Robert Dudley (September 13, 1869 – September 15, 1955) was a dentist turned film
character actor
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...
who, in his 35-year career, appeared in more than 115 films.
Career
Dudley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and was educated at Lake Forest College in Evanston, Illinois and Chicago, where he majored in oral surgery. In 1917 he appeared in his first film, ''
Seven Keys to Baldpate Seven Keys to Baldpate may refer to:
* '' Seven Keys to Baldpate'', a novel by Earl Derr Biggers
* ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' (play), a 1913 play by George M. Cohan based on the novel
* ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' (1916 film), a 1916 Australian si ...
'', and then made three other
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
s through 1921. After 1922 he worked consistently, appearing in three or four films a year, and making the transition to sound films in 1929 with ''
The Bellamy Trial
''The Bellamy Trial'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by Monta Bell and written by Monta Bell and Joseph Farnham. The film stars Leatrice Joy, Betty Bronson, Edward J. Nugent, George Barraud, and Margaret Livingston. The film was rele ...
''. Dudley often played characters with a quick temper, including jurors, shopkeepers, ticket agents, court clerks and justices of the peace, as well as an occasional farmer, hobo, or laborer. His performances in these small parts were frequently uncredited.
In the 1940s, Dudley was part of
Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film '' The Great McGinty'' (1940), h ...
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert ( ; born Émilie Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictures ...
and
Joel McCrea
Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he bec ...
on their escapade.
Personal life and death
The 5' 9" Dudley, who was the founder of the Troupers Club of Hollywood, was married to Elaine Anderson, and they had two girls, Jewell and Patricia Lee. He made his final film ''
As Young as You Feel
''As Young as You Feel'' is a 1951 American comedy film starring Monty Woolley, Thelma Ritter, and David Wayne, with Marilyn Monroe in a small role. It was directed by Harmon Jones.
Plot
When printer John R. Hodges is forced to retire at age 65 ...
'' in 1951 and died on September 15, 1955, in San Clemente, California.
Partial filmography
* ''
Seven Keys to Baldpate Seven Keys to Baldpate may refer to:
* '' Seven Keys to Baldpate'', a novel by Earl Derr Biggers
* ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' (play), a 1913 play by George M. Cohan based on the novel
* ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' (1916 film), a 1916 Australian si ...
Making a Man
''Making a Man'' is a 1922 American silent drama film produced by Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and directed by Joseph Henabery.''The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30'' by The American ...
Sixty Cents an Hour
''Sixty Cents an Hour'' is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by Joseph Henabery and written by Grant Carpenter and Frank Condon. Starring Walter Hiers, Jacqueline Logan, Ricardo Cortez, Charles Stanton Ogle, Lucille Ward, and Robe ...
'' (1923)
* ''
The Day of Faith
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1923)
* ''
Nobody's Bride
''Nobody's Bride'' is a 1923 American crime film directed by Herbert Blaché and written by Albert Kenyon. The film stars Herbert Rawlinson, Edna Murphy, Alice Lake, Harry von Meter, Frank Brownlee and Sidney Bracey. The film was released on Ap ...
Flapper Wives
''Flapper Wives'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Justin H. McCloskey and Jane Murfin and starring May Allison, Rockliffe Fellowes, and Vera Reynolds.
Cast
* May Allison as Claudia Bigelow
* Rockliffe Fellowes as Stephen C ...
Broadway Madness
''Broadway Madness'' is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Marguerite De La Motte, Donald Keith, and Betty Hilburn.
Plot
A young farmer in upstate New York City becomes obsessed with a Broadw ...
Fools for Luck
''Fools for Luck'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Charles Reisner and written by Harry Fried, George Marion Jr., Sam Mintz, and J. Walter Ruben. The film stars W.C. Fields, Chester Conklin, Sally Blane, Jack Luden, Mary ...
'' (1928)
* ''
The Bellamy Trial
''The Bellamy Trial'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by Monta Bell and written by Monta Bell and Joseph Farnham. The film stars Leatrice Joy, Betty Bronson, Edward J. Nugent, George Barraud, and Margaret Livingston. The film was rele ...
The Mysterious Island
''The Mysterious Island'' (french: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's f ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Dames Ahoy!
''Dames Ahoy!'' is a 1930 American comedy film directed by William James Craft and starring Glenn Tryon, Otis Harlan and Gertrude Astor. Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, it was also released in a silent version.
Synopsis
Three sa ...
Reunion
Reunion may refer to:
* Class reunion
* Family reunion
Reunion, Réunion, Re-union, Reunions or The Reunion may also refer to:
Places
* Réunion, a French overseas department and island in the Indian Ocean
* Reunion, Commerce City, Colorado, US ...
Racketeers in Exile
''Racketeers in Exile'' is a 1937 American crime film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring George Bancroft, Evelyn Venable and Wynne Gibson.Hardy p.282
Cast
* George Bancroft as William Waldo
* Evelyn Venable as Myrtle Thornton
* Wyn ...
'' (1937)
* ''
Zenobia
Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the cit ...
It Happened Tomorrow
''It Happened Tomorrow'' is a 1944 American fantasy film directed by René Clair, starring Dick Powell, Linda Darnell and Jack Oakie, and featuring Edgar Kennedy and John Philliber. It is based on the one-act play "The Jest of Haha Laba" by Lord ...
Portrait of Jennie
''Portrait of Jennie'' is a 1948 American fantasy film based on the 1940 novella by Robert Nathan. The film was directed by William Dieterle and produced by David O. Selznick. It stars Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten. At the 21st Academy Awa ...
'' (1948, uncredited)
* ''
As Young as You Feel
''As Young as You Feel'' is a 1951 American comedy film starring Monty Woolley, Thelma Ritter, and David Wayne, with Marilyn Monroe in a small role. It was directed by Harmon Jones.
Plot
When printer John R. Hodges is forced to retire at age 65 ...