Dan Duryea ( , January 23, 1907 – June 7, 1968) was an American actor in

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, stage, and

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

. Known for portraying villains, he had a long career in a variety of leading and secondary roles.Gaita, Paul
Dan Duryea Biography."
''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved: December 1, 2023.

Early life

Duryea was born and raised in

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

. He graduated from White Plains High School in 1924 and

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in 1928. While at Cornell, Duryea was elected into the Sphinx Head Society, Cornell's oldest senior honor society. He majored in English, and in his senior year succeeded Franchot Tone as president of the college drama society. Because his parents did not approve of his choice of an acting career, Duryea became an advertising executive. After six years, he had a heart attack that sidelined him for a year.

Acting career

Stage

Returning to his earlier love of acting and the stage, Duryea made his name on Broadway in the play '' Dead End'', followed by '' The Little Foxes'', in which he portrayed Leo Hubbard. He appeared on Broadway in ''Many Mansions'' (1937) and ''Missouri Legend'' (1938).

Film

Dan Duryea Jane Wyman John McIntire Wagon Train 1962

In 1940, Duryea moved to Hollywood to appear in the film version of ''The Little Foxes''.Maltin 1994, p. 252. He continued to establish himself with supporting and secondary roles in films such as '' The Pride of the Yankees'' (1942) and '' None But the Lonely Heart'' (1944). As the 1940s progressed, he found his niche as the "sniveling, deliberately taunting" antagonist in a number of films noir ('' Scarlet Street'', '' The Woman in the Window'', '' The Great Flamarion'', '' Criss Cross'', '' Too Late for Tears'', '' Johnny Stool Pigeon''), and Westerns such as '' Along Came Jones'' and '' Black Bart'', although he was sometimes cast in more sympathetic roles ('' Black Angel'', '' One Way Street''). In 1946, exhibitors voted him the eighth most promising "star of tomorrow". Duryea co-starred opposite Gary Cooper three times in the 1940s: '' Ball of Fire'', '' Pride of the Yankees'' and '' Along Came Jones''. In the 1950s, Duryea co-starred with

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

in three films, '' Winchester '73'' (as the dastardly "Waco Johnny" Dean), ''

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

'', and '' Night Passage''. He was featured in several other westerns, including '' Silver Lode'', '' Ride Clear of Diablo'', and '' The Marauders'', and in more film-noir productions like '' 36 Hours'', '' Chicago Calling'', '' Storm Fear'', and '' The Burglar''. When interviewed by

Hedda Hopper Elda Furry (May 2, 1885February 1, 1966), known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the Hous ...

in the early 1950s, Duryea spoke of career goals and his preparation for roles:

Well, first of all, let's set the stage or goal I set for myself when I decided to become an actor ... not just 'an actor', but a successful one. I looked in the mirror and knew with my "puss" and 155-pound weakling body, I couldn't pass for a leading man, and I had to be different. And I sure had to be courageous, so I chose to be the meanest s.o.b. in the movies ... strictly against my mild nature, as I'm an ordinary, peace-loving husband and father. Inasmuch, as I admired fine actors like Richard Widmark, Victor Mature, Robert Mitchum, and others who had made their early marks in the dark, sordid, and guilt-ridden world of
film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...
; here, indeed, was a market for my talents. I thought the meaner I presented myself, the tougher I was with women, slapping them around in well-produced films where evil and death seem to lurk in every nightmare alley and behind every venetian blind in every seedy apartment, I could find a market for my screen characters.... At first it was very hard as I am a very even-tempered guy, but I used my past life experiences to motivate me as I thought about some of the people I hated in my early, as well as later, life ... like the school bully who used to try and beat the hell out of me at least once a week ... a sadistic family doctor that believed feeling pain when he treated you was the birthright of every man inasmuch as women suffered giving birth ... little incidents with trade-people who enjoyed acting superior because they owned their business, overcharging you. Then the one I used when I had to slap a woman around was easy! I was slapping the over-bearing teacher who would fail you in their 'holier-than-thou' class and enjoy it! And especially the experiences I had dealing with the unbelievable pompous 'know-it-all-experts' that I dealt with during my advertising agency days ... almost going 'nuts' trying to please these 'corporate heads' until I finally got out of that racket!"

