Dane Clark (born Bernard Zanville; February 26, 1912September 11, 1998) was an American character actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average."

Early life

Clark was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants – Samuel, a sporting goods store owner, and his wife Rose. His date of birth is a matter of some dispute among different sources. He graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

in 1936 and earned a law degree in 1938 at St. John's University School of Law in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. During the Great Depression, he worked as a professional boxer, minor league baseball player, construction worker, and model.

Acting career

Modeling brought him in contact with people in the arts. He gradually perceived them to be snobbish, with their talk of the "theatah," and "I decided to give it a try myself, just to show them anyone could do it."

Theatre

Clark's early acting experience included work with the Group Theatre in New York City. He progressed from small

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

parts to larger ones, eventually taking over the role of George from

Wallace Ford Wallace Ford (born Samuel Grundy Jones; 12 February 1898 – 11 June 1966) was an English-born naturalized American vaudevillian, stage performer and screen actor. Usually playing wise-cracking characters, he combined a tough but friendly-fac ...

in the 1937 production of ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...

''. His other Broadway credits include ''Mike Downstairs'' (1968), ''A Thousand Clowns'' (1962), ''Fragile Fox'' (1954), ''The Number'' (1951), ''Dead End'' (1935), ''Waiting for Lefty'' (1935), ''Till the Day I Die'' (1935), and ''Panic'' (1935).

Film

Clark's first film was ''

The Pride of the Yankees ''The Pride of the Yankees'' is a 1942 American film produced by Samuel Goldwyn, directed by Sam Wood, and starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, and Walter Brennan. It is a tribute to the legendary New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, who di ...

'' (1942). He had an uncredited bit in ''

The Glass Key ''The Glass Key'' is a novel by American writer Dashiell Hammett. First published as a serial in '' Black Mask'' magazine in 1930, it then was collected in 1931 (in London; the American edition followed 3 months later). It tells the story of a ga ...

'' (1942) at Paramount.

Warner Bros.

Clark got his big break when he was signed by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in 1943. He worked alongside some of his era's biggest stars, often in war movies such as ''

Action in the North Atlantic ''Action in the North Atlantic'', also known as ''Heroes Without Uniforms'', is a 1943 American black-and-white war film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Jerry Wald, directed by Lloyd Bacon, that stars Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey as ...

'' (1943), his breakthrough part, opposite Humphrey Bogart. According to Clark, Bogart gave him his stage name. Hollywood newspaper columnist

Louella Parsons Louella Parsons (born Louella Rose Oettinger; August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) was an American movie columnist and a screenwriter. She was retained by William Randolph Hearst because she had championed Hearst's mistress Marion Davies and s ...

wrote in 1942 that Warner Bros. first changed his name to Zane Clark but then decided on Dane Clark because "Too many confused Zane Clark with Jane Clark." He was third billed in '' Destination Tokyo'' (1943) beneath

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

and

John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...

, and in '' The Very Thought of You'' (1944) with Dennis Morgan and

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films ''Caged'' (1950), ''Detective Story'' (1951), and ''Interrupted Melody'' (1955), the first ...

. He had one of the leads in ''

Hollywood Canteen The Hollywood Canteen operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in the Los Angeles, California, neighborhood of Hollywood between October 3, 1942, and November 22, 1945 (Thanksgiving Day), as a club offering food, dancing and entertainment for serv ...

'' (1944), playing an actual role while most Warners stars made cameo appearances as themselves. Clark had the lead in the 1944 short film ''

I Won't Play ''I Won't Play'' is a 1944 American short drama film directed by Crane Wilbur. It won an Oscar at the 17th Academy Awards in 1945 for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel). Cast * Dane Clark as Joe Fingers * Janis Paige as Kim Karol / Sally * Warren ...

'' with

Janis Paige Janis Paige (born Donna Mae Tjaden; September 16, 1922) is an American retired actress and singer. Born in Tacoma, Washington, she began singing in local amateur shows at the age of five. After high school, she moved to Los Angeles, where she b ...

, which received the 1945 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel). Clark supported Morgan in '' God Is My Co-Pilot'' (1945) and Garfield in ''

Pride of the Marines ''Pride of the Marines'' is a 1945 American biographical war film starring John Garfield and Eleanor Parker. It tells the story of U.S. Marine Al Schmid in World War II, his heroic stand against a Japanese attack during the Battle of Guadalc ...

'' (1945). Exhibitors voted Clark the 16th most popular star at the US box office in 1945.

Leading man

Clark supported

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

and

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

in '' A Stolen Life'' (1946) and was promoted to top billing for ''

Her Kind of Man ''Her Kind of Man'' is a 1946 American crime film noir directed by Frederick De Cordova, and starring Dane Clark, Janis Paige and Zachary Scott. The film is not to be confused with ''His Kind of Woman'' (1951) starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Ru ...

