Douglas Harvey Dick (November 20, 1920 – December 19, 2015) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

actor and occasional screenwriter. His most famous role came in the 1948 film ''

Rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly ...

''. In 1971, Dick left the entertainment industry to work as a

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

Early years

Dick was born in

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...

, and raised in

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...

. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gamble C. Dick, and he had a brother, Gamble C. Dick Jr. He attended the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

and the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

. Before he began working in films, Dick appeared in several shows in New York and was a model for the Conover agency. One issue of '' Look'' magazine featured his picture on the cover.

Military service

Dick did patrol duty with the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

and served as an aviator in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, receiving a medical discharge from the latter.

Film

Dick's film debut was in ''

The Searching Wind ''The Searching Wind'' is a 1946 American feature film directed by William Dieterle and starring Robert Young, Sylvia Sidney, and Ann Richards. It is based on the play of the same name by Lillian Hellman. It had originally been planned for prod ...

'' (1946). Producer

Hal B. Wallis Harold Brent Wallis (born Aaron Blum Wolowicz; October 19, 1898 – October 5, 1986) was an American film producer. He is best known for producing '' Casablanca'' (1942), '' The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), and ''True Grit'' (1969), along ...

met Dick in a

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agent's office as Dick was waiting for an interview. Wallis had Dick make a screen test in New York City. The test, along with those of five other prospects, was shown to 300 women employees of Wallis' studio. Dick was the clear favorite when the women were polled, and his role in ''The Searching Wind'' was the result. His best known film role is Kenneth Lawrence in the

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

film classic ''

'' (1948). Among his other notable films are ''

The Red Badge of Courage ''The Red Badge of Courage'' is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Ove ...

'' (1951) and '' Something to Live For'' (1952).

Television

On television, Douglas Dick is best known for his role as Carl Herrick in the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

, '' Waterfront'' (1954–1955). Dick appeared once on Jim Davis' syndicated adventure series, ''

Rescue 8 ''Rescue 8'' is a syndicated American action adventure crime drama series about Los Angeles County Fire Department Rescue Squad 8. It premiered in 1958 and originally ran for two seasons with syndicated reruns continuing for almost a decade ther ...

''. Additionally, he made two appearances on

Lloyd Bridges Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...

' syndicated adventure series, ''

Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges as ...

''. He made seven guest appearances on ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'' throughout the duration of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

series from 1957 to 1966. In 1959, he played Fred Bushmiller in the title role in "The Case of the Watery Witness." In the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Glamorous Ghost," he played Walter Richey, a hotel clerk and the murder suspect. He played murder suspect Ned Chase in the 1963 episode, "The Case of the Elusive Element." He made his final appearance in 1965 as Ted Harberson in "The Case of the Wrathful Wraith."

Personal life

Dick married twice: first to Ronnie Cowan until their 1960 divorce, and second to television screenwriter Peggy Chantler from 1963 until her death in 2001. Dick retired from acting and became a

in 1971.Happy birthday, Douglas Dick!
thrillingdaysofyesteryear.blogspot.co.uk, Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.

Filmography

*''

'' (1946) as Sam Hazen (film debut). *''

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'' (1948) as Captain Mike Perry *''

Casbah A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territo ...

'' (1948) as Carlo *''

'' (1948) as Kenneth Lawrence *''

The Accused Accused or The Accused may refer to: * A person suspected with committing a crime or offence; see Criminal charge ** Suspect, a known person suspected of committing a crime * The Accüsed, a 1980s Seattle crossover thrash band *''The Accused'', a ...

'' (1949) as Bill Perry *'' Home of the Brave'' (1949) as Major Robinson *''

'' (1951) as The Lieutenant *'' Something to Live For'' (1952) as Baker *'' A Yank in Indo-China'' (1952) as Clint Marshall *''

The Iron Mistress ''The Iron Mistress'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Alan Ladd and Virginia Mayo. It ends with Bowie's marriage to Ursula de Veramendi and does not deal with his death at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. ...

'' (1952) as Narcisse de Bornay *'' So This Is Love'' (1953) as Bryan Curtis *''

The Gambler from Natchez ''The Gambler from Natchez'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Henry Levin and starring Dale Robertson and Debra Paget. Plot After four years away from New Orleans, Vance Colby is summoned by his gambler father. On a riverboat, a gam ...

'' (1953) as Claude St. Germaine *'' Footsteps in the Night'' (1957) as Henry Johnson *''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th larges ...

'' (1957) as Mel Dobie *''

Official Detective ''Official Detective'' is an American anthology television series which aired in syndication from 1957 to March 19, 1958. The series was hosted by veteran film actor Everett Sloane.McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television'' (4th ed.). New York: Pen ...

'' US series - Episode: "Loan Companies" as Schmidt (1958) *''

North to Alaska ''North to Alaska'' is a 1960 comedic Western/Northern film directed by Henry Hathaway and John Wayne (uncredited). The picture stars Wayne along with Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, Fabian, and Capucine. The script is based on the 1939 play ' ...

'' (1960) as Lieutenant (uncredited) *''

Flaming Star ''Flaming Star'' is a 1960 American Western film starring Elvis Presley, Barbara Eden and Steve Forrest, based on the book ''Flaming Lance'' (1958) by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as t ...

'' (1960) as Will Howard *''

Dawn of Victory ''Dawn of Victory'' is the third studio album by Italian symphonic power metal band Rhapsody, released in 2000. Like the previous albums, it centers on the story of Algalord and The Emerald Sword Saga. It was produced and engineered by Sascha Pae ...

'' (1966) (short subject) as Dysmas

Television roles

With reduced film-work on offer to him he moved into television acting and guest-starred in the following: *'' Waterfront'' (1955) as Carl Herrick *''

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' is the first Western television series written for adults, premiering four days before ''Gunsmoke'' on September 6, 1955. Two weeks later came the Clint Walker western ''Cheyenne''. The series is loosely base ...

'' (guest-star) *''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television Private investigator#PIs in fiction, private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith (actor), Roger Smith, Richard Long (actor), Richard Long (fr ...

'' (guest-star) *''

'' (guest-star) * ''Bonanza'' (1963): Episode “Alias Joe Cartwright” (guest-star) *''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by MGM Television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who wo ...

''" episode ''The Man from THRUSH Affair'' (1967) as Specialist *''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private inves ...

'' (1971) as George Hewitt *'' The Bold Ones: The New Doctors'' (1971) as Curt Holliman (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dick, Douglas 1920 births 2015 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from West Virginia Actors from Charleston, West Virginia American psychiatrists Male actors from Los Angeles United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II United States Navy pilots of World War II