1966

| Incident at Phantom Hill

| Joe Barlow

| Earl Bellamy

|

|-

| 1966

| The Hills Run Red

| Colonel Winny Getz

|

|-

| 1967

| Winchester '73

| Bart McAdam

|

| TV Movie

|-

| 1967

| Five Golden Dragons

| Dragon #1

| Jeremy Summers

|

|-

| 1967

| Stranger on the Run

| O.E. Hotchkiss

| Don Siegel

| TV Movie

|-

| 1968

| The Bamboo Saucer

| Hank Peters

| Frank Telford

| Filmed in 1966, released posthumously; final film role

|}

Partial television appearances

  • Kate Smith Kate Smith Hour, Live TV, January 16, 1952. Stars in a one act play, "Land's End".
  • China Smith (1952–1953) (26 episodes) as China Smith
  • The New Adventures of China Smith (1954–1956) (26 episodes) as China Smith
  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1952–1958) (5 episodes) as China Smith / Federal Agent Sam Ireland / Pete Richards
  • December Bride (1955) (Episode: "High Sierras") as himself
  • Wagon Train (1957–1964) (7 episodes) as Sam Race / Amos / Samuel Bleymier / Joshua Gilliam / Survivor / Cliff Grundy
  • Zane Grey Theater (1958) (Season 2 Episode 16: "This Man Must Die") as Kirk Joiner
  • Laramie (1959) (Season 1 Episode 1: "Stage Stop") as Bud Carlin
  • Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1959) (Season 5 Episode 15: "Texas John Slaughter: Showdown at Sandoval") as Dan Trask
  • The Twilight Zone (1959) (Season 1 Episode 3: "Mr. Denton on Doomsday") as Al Denton
  • Rawhide (1959) (Season 1 Episode 3: "Incident with an Executioner") as Jardin
  • Laramie (1960) (Season 2 Episode 6: "The Long Riders") as Luke Gregg
  • Bonanza (1960) (Season 2 Episode 3: "Badge Without Honor") as U.S. Dep. Marshall Gerald Eskith
  • Route 66 (1961) (Season 1 Episode 24: "Don't Count Stars") as Mike McKay
  • Zane Grey Theater (1961) (Season 5 Episode 22: "Knight of the Sun") as Henry Jacob Hanley
  • Laramie (1961) (Season 3 Episode 4: "The Mountain Men") as Ben Sanford
  • Naked City (1962) (Season 4 Episode 3: "Daughter, Am I In My Father's House?") as Clyde Royd
  • Tales of Wells Fargo (1962) (Season 6 Episode 23: "Winter Storm") as Marshal Blake
  • Going My Way (1962) (Season 1 Episode 9: "Mr. Second Chance") as Harold Harrison
  • Rawhide (1962) (Season 5 Episode 9: "Incident of the Wolvers") as Abner Cannon
  • Rawhide (1963) (Season 6 Episode 9: "Incident of Prophecy") as Brother William
  • Route 66 (1963) (Season 4 Episode 9: "A Cage in Search of a Bird") as Jay Leonard Ringsby
  • Bonanza (1964) (Season 6 Episode 5: "Logan's Treasure") as Sam Logan
  • The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964) (Season 2 Episode 12: "Three Wives Too Many") as Raymond Brown
  • Combat! (TV series) (1965) (Season 3 Episode 23: "Dateline") as Barton
  • The Virginian (1966) (Season 5 Episode 6: "The Challenge") as Ben Crayton
  • Combat! (TV series) (1967) (Season 5 Episode 22: "A Little Jazz") as Bernie Wallace
  • Peyton Place (1967–1968) (60 episodes) as Eddie Jacks

Radio performances

  • Suspense, "The Man Who Couldn't Lose" (1947)
  • Suspense, "The Man from Homicide" (1951)
  • Suspense, "Remember Me" (1952)

References

Notes

Bibliography

  • Maltin, Leonard. "Dan Duryea". Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia. New York: Dutton, 1994. .

Further reading

  • Dan Duryea Central
  • Duryea interview
  • Photographs and literature on Dan Duryea
  • Dan Duryea Article on "Western Clippings"