'' (1946), a crime film. He followed it with '' That Way with Women'' (1947), '' Deep Valley'' (1947), and '' Embraceable You'' (1948). Republic Pictures borrowed him to play the lead for Frank Borzage in ''

Moonrise Moonrise and moonset are times when the upper limb of the Moon appears above the horizon and disappears below it, respectively. The exact times depend on the lunar phase and declination, as well as the observer's location. As viewed from out ...

'' (1948). At Warner Bros., he was in ''

Whiplash Whiplash may refer to: * The long flexible part of a whip * Whiplash (medicine), a neck injury ** Whiplash Injury Protection System (WHIPS), in automobiles Film and television * ''Whiplash'' (1948 film), a US film noir about a boxer * ''Whiplas ...

'' (1948). Clark went to United Artists for '' Without Honor'' (1948), then back to Warner Bros. for '' Backfire'' (1950) and '' Barricade'' (1950). He travelled to England to make ''

Highly Dangerous ''Highly Dangerous'' is a 1950 British spy film starring Margaret Lockwood. The screenplay was written by Eric Ambler. It was released in the US by Lippert Pictures as ''Time Running Out''. Plot Frances Gray is as a British entomologist trying t ...

'' (1950) and France for '' Gunman in the Streets'' (1951). Back at Columbia he was in '' Never Trust a Gambler'' (1951). He acted in the United Artists Western '' Fort Defiance'' (1951). He returned to Britain for '' The Gambler and the Lady'' (1953), '' Murder by Proxy'' (1954) and '' Five Days'' (1955), all for Hammer Films. In the US, he was in ''

Go Man Go Go Man Go (1953–1983) was an American Quarter Horse stallion and race horse. He was named World Champion Quarter Running Horse three times in a row, one of only two horses to achieve that distinction. Go Man Go was considered to be of difficu ...

'' (1954) with the Harlem Globetrotters and ''

Toughest Man Alive ''Toughest Man Alive'' is a 1955 American drama film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Dane Clark, Lita Milan, and Anthony Caruso. Based on an original screenplay by Steve Fisher, the film was released on November 6, 1955. Plot Cast * ...

'' (1955). During the 1950s, he became one of a small group of actors (excluding the original 'founding' members brought in at the Studio's inception) awarded life membership in the Actors Studio.

Radio, television and later films

Clark played Peter Chambers in the short-lived radio program '' Crime and Peter Chambers'', a half-hour show which aired from April 6 to September 7, 1954. Clark first appeared on television in the late 1940s, and after the mid-1950s worked much more in that medium than in feature films. In the 1954/1955 season, he co-starred as the character Richard Adams in the

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

''. On July 1, 1955 while starring in the play '' The Shrike'', the lead actress Isabel Bonner, suffered a brain hemorrhage and died. The scene took place in a hospital, and when Isabel Bonner collapsed on a bed, Dane Clark, ad-libbing, put his arm around Bonner and said, "Ann, speak to me. Is something the matter? What's wrong, darling? I love you." Then, realizing something was wrong, he turned to the wings and said "Bring down the curtain." A film editor in the audience, Harold Cornsweet, later said of the ad-libbed scene: "It was so realistic that people in the audience were crying." He returned to films for '' The Man Is Armed'' (1956) and ''

Outlaw's Son ''Outlaw's Son'' is a 1957 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Richard Alan Simmons. The film stars Dane Clark, Ben Cooper, Lori Nelson, Ellen Drew, Charles Watts, Cecile Rogers and Joseph Stafford ...

'' (1957). In 1959, he reprised Humphrey Bogart's role as Slate in '' Bold Venture'', a short-lived television series. He also guest starred on a number of television shows, including '' Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town'', '' Appointment with Adventure'', ''CBS's Rawhide'' in the episode "Incident of the Night Visitor", and ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'', in the episode " The Prime Mover". In 1970, he guest-starred in an episode of ''

The Silent Force ''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 m ...

'' and had a role in '' The McMasters'' (1970). That same year he appeared as Barton Ellis on ''

The Men From Shiloh ''The Virginian'' (later renamed ''The Men from Shiloh'' in its final year) is an American Western television series starring James Drury in the title role, along with Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb, and others. It originally aired on NBC from 19 ...

'', rebranded name of the long running TV Western series '' The Virginian'' in the episode titled "The Mysterious Mrs. Tate." He also played Lieutenant Tragg in the short-lived revival of the ''

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 c ...

'' television series in 1973, and appeared in the 1976 miniseries '' Once an Eagle''.

Death

Clark died on September 11, 1998, of lung cancer at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. His remains were cremated and his ashes given to his widow.

