Biography
Richard Dix was a major leading man at RKO Radio Pictures from 1929 through 1943. He was born Ernest Carlton Brimmer July 18, 1893, in St. Paul, Minnesota. There he was educated, and at the desires of his father, studied to be a surgeon. His obvious acting talent in his school dramatic club led him to leading roles in most of the school plays. At 6' 0" and 180 pounds, Dix excelled in sports, especially football and baseball. These skills would serve him well in the vigorous film roles he would go on to play. After a year at the University of Minnesota he took a position at a bank, spending his evenings training for the stage. His professional start was with a local stock company, and this led to similar work in New York. The death of his father left him with a mother and sister to support. He went to Los Angeles, became leading man for the Morosco Stock Company and his success there got him a contract with Paramount Pictures. His rugged good looks and dark features made him a popular player in westerns. His athletic ability led to his starring role in Paramount's Warming Up (1928), a baseball story and also the studio's first feature with synchronized score and sound effects. His deep voice and commanding presence were perfectly suited for the talkies, and he was signed by RKO Radio Pictures in 1929, scoring an early triumph in the all-talking mystery drama, Seven Keys to Baldpate (1929). In 1931 he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his masterful performance in Cimarron (1931), winner of the Best Picture Oscar that year. Throughout the 1930s Dix would be a big box-office draw at RKO, appearing in mystery thrillers, potboilers, westerns and programmers. He appeared in the "Whistler" series of mystery films at Columbia in the mid-40s. He retired from films in 1947. He first married Winifred Coe on October 20, 1931, had a daughter, Martha Mary Ellen, then divorced in 1933. He then married Virginia Webster on June 29, 1934. They had twin boys, Richard Jr. and Robert Dix and an adopted daughter, Sara Sue. Richard Dix the actor, died at age 56 on September 20, 1949.
Acted in 100
1940s
- 1947
The Thirteenth Hour
Steve Reynolds
- 1946
The Secret of the Whistler
Ralph Harrison
Mysterious Intruder
Don Gale
- 1945
Voice of the Whistler
John Sinclair / John Carter
The Power of the Whistler
William Everest
- 1944
The Mark of the Whistler
Lee Selfridge Nugent
The Whistler
Earl C. Conrad
- 1943
The Ghost Ship
Capt. Will Stone
Top Man
Tom Warren
- 1942
Eyes of the Underworld
Police Chief Richard Bryan
Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die
Wyatt Earp
- 1941
The Roundup
Steve Payson
- 1940
Cherokee Strip
Marshal Dave Lovell
Men Against the Sky
Phil Mercedes
The Marines Fly High
Lt. Danny Darrick
1930s
- 1939
Reno
William Shayne
Here I Am a Stranger
Duke Allen
Man of Conquest
Sam Houston
Twelve Crowded Hours
Nick Green
- 1938
Sky Giant
Capt. W.R. 'Stag' Cahill
Blind Alibi
Paul Dover
- 1937
It Happened in Hollywood
Tim Bart
The Devil Is Driving
Paul Driscoll
Devil's Playground
Jack Dorgan
- 1936
Special Investigator
Bill Fenwick
Devil's Squadron
Paul Redmond
Yellow Dust
Bob Culpepper
- 1935
The Tunnel
Richard 'Mack' McAllan
The Arizonian
Clay Tallant
- 1934
West of the Pecos
Pecos Smith
His Greatest Gamble
Phillip
- 1933
Day of Reckoning
John Day
Ace of Aces
Rex 'Rocky' Thorne
No Marriage Ties
Bruce Foster
The Great Jasper
Jasper Horn
- 1932
Hell's Highway
Frank 'Duke' Ellis
Roar of the Dragon
Carson
The Lost Squadron
Capt. 'Gibby' Gibson
- 1931
Secret Service
Lewis Dumont
The Public Defender
Pike Winslow
Young Donovan's Kid
Jim Donovan
The Stolen Jools
Richard Dix
- 1930
Shooting Straight
Larry Sheldon / Ted Walters
Lovin' the Ladies
Peter
1920s
- 1929
Seven Keys to Baldpate
William Magee
Redskin
Wing Foot
The Wheel of Life
Capt. Leslie Yeullet
Nothing but the Truth
Robert Bennett
The Love Doctor
Dr. Gerald Summer
- 1928
Moran of the Marines
Michael Moran
Easy Come, Easy Go
Robert Parker
Sporting Goods
Richard Shelby
- 1927
The Gay Defender
Joaquin Murrieta
Shanghai Bound
Jim Bucklin
Man Power
Tom Roberts
Knockout Reilly
Dundee 'Knockout' Reilly
Paradise for Two
Steve Porter
- 1926
The Quarterback
Jack Stone
Say It Again
Bob Howard
Fascinating Youth
Richard Dix
Let's Get Married
Billy Dexter
- 1925
Womanhandled
Bill Dana
The Vanishing American
Nophaie
The Lucky Devil
Randy Farnum
Men and Women
Will Prescott
The Shock Punch
Randall Lee Savage
A Man Must Live
Geoffrey Farnell
Too Many Kisses
Richard Gaylord, Jr.
- 1924
Manhattan
Peter Minuit
Sinners in Heaven
Alan Croft
Unguarded Women
Douglas Albright
Icebound
Ben Jordan
The Stranger
Larry Darrant
- 1923
The Call of the Canyon
Glenn Kilbourne
To the Last Man
Jean Isbel
Racing Hearts
Robby Smith
The Woman with Four Faces
Richard Templar
Souls for Sale
Frank Claymore
Quicksands
Lt. Bill
The Christian
John Storm
- 1922
The Sin Flood
Bill Bear
The Bonded Woman
Lee Marvin
Fools First
Tommy Frazer
Yellow Men and Gold
Parrish
The Wall Flower
Walt Breen
The Glorious Fool
Billy Grant
- 1921
The Poverty of Riches
John Colby
Dangerous Curve Ahead
Harley Jones
All's Fair in Love
Bobby Cameron
Not Guilty
Paul / Arthur Ellison (twins)
1910s
- 1917
One of Many
James Lowery - Butler
Produced 1
1920s
- 1921
Not Guilty
Producer
Appearances1
1920s
- 1929
A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic
Self