Dan Duryea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dan Duryea
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Duryea as "Waco Johnny" Dean in Winchester '73 (1950)
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| Born | January 23, 1907 White Plains, New York, U.S.
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| Died | June 7, 1968 (aged 61) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, California |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1933–1968 |
| Spouse(s) |
Helen Bryan
(m. 1932; died 1967) |
| Children | 2, including Peter Duryea |
Dan Duryea (born January 23, 1907 – died June 7, 1968) was an American actor. He worked in movies, on stage, and in television shows. Dan Duryea was famous for playing many different types of characters. He often played villains, but he also had many main and supporting roles.
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Early life and education
Dan Duryea was born and grew up in White Plains, New York. He finished high school in 1924. Later, he graduated from Cornell University in 1928. At Cornell, he studied English. He was also the president of the college drama club.
After college, Duryea worked in advertising for a few years. It was a very stressful job. Because of this, he decided to go back to his first love: acting.
Acting career
On stage
Dan Duryea became well-known on Broadway. This is where many famous plays are performed in New York City. He starred in a play called Dead End. He also played Leo Hubbard in The Little Foxes. He appeared in other plays too, like Many Mansions and Missouri Legend.
In movies
In 1940, Duryea moved to Hollywood to act in the movie version of The Little Foxes. He started getting more roles in movies. He appeared in films like The Pride of the Yankees (1942). He also acted in None But the Lonely Heart (1944).
As the 1940s went on, he became known for playing "sneaky" or "mean" bad guys. He was in many films noir. These are dark, crime-filled movies. Some of his famous film noir roles were in Scarlet Street and The Woman in the Window. He also starred in Westerns. These included Along Came Jones and Black Bart. Sometimes, he played kinder characters, like in Black Angel.
In the 1950s, Duryea worked with famous actor James Stewart three times. He played the villain "Waco Johnny" Dean in Winchester '73. He also appeared in Thunder Bay and Night Passage. He continued to act in many Westerns and film noir movies.
Towards the end of his career, Duryea was in The Flight of the Phoenix. In this adventure movie, he played a quiet accountant. This role was much more like his real-life personality. He also acted in movies made outside the U.S. He was in a British thriller and an Italian Western. He even appeared with his son, Peter Duryea, in two Western movies.
On television
Dan Duryea was the main character, China Smith, in the TV series China Smith. This show ran from 1952 to 1953. He also starred in The New Adventures of China Smith.
He made guest appearances on many other TV shows. He was in an episode of Cimarron City in 1958. He also appeared in Wagon Train several times. In 1959, he was in "Mr. Denton on Doomsday", an episode of The Twilight Zone. He also appeared in Rawhide and Laramie.
Duryea even showed his funny side. He was in a comedy sketch on The Jack Benny Program in 1960. Later in his career, from 1967 to 1968, he had a regular role as Eddie Jacks on the TV show Peyton Place.
Personal life
In real life, Dan Duryea was very different from the tough characters he played. He was married to his wife, Helen, for 35 years. They had two sons, Peter and Richard. Peter also became an actor for a while.
At home, Duryea lived a quiet life. He enjoyed gardening and boating. He was also active in his community. He helped with the local parent-teacher association. He was even a Scout Master for a Boy Scout troop.
Dan Duryea passed away from cancer on June 7, 1968. He was 61 years old. He is buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Selected film and television roles
- The Little Foxes (1941) as Leo Hubbard
- Ball of Fire (1941) as Duke Pastrami
- The Pride of the Yankees (1942) as Hank Hanneman
- Sahara (1943) as Jimmy Doyle
- The Woman in the Window (1944) as Heidt / Tim, the Doorman
- Along Came Jones (1945) as Monte Jarrad
- Scarlet Street (1945) as Johnny Prince
- Black Angel (1946) as Martin Blair
- Criss Cross (1949) as Slim Dundee
- Winchester '73 (1950) as Waco Johnny Dean
- The Twilight Zone (1959) (Episode: "Mr. Denton on Doomsday") as Al Denton
- The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) as Standish
- Peyton Place (1967–1968) as Eddie Jacks (60 episodes)
Images for kids
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Duryea as "Waco Johnny" Dean in Winchester '73 (1950)
See also
In Spanish: Dan Duryea para niños