Complete filmography

*''Toils of the Law'' (1938, Short) (as Bernard Zanville) *''

Money and the Woman ''Money and the Woman'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by William K. Howard and written by Robert Presnell Sr.. The film stars Jeffrey Lynn, Brenda Marshall, John Litel, Lee Patrick, Henry O'Neill and Roger Pryor. The film was release ...

'' (1940) – (scenes deleted) *'' Sunday Punch'' (1942) – Phil Grogan (uncredited) *''

'' (1942) – Fraternity Boy (uncredited) *''

Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of T ...

'' (1942) – 'Sparks' (radioman #1) (uncredited) *''

'' (1942) – Henry Sloss (uncredited) *'' Tennessee Johnson'' (1942) – Wirts (uncredited) *'' The Rear Gunner'' (1943, Short) – Benny (as Bernard Zanville) *''

'' (1943) – Johnnie Pulaski *'' Destination Tokyo'' (1943) – Tin Can *'' Over the Wall'' (1943, Short) – Benny Vigo *'' The Very Thought of You'' (1944) – Sgt. 'Fixit' Gilman *''

'' (1944, Short) – Joe Fingers *''

'' (1944) – Sgt. Nowland *'' God Is My Co-Pilot'' (1945) – Johnny Petach *''

'' (1945) – Lee Diamond *'' A Stolen Life'' (1946) – Karnock *''

'' (1946) – Don Corwin *'' That Way with Women'' (1947) – Greg Wilson *'' Deep Valley'' (1947) – Barry Burnette *'' Embraceable You'' (1948) – Eddie Novoc *''

'' (1948) – Danny Hawkins *''

'' (1948) – Michael Gordon – aka Mike Angelo *'' Without Honor'' (1949) – Bill Bandle *'' Backfire'' (1950) – Ben Arno / Lou Walsh *'' Barricade'' (1950) – Bob Peters *''Le traqué'' (1950) – Eddy Roback *''

'' (1950) – Bill Casey *'' Gunman in the Streets'' (1950) – Eddy Roback *'' Never Trust a Gambler'' (1951) – Steve Garry *'' Fort Defiance'' (1951) – Johnny Tallon *'' The Gambler and the Lady'' (1952) – Jim Forster *''

Go, Man, Go! ''Go, Man, Go!'' is a 1954 American sports film directed by James Wong Howe, starring Dane Clark, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Patricia Breslin, The Harlem Globetrotters and Slim Gaillard. Clark plays Abe Saperstein, the organizer of the Globetrotter ...

'' (1954) – Abe Saperstein *'' Murder by Proxy'' (aka ''Blackout'') (1954) – Casey Morrow *'' Five Days'' (aka ''Paid to Kill'') (1954) – James Nevill *'' Thunder Pass'' (1954) – Captain Dave Storm *'' Port of Hell'' (1954) – Gibson 'Gibb' Pardee *''

'' (1955) – Lee Stevens, posing as Pete Gore *''

Massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

'' (1956) – Capitán Ramón *'' The Man Is Armed'' (1956) – Johnny Morrison *''

'' (1957) – Nate Blaine *''The Closing Door'' (1960, TV movie) *''

'' (1961, episode: " The Prime Mover") – Ace Larsen *''Dage i min fars hus'' (aka ''Days in My Father's House'') (1968) – Eddie *'' The McMasters'' (1970) – Spencer *'' Dan August ''(1970-71 TV Series) - Episode: "The Meal Ticket" - Sam *''The Face of Fear'' (1971, TV movie) – Tamworth *''The Family Rico'' (1972, TV movie) – Boston Phil *'' Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole'' (1972, TV Movie) – Hank Cooper *''Cop on the Beat'' (1975, TV Movie) – Lt. Baker *''

Murder on Flight 502 ''Murder on Flight 502'' is a 1975 American made-for-television drama mystery thriller film directed by George McCowan. The film stars Robert Stack, Sonny Bono and Farrah Fawcett-Majors, along with an all-star ensemble television cast in suppor ...

'' (1975, TV movie) – Ray Garwood *''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'' (1975 TV series) "The Hostage" – Jesse *'' James Dean'' (1976, TV movie) – James Whitmore *''

'' (1977 TV series) "Blood Money Is Hard to Wash" – Victor Jovanko *''

'' (1978 TV series) "The Pagoda Factor" – Sergeant Riley *'' The Woman Inside'' (1981) *'' Blood Song'' (1982) – Sheriff Gibbons *''

Last Rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...

'' (1988) – Don Carlo *''Murder She Wrote (1989 TV series, season 6) "The Grand Old Lady" - Mr. Viscard

Radio appearances

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Dane 1912 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Cornell University alumni Jewish American male actors Male actors from New York City People from Flatbush, Brooklyn St. John's University School of Law alumni Warner Bros. contract players 20th-century American Jews