Dick Powell
Acteur·rice
14 novembre 1904
Mountain View, Arkansas, USA
Died 2 janvier 1963
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.
Known for
As an actor
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
2024 · Self (archive footage)
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
2013 · Self (archive footage)
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
2012 · Self (archive footage)
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
2006 · Self (archive footage)
Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound
2006 · Self (archive footage)
Television: The First Fifty Years
1999 · Self (archive footage)
American Experience
1988 · Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
That's Dancing!
1985
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984 · (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983 · Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
It's Showtime
1976 · Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975 · Self (archive footage)
Who Killed Julie Greer?
1961 · Host / Inspector Amos Burke
Ricochet
1961 · Self - Host
One Must Die
1961
The DuPont Show of the Week
1961 · Self
The Dick Powell Show
1961 · Self - Host
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959 · Paul Martin, Dr. Timothy McVey
The All-Star Christmas Show
1958 · Self
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
1957 · Self
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956 · Self - Host
Susan Slept Here
1954 · Mark Christopher
Climax!
1954 · Philip Marlowe
The Bad and the Beautiful
1952 · James Lee Bartlow
This Is Your Life
1952 · Self
Four Star Playhouse
1952 · Willie Dante, Eddie White, US Marshal Philip Dana, Burt Stroude, Paul, Mike Donegan, Graham, Dan, Dan Hodges, Dave Robinson, Fred, Chris, Jeff, Eddie, Dave, Capt. Avery, Andrew, Will Sonnett, Fleet Mason, Grover Doane, Steve, Priest, Philip Benton, Dan Matson
Cry Danger
1951 · Rocky Mulloy
The Tall Target
1951 · John Kennedy
You Never Can Tell
1951 · Rex Shepherd
The Reformer and the Redhead
1950 · Andrew Hale
Right Cross
1950 · Rick Garvey
Lux Video Theatre
1950 · Self - Intermission Guest
What's My Line?
1950 · Self, Self - Panelist
The Jack Benny Program
1950 · Dick Powell
Mrs. Mike
1949 · Sgt. Mike Flannigan
The Emmy Awards
1949 · Self
Pitfall
1948 · John Forbes
Station West
1948 · Lt. John Martin Haven
To the Ends of the Earth
1948 · Commissioner Michael Barrows
Rogues' Regiment
1948 · Whit Corbett
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948 · Self
Johnny O'Clock
1947 · Johnny O'Clock
Blow-Ups of 1947
1947 · Self
Cornered
1945 · Laurence Gerard
Murder, My Sweet
1944 · Philip Marlowe
It Happened Tomorrow
1944 · Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens
Meet the People
1944 · William 'Swanee' Swanson
Golden Globe Awards
1944 · Self - Host
Happy Go Lucky
1943 · Pete Hamilton
Riding High
1943 · Steve Baird
True to Life
1943 · Link Ferris
Three Cheers for the Girls
1943 · Singer (archive footage) (uncredited)
Star Spangled Rhythm
1942 · Dick Powell
In the Navy
1941 · Thomas Halstead
Model Wife
1941 · Frederick "Fred" Chambers
Christmas in July
1940 · Jimmy McDonald
I Want a Divorce
1940 · Alan MacNally
Naughty but Nice
1939 · Professor Donald Hardwick
Hollywood Hobbies
1939 · Self (uncredited)
Hollywood Hotel
1938 · Ronnie Bowers
Going Places
1938 · Peter Mason
Cowboy from Brooklyn
1938 · Elly Jordan
Hard to Get
1938 · Bill Davis
Breakdowns of 1938
1938 · Elly Jordan (archive footage) (uncredited)
On the Avenue
1937 · Gary Blake
Varsity Show
1937 · Charles 'Chuck' Daly
The Singing Marine
1937 · Bob Brent
Breakdowns of 1937
1937 · Self
Gold Diggers of 1937
1936 · Rosmer Peck
Colleen
1936 · Donald Ames
Hearts Divided
1936 · Jerome Bonaparte
Stage Struck
1936 · George Randall
One And One Is One
1936 · Himself
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
1936 · Self
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 5"
1936
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 1, From beginning"
1936
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 3, Normie"
1936
Broadway Gondolier
1935 · Richard 'Dick' Purcell, aka Ricardo Purcelli
Gold Diggers of 1935
1935 · Dick Curtis
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1935 · Lysander
Thanks a Million
1935 · Eric Land
Page Miss Glory
1935 · Bingo Nelson
Shipmates Forever
1935 · Richard 'Dick' Melville III
Things You Never See on the Screen
1935 · Self
A Dream Comes True
1935 · Himself (uncredited)
Dames
1934 · Jimmy Higgens
Flirtation Walk
1934 · Dick "Canary" Dorcy
Twenty Million Sweethearts
1934 · Buddy Clayton
Happiness Ahead
1934 · Bob Lane
Wonder Bar
1934 · Tommy
Hollywood Newsreel
1934 · Himself
And She Learned About Dames
1934 · Himself
Studio Highlights
1934 · Self (archive footage)
Hollywood on Parade No. B-10
1934 · Self
42nd Street
1933 · Billy Lawler
Gold Diggers of 1933
1933 · Brad
Footlight Parade
1933 · Scotty
The King's Vacation
1933 · John Kent
College Coach
1933 · Phil "Sarge" Sargeant
The Road Is Open Again
1933 · The Songwriter
Just Around the Corner
1933 · Jerry
Convention City
1933 · Jerry Ford
Blessed Event
1932 · Bunny Harmon
Too Busy to Work
1932 · Dan Hardy
Big City Blues
1932 · Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Réalisation
Production
Ghostbreakers
1967 · Executive Producer
The Losers
1963 · Executive Producer
Who Killed Julie Greer?
1961 · Executive Producer
Ricochet
1961 · Executive Producer
The Dick Powell Show
1961 · Producer, Executive Producer
The Hunters
1958 · Producer
The Enemy Below
1957 · Producer
The Conqueror
1956 · Producer
