James Dunn (actor)
| James Dunn | |
|---|---|
Dunn in 1955.
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| Born |
James Howard Dunn November 2, 1901 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 1967 (aged 65) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | following abdominal surgery |
| Occupation | Actor, Vaudeville performer |
| Years active | 1929-1966 |
| Spouse(s) | Edna O'Lier (m.19?? - 19??) Frances Gifford (m.1938-1942; divorced) Edna Rush (m.1945-1967; his death) |
James Howard Dunn (November 2, 1901 – September 1, 1967) was an American film actor.
Born in New