Richard Dix

Born

July 18, 1893

Died

September 20, 1949 (56 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA

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.

The Thirteenth Hour

The Thirteenth Hour

Steve Reynolds

5.8

1947

The Secret of the Whistler

The Secret of the Whistler

Ralph Harrison

5.9

1946

Mysterious Intruder

Mysterious Intruder

Don Gale

5.9

1946

Voice of the Whistler

Voice of the Whistler

John Sinclair / John Carter

5.7

1945

The Power of the Whistler

The Power of the Whistler

William Everest

5.8

1945

The Mark of the Whistler

The Mark of the Whistler

Lee Selfridge Nugent

6.0

1944

The Whistler

The Whistler

Earl C. Conrad

6.0

1944

The Ghost Ship

The Ghost Ship

Capt. Will Stone

6.3

1943

Top Man

Top Man

Tom Warren

0.0

1943

The Kansan

The Kansan

John Bonniwell

5.3

1943

Buckskin Frontier

Buckskin Frontier

Stephen Brent

6.0

1943

American Empire

American Empire

Dan Taylor

3.8

1942

Eyes of the Underworld

Eyes of the Underworld

Police Chief Richard Bryan

4.8

1942

Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die

Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die

Wyatt Earp

5.4

1942

Badlands of Dakota

Badlands of Dakota

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok

5.9

1941

The Roundup

The Roundup

Steve Payson

8.0

1941

Cherokee Strip

Cherokee Strip

Marshal Dave Lovell

4.5

1940

Men Against the Sky

Men Against the Sky

Phil Mercedes

4.4

1940

The Marines Fly High

The Marines Fly High

Lt. Danny Darrick

5.5

1940

Reno

Reno

William Shayne

6.0

1939

Here I Am a Stranger

Here I Am a Stranger

Duke Allen

7.0

1939

Man of Conquest

Man of Conquest

Sam Houston

5.4

1939

Twelve Crowded Hours

Twelve Crowded Hours

Nick Green

5.2

1939

Sky Giant

Sky Giant

Capt. W.R. 'Stag' Cahill

4.7

1938

Blind Alibi

Blind Alibi

Paul Dover

5.8

1938

It Happened in Hollywood

It Happened in Hollywood

Tim Bart

6.1

1937

The Devil Is Driving

The Devil Is Driving

Paul Driscoll

5.0

1937

Devil's Playground

Devil's Playground

Jack Dorgan

5.8

1937

Special Investigator

Special Investigator

Bill Fenwick

5.8

1936

Devil's Squadron

Devil's Squadron

Paul Redmond

6.0

1936

Yellow Dust

Yellow Dust

Bob Culpepper

4.0

1936

The Tunnel

The Tunnel

Richard 'Mack' McAllan

5.3

1935

The Arizonian

The Arizonian

Clay Tallant

0.0

1935

West of the Pecos

West of the Pecos

Pecos Smith

0.0

1934

His Greatest Gamble

His Greatest Gamble

Phillip

5.0

1934

Stingaree

Stingaree

Stingaree

5.9

1934

Day of Reckoning

Day of Reckoning

John Day

5.0

1933

Ace of Aces

Ace of Aces

Rex 'Rocky' Thorne

5.6

1933

No Marriage Ties

No Marriage Ties

Bruce Foster

4.8

1933

The Great Jasper

The Great Jasper

Jasper Horn

0.0

1933

The Conquerors

The Conquerors

Roger Standish / Roger Lennox

4.8

1932

Hell's Highway

Hell's Highway

Frank 'Duke' Ellis

6.2

1932

Roar of the Dragon

Roar of the Dragon

Carson

6.0

1932

The Lost Squadron

The Lost Squadron

Capt. 'Gibby' Gibson

6.3

1932

Secret Service

Secret Service

Lewis Dumont

6.0

1931

The Public Defender

The Public Defender

Pike Winslow

6.0

1931

Young Donovan's Kid

Young Donovan's Kid

Jim Donovan

0.0

1931

The Stolen Jools

The Stolen Jools

Richard Dix

