Dorothy Dwan (April 26, 1906 – March 17, 1981) was an American film actress.
Biography
Born Dorothy Ilgenfritz in
Sedalia, Missouri
Sedalia is a city located approximately south of the Missouri River and, as the county seat of Pettis County, Missouri, United States, it is the principal city of the Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...
, Dwan was a WAMPAS Baby Star. She appeared in 40 films between 1922 and 1930, several of which were directed by her second husband,
Larry Semon
Lawrence Semon (February 9, 1889 – October 8, 1928) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter during the silent film era. In his day, Semon was considered a major movie comedian, but he is now remembered mainly for working ...
.
In 1928, Dwan moved from making films to acting on stage, signing with Henry Duffy to act in his Pacific Coast theaters.
Dwan married three times. She had one child, a son, Paul, from her third marriage to Paul Northcutt Boggs Jr. Dwan died in
Ventura, California
Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...
from
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
The Enemy Sex
''The Enemy Sex'' is a 1924 American silent drama film starring Betty Compson and directed by her husband James Cruze. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released by Paramount Pictures. It is taken from the 1914 novel ''The Salamande ...
Kid Speed
''Kid Speed'' also known as ''The Four Wheeled Terror'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Larry Semon and featuring Oliver Hardy.
Plot
A group of young men are tuning up their race cars and sportsters in a small garage. Dange ...
The Great K & A Train Robbery
''The Great K & A Train Robbery'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Tom Mix and Dorothy Dwan. The film is based on the actual foiling of a train robbery by Dick Gordon as related by Paul Leicester Fo ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Call of the Klondike
''The Call of the Klondike'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Oscar Apfel and starring Gaston Glass, Dorothy Dwan and Earl Metcalfe.
Cast
* Gaston Glass as Dick Norton
* Dorothy Dwan as Violet Winter
* Earl Metcalfe as Mort ...
'' (1926)
* ''
A Captain's Courage
''A Captain's Courage'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Louis Chaudet and starring Edward Earle, Dorothy Dwan and Lafe McKee.Munden p.111
Cast
* Edward Earle
* Dorothy Dwan
* Lafe McKee
* Ashton Dearholt
* Jack Henderson
* Al ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Dangerous Dude
''The Dangerous Dude'' is a 1926 American silent action film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Reed Howes, Bruce Gordon and Dorothy Dwan.Munden p.166
Cast
* Reed Howes as Bob Downs
* Bruce Gordon as Harold Simpson
* Dorothy Dwan as J ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Hills of Kentucky
''Hills of Kentucky'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Howard Bretherton and written by Edward Clark. The film stars Rin Tin Tin, Jason Robards, Sr., Dorothy Dwan, and features Tom Santschi and Billy Kent Schaefer. It was rele ...
The Princess on Broadway
''The Princess on Broadway'' is a 1927 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starring Pauline Garon, Dorothy Dwan and Johnnie Walker.Munden p.619
Cast
* Pauline Garon as Mary Ryan
* Dorothy Dwan as Rose Ry ...
Riders of the Dark
''Riders of the Dark'' is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by Nick Grinde and written by W. S. Van Dyke and Madeleine Ruthven. The film stars Tim McCoy, Dorothy Dwan, Rex Lease, Roy D'Arcy and Frank Currier. The film was released on ...
Out with the Tide
''Out with the Tide'' is a 1928 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Charles Hutchison and starring Dorothy Dwan, Cullen Landis and Crauford Kent.Munden p.579
Cast
* Dorothy Dwan as Joan Renshaw
* Cullen Landis as John Templeton ...
The Peacock Fan
''The Peacock Fan'' is a 1929 American silent mystery film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Lucien Prival, Dorothy Dwan and Tom O'Brien.Pitts p.87 A review in ''Variety'' described it as a "fairly interesting melodrama of the who-killed-Regi ...
'' (1929)
* ''
The California Mail
''The California Mail'' is a 1929 American silent Western film directed by Albert S. Rogell and written by Marion Jackson and Leslie Mason. The film stars Ken Maynard, Dorothy Dwan, Lafe McKee, Paul Hurst, C.E. Anderson and Fred Burns. The fi ...
'' (1929)
* ''
The Fighting Legion
''The Fighting Legion'' is a 1930 American pre-Code Western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and written by Bennett Cohen and Leslie Mason. The film stars Ken Maynard, Dorothy Dwan, Harry Todd, Frank Rice, Ernie Adams, and Stanley Blystone. ...