In his last years, Duryea reteamed with Stewart for the adventure film '' The Flight of the Phoenix'', about men stranded in the Sahara desert by a downed airplane, appearing as a mild-mannered accountant, closer to his real-life persona. He worked in overseas film productions including the British neo-noir thriller '' Do You Know This Voice?'' (1964), the Italian Western '' The Hills Run Red'', aka ''Un Fiume di dollari'', (1966) and the spy thriller '' Five Golden Dragons'' (1967) in West Germany, while continuing to find roles on American television. He appeared twice on the big screen with his son, character actor Peter Duryea, in the low-budget Westerns ''

Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries ''Killer'' from 6 until 20 Septe ...

'' (1964) and '' The Bounty Killer'' (1965).

Television

Duryea starred as the lead character China Smith in the

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

'' China Smith'' from 1952 to 1953 and ''The New Adventures of China Smith'' from 1954 to 1956. He later guest-starred as Roy Budinger, the self-educated mastermind of a criminal ring dealing in silver bullion, in the episode "Terror Town" on October 18, 1958, of NBC's

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series '' Cimarron City''. On season 1, episode 15 of ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'', he guest-starred as the title character in "The Cliff Grundy Story" (December 1957). He reappeared as Cliff, saving Robert Horton's Flint McCullough from being "Shanghaied" in S1 E39 "The Sacramento Story" which aired 6/24/1958. In 1959, Duryea appeared as an alcoholic gunfighter in the third episode of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'', " Mr. Denton on Doomsday". He guest starred on NBC's

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

'' The Barbara Stanwyck Show'' and appeared in an episode of '' Rawhide'' in 1959, "Incident Of The Executioner." On September 15, 1959, Duryea guest-starred as the outlaw Bud Carlin in the episode "Stage Stop", the premiere of NBC's '' Laramie'' western series. Duryea appeared again as Luke Gregg on ''Laramie'' on October 25, 1960, in the episode "The Long Riders". Duryea put in a comic performance in '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' in an episode called "Three Wives Too Many" (1964). Three weeks later, on November 16, 1960, Duryea played a mentally unstable pioneer obsessed by demons and superstitions in "The Bleymier Story" of NBC's ''

''. Elen Willard played his daughter;

James Drury James Child Drury Jr. (April 18, 1934 – April 6, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for having played the title role in the 90-minute weekly Western television series '' The Virginian'', which was broadcast on NBC from 1962 ...

, his daughter's suitor. Duryea was cast twice in 1960 as Captain Brad Turner in consecutive episodes of the NBC western series '' Riverboat''. He spoofed his tough-guy image in a comedy sketch about a robbery on the Dec. 4, 1960 episode of '' The Jack Benny Program''. Duryea guest starred in a 1962 episode of ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' TV western series as Marshal Blake opposite Dale Robertson. In 1963, Duryea portrayed Dr. Ben Lorrigan on NBC's medical drama, '' The Eleventh Hour''. In 1967, a television version of '' Winchester '73'' was released in which Duryea played the part of Bart McAdam, an uncle to Lin and Dakin McAdam. A notable co-star in the film was John Saxon (Dakin McAdam). From 1967 to 1968, he appeared in a recurring role as Eddie Jacks on the

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

'' Peyton Place''.

Personal life

Duryea was different from the unsavory characters he often portrayed. He was married for 35 years to his wife, Helen, until her death in January 1967. The couple had two sons:

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

(who worked for a time as an actor), and Richard, a talent agent. At home, Duryea lived a quiet life at his house in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

, devoting himself to gardening, boating, and community activities including, at various times, active membership in the local parent-teacher association and Scout Master of a Boy Scout troop."Obituary."
''Dan Duryea Central''. Retrieved: May 14, 2013. Duryea died of cancer on June 7, 1968, at the age of 61. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' noted the passing of a "heel with sex appeal." His remains are interred in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. There is a street named after Duryea in San Antonio, Texas.