5.6

1931

Cimarron

Cimarron

Yancey Cravat

5.6

1931

Shooting Straight

Shooting Straight

Larry Sheldon / Ted Walters

6.0

1930

Lovin' the Ladies

Lovin' the Ladies

Peter

3.0

1930

Seven Keys to Baldpate

Seven Keys to Baldpate

William Magee

6.3

1929

Redskin

Redskin

Wing Foot

5.5

1929

The Wheel of Life

The Wheel of Life

Capt. Leslie Yeullet

0.0

1929

A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic

A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic

Self

4.0

1929

Nothing But the Truth

Nothing But the Truth

Robert Bennett

4.6

1929

The Love Doctor

The Love Doctor

Dr. Gerald Summer

0.0

1929

Moran of the Marines

Moran of the Marines

Michael Moran

0.0

1928

Warming Up

Warming Up

Bert Tulliver

0.0

1928

Easy Come, Easy Go

Easy Come, Easy Go

Robert Parker

0.0

1928

Sporting Goods

Sporting Goods

Richard Shelby

0.0

1928

The Gay Defender

The Gay Defender

Joaquin Murrieta

0.0

1927

Shanghai Bound

Shanghai Bound

Jim Bucklin

0.0

1927

Man Power

Man Power

Tom Roberts

0.0

1927

Knockout Reilly

Knockout Reilly

Dundee 'Knockout' Reilly

0.0

1927

Paradise for Two

Paradise for Two

Steve Porter

0.0

1927

The Quarterback

The Quarterback

Jack Stone

6.0

1926

Say It Again

Say It Again

Bob Howard

0.0

1926

Fascinating Youth

Fascinating Youth

Richard Dix

0.0

1926

Let's Get Married

Let's Get Married

Billy Dexter

0.0

1926

Womanhandled

Womanhandled

Bill Dana

7.0

1925

The Vanishing American

The Vanishing American

Nophaie

6.5

1925

The Lucky Devil

The Lucky Devil

Randy Farnum

6.5

1925

Men and Women

Men and Women

Will Prescott

0.0

1925

The Shock Punch

The Shock Punch

Randall Lee Savage

6.0

1925

A Man Must Live

A Man Must Live

Geoffrey Farnell

0.0

1925

Too Many Kisses

Too Many Kisses

Richard Gaylord, Jr.

5.5

1925

Manhattan

Manhattan

Peter Minuit

6.0

1924

Sinners in Heaven

Sinners in Heaven

Alan Croft

0.0

1924

Unguarded Women

Unguarded Women

Douglas Albright

0.0

1924

Icebound

Icebound

Ben Jordan

0.0

1924

The Stranger

The Stranger

Larry Darrant

0.0

1924

The Call of the Canyon

The Call of the Canyon

Glenn Kilbourne

0.0

1923

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments

John McTavish

6.5

1923

To the Last Man

To the Last Man

Jean Isbel

0.0

1923

Racing Hearts

Racing Hearts

Robby Smith

0.0

1923

The Woman with Four Faces

The Woman with Four Faces

Richard Templar

0.0

1923

Souls for Sale

Souls for Sale

Frank Claymore

6.2

1923

Quicksands

Quicksands

Lt. Bill

5.0

1923

The Christian

The Christian

John Storm

0.0

1923

The Sin Flood

The Sin Flood

Bill Bear

0.0

1922

The Bonded Woman

The Bonded Woman

Lee Marvin

3.0

1922

Fools First

Fools First

Tommy Frazer

0.0

1922

Yellow Men and Gold

Yellow Men and Gold

Parrish

0.0

1922

The Wall Flower

The Wall Flower

Walt Breen

0.0

1922

The Glorious Fool

The Glorious Fool

Billy Grant

0.0

1922

The Poverty of Riches

The Poverty of Riches

John Colby

0.0

1921

Dangerous Curve Ahead

Dangerous Curve Ahead

Harley Jones

0.0

1921

All's Fair in Love

All's Fair in Love

Bobby Cameron

0.0

1921

Not Guilty

Not Guilty

Paul / Arthur Ellison (twins)

0.0

1921

One of Many

One of Many

James Lowery - Butler

0.0

1917