Dwight Iliff Frye (born Fry; February 22, 1899 – November 7, 1943) was an American
character actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his portrayals of neurotic, murderous villains in several classic
Universal horror films, such as
Renfield
R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''.[ ...](_blank)
in ''
Dracula'' (1931) and Fritz in ''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...
'' (1931).
Biography
Early life and career
![Frankenstein1931KarloffCliveCrop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Frankenstein1931KarloffCliveCrop.jpg)
Frye was born in
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889.
In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...
, and studied for a career in music and first appeared as a concert pianist.
[ In the 1920s, he made his name as a stage actor, often in comedies. In 1924, he played the Son in a production of ]Luigi Pirandello
Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...
's ''Six Characters in Search of an Author
''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' ( it, Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore, link=no ) is an Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, written and first performed in 1921. An absurdist fiction, absurdist metatheatrical, metatheatric play about th ...
''.
While he had a few minor comedic roles in silent pictures, with the coming of sound Frye soon became known for playing villains. Nicknamed "The Man with the Thousand-Watt Stare" and "The Man of a Thousand Deaths", he specialized in the portrayal of mentally unbalanced characters, including his signature role, the madman Renfield
R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''.[ ...](_blank)
in Tod Browning
Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of vari ...
's 1931 version of '' Dracula''.
Later that same year, he played the hunchbacked assistant Fritz in ''Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...
''. Also in 1931, Frye portrayed Wilmer Cook (the "gunsel") in the first film version of Dashiell Hammett
Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...
's '' The Maltese Falcon''. He had a featured role in the horror film ''The Vampire Bat
''The Vampire Bat'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code horror film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas, and Dwight Frye.
Plot
When the villagers of Kleinschloss start dying of blood loss, the town father ...
'' (1933) in which he played Herman, a half-wit suspected of being a killer. He had memorable roles in ''The Invisible Man
''The Invisible Man'' is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devo ...
'' (1933) as a reporter, and in ''The Crime of Dr. Crespi
''The Crime of Dr. Crespi'' is a 1935 American horror film starring Erich von Stroheim, Paul Guilfoyle, Jeanne Kelly, Dwight Frye, Harriet Russell, and John Bohn. It was released by Republic Pictures.Bride of Frankenstein
''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring Boris Kar ...
'' (1935), he played Karl. The part was originally much more substantive; many of Frye's additional scenes were part of a subplot but were cut to shorten the running time and appease the censors. One of the deleted scenes was that of Karl killing a Burgomaster, portrayed by E. E. Clive
Edward Erskholme Clive (28 August 1879 – 6 June 1940) was a Welsh stage actor and director who had a prolific acting career in Britain and America. He also played numerous supporting roles in Hollywood movies between 1933 and his death.
Biog ...
. Nothing remains of those scenes except still photographs included in a Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
DVD release of the film. He played similar characters in ''The Ghost of Frankenstein
''The Ghost of Frankenstein'' is a 1942 American horror film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi. It is the fourth film in the ''Frankenstein'' series by Universal Pictures, and the follow-up ...
'' (1942) and ''Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
''Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster. This was the first of a series of later called "monster rallie ...
'' (1943); another appearance in ''Son of Frankenstein
''Son of Frankenstein'' is a 1939 American horror film that was directed by Rowland V. Lee and stars Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The film is the third in Universal Pictures' ''Frankenstein'' series and is the follow-up to the ...
'' (1939) was deleted prior to release. Also in the 1930s, he appeared in two films starring James Cagney: ''The Doorway to Hell
''The Doorway to Hell'' is a 1930 American pre-Code crime film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Lew Ayres and James Cagney in his second film role.Brennan, SandraThe Doorway to Hell ''The New York Times'', accessed October 12, 2010. The fil ...
'' (1930), as a hit man, and '' Something to Sing About'' (1937), as a fussy hairdresser.
During the early 1940s, Frye alternated between film roles and appearing on stage in a variety of productions ranging from comedies to musicals, as well as appearing in a stage version of ''Dracula''. During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he made a contribution to the war effort by working nights as a tool designer for Lockheed Aircraft.[
]
Death
On November 7, 1943, Frye died of a heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
at the age of 44 while travelling by bus in Hollywood, a few days before he was scheduled to begin filming the biopic '' Wilson''. He is interred in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Musical tribute
American rock band Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
wrote and recorded a tribute track to Dwight Frye entitled "The Ballad of Dwight Fry" (intentionally dropping the last "e") that was included on their 1971 LP '' Love It to Death''. On stage, this song would be portrayed with Cooper in a straitjacket trying to escape, and finally breaking free at the end of the song to strangle the nurse with the ties.
Devil Doll's 1990 album, ''Eliogabalus
''Eliogabalus'' is the second studio album by Italian/Slovenian rock band Devil Doll, released on May 1, 1990 on Hurdy Gurdy Records.
A concept by Mr. Doctor, the title of the album is a reference to the Roman Emperor Elagabalus.
Background
...
'', features the photographed likeness of Dwight Frye in one of its booths.
SNFU
SNFU was a Canadian hardcore punk band formed in Edmonton in 1981, relocated to Vancouver in 1992, and disbanded in 2018. They released eight albums, two live records, and one compilation amid many lineup changes and several temporary breakups. ...
's 1991 compilation album '' The Last of the Big Time Suspenders'' features artwork of Dwight Frye as his "Renfield" character on the front cover.
Filmography
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Frye, Dwight
1899 births
1943 deaths
20th-century American male actors
American Christian Scientists
American male film actors
American male stage actors
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Deaths from coronary thrombosis
Male actors from Kansas
People from Salina, Kansas