Filmography

Partial television appearances

*'' China Smith'' (1952–1953) (26 episodes) as China Smith *'' The New Adventures of China Smith'' (1954-1956) (26 episodes) as China Smith *''

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playh ...

'' (1952–1958) (5 episodes) as China Smith / Federal Agent Sam Ireland / Pete Richards *'' December Bride'' (1955) (Episode: "High Sierras") as himself *''

'' (1957–1964) (7 episodes) as Sam Race / Amos / Samuel Bleymier / Joshua Gilliam / Survivor / Cliff Grundy *''

Zane Grey Theater ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Westerns on television, Western anthology television series broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956 until May 18, 1961. Synopsis Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which ...

'' (1958) (Season 2 Episode 16: "This Man Must Die") as Kirk Joiner *'' Laramie'' (1959) (Season 1 Episode 1: "Stage Stop") as Bud Carlin *'' Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'' (1959) (Season 5 Episode 15: "Texas John Slaughter: Showdown at Sandoval") as Dan Trask *''

'' (1959) (Season 1 Episode 3: " Mr. Denton on Doomsday") as Al Denton *'' Rawhide'' (1959) (Season 1 Episode 3: "Incident with an Executioner") as Jardin *'' Laramie'' (1960) (Season 2 Episode 6: "The Long Riders") as Luke Gregg *''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'' (1960) (Season 2 Episode 3: "Badge Without Honor") as U.S. Dep. Marshall Gerald Eskith *'' Route 66'' (1961) (Season 1 Episode 24: "Don't Count Stars") as Mike McKay *''

(1961) (Season 5 Episode 22: "Knight of the Sun") as Henry Jacob Hanley *'' Laramie'' (1961) (Season 3 Episode 4: "The Mountain Men") as Ben Sanford *'' Naked City'' (1962) (Season 4 Episode 3: "Daughter, Am I In My Father's House?") as Clyde Royd *'' Tales of Wells Fargo'' (1962) (Season 6 Episode 23: "Winter Storm") as Marshal Blake *'' Going My Way'' (1962) (Season 1 Episode 9: "Mr. Second Chance") as Harold Harrison *'' Rawhide'' (1962) (Season 5 Episode 9: "Incident of the Wolvers") as Abner Cannon *'' Rawhide'' (1963) (Season 6 Episode 9: "Incident of Prophecy") as Brother William *'' Route 66'' (1963) (Season 4 Episode 9: "A Cage in Search of a Bird") as Jay Leonard Ringsby *''

'' (1964) (Season 6 Episode 5: "Logan's Treasure") as Sam Logan *'' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' (1964) (Season 2 Episode 12: "Three Wives Too Many") as Raymond Brown *'' Combat! (TV series)'' (1965) (Season 3 Episode 23: "Dateline") as Barton *'' The Virginian'' (1966) (Season 5 Episode 6: "The Challenge") as Ben Crayton *'' Combat! (TV series)'' (1967) (Season 5 Episode 22: "A Little Jazz") as Bernie Wallace *'' Peyton Place'' (1967–1968) (60 episodes) as Eddie Jacks

Radio performances

* ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of anxiety or excitement caused by mysteriousness, uncertainty, doubt, or undecidedness. In a narrative work, suspense is the audience's excited anticipation about the plot or conflict (which may be heightened by a viol ...

'', "The Man Who Couldn't Lose" (1947) * ''

'', "The Man from Homicide" (1951) * ''

'', "Remember Me" (1952)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Maltin, Leonard. "Dan Duryea". ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia.'' New York: Dutton, 1994. .

External links

Dan Duryea Central
* *
Duryea interview
*
Photographs and literature on Dan DuryeaDan Duryea Article on "Western Clippings"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duryea, Dan 1907 births 1968 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from cancer in California Cornell University alumni Male actors from Greater Los Angeles Male actors from White Plains, New York Male Western (genre) film actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American male actors White Plains High School alumni