Douglas Harvey Dick (November 20, 1920 – December 19, 2015) was an American actor and occasional screenwriter. His most famous role came in the 1948 film ''

Rope A rope is a group of yarns, Plying, plies, fibres, or strands that are plying, twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have high tensile strength and can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger ...

''. In 1971, Dick left the entertainment industry to work as a

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

Early years

Dick was born in

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...

, and raised in Versailles, Kentucky. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gamble C. Dick, and he had a brother, Gamble C. Dick Jr. He attended the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

and the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

. Before he began working in films, Dick appeared in several shows in New York and was a model for the Conover agency. One issue of '' Look'' magazine featured his picture on the cover.

Military service

Dick did patrol duty with the

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and served as an aviator in the

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, receiving a medical discharge from the latter.

Film

Dick's film debut was in '' The Searching Wind'' (1946). Producer Hal B. Wallis met Dick in a Broadway agent's office as Dick was waiting for an interview. Wallis had Dick make a screen test in New York City. The test, along with those of five other prospects, was shown to 300 women employees of Wallis' studio. Dick was the clear favorite when the women were polled, and his role in ''The Searching Wind'' was the result. His best known film role is Kenneth Lawrence in the

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

film classic ''

'' (1948). Among his other notable films are '' The Red Badge of Courage'' (1951) and '' Something to Live For'' (1952).

Television

On television, Douglas Dick is best known for his role as Carl Herrick 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 ...

, '' Waterfront'' (1954–1955). Dick appeared once on Jim Davis' syndicated adventure series, '' Rescue 8''. Additionally, he made two appearances on Lloyd Bridges' syndicated adventure series, '' Sea Hunt''. He made seven guest appearances on '' Perry Mason'' throughout the duration of the CBS series from 1957 to 1966. In 1959, he played Fred Bushmiller in the title role in "The Case of the Watery Witness." In the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Glamorous Ghost," he played Walter Richey, a hotel clerk and the murderer. He played murder suspect Ned Chase in the 1963 episode, "The Case of the Elusive Element." He made his final appearance in 1965 as Ted Harberson in "The Case of the Wrathful Wraith."

Personal life

Dick married twice: first to Ronnie Cowan until their 1960 divorce, and second to television screenwriter Peggy Chantler from 1963 until her death in 2001. Dick retired from acting and became a

in 1971.Happy birthday, Douglas Dick!
thrillingdaysofyesteryear.blogspot.co.uk, Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.

Filmography

*'' The Searching Wind'' (1946) as Sam Hazen (film debut). *''

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'' (1948) as Captain Mike Perry *'' Casbah'' (1948) as Carlo *''

'' (1948) as Kenneth Lawrence *'' The Accused'' (1949) as Bill Perry *'' Home of the Brave'' (1949) as Major Robinson *'' The Red Badge of Courage'' (1951) as The Lieutenant *'' Something to Live For'' (1952) as Baker *'' A Yank in Indo-China'' (1952) as Clint Marshall *'' The Iron Mistress'' (1952) as Narcisse de Bornay *'' So This Is Love'' (1953) as Bryan Curtis *'' The Gambler from Natchez'' (1953) as Claude St. Germaine *'' Footsteps in the Night'' (1957) as Henry Johnson *''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circul ...

'' (1957) as Mel Dobie *'' Official Detective'' US series - Episode: "Loan Companies" as Schmidt (1958) *'' North to Alaska'' (1960) as Lieutenant (uncredited) *'' Flaming Star'' (1960) as Will Howard *'' Dawn of Victory'' (1966) (short subject) as Dysmas

Television roles

With reduced film-work on offer to him he moved into television acting and guest-starred in the following: *'' Waterfront'' (1955) as Carl Herrick *'' The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (guest-star) *'' Sea Hunt'' (guest-star) *'' 77 Sunset Strip'' (guest-star) *'' Perry Mason'' (guest-star) * ''Bonanza'' (1963): Episode “Alias Joe Cartwright” (guest-star) *'' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''" episode ''The Man from THRUSH Affair'' (1967) as Specialist *'' Mannix'' (1971) as George Hewitt *'' The Bold Ones: The New Doctors'' (1971) as Curt Holliman (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dick, Douglas 1920 births 2015 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Charleston, West Virginia American psychiatrists Male actors from Los Angeles United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II United States Navy pilots of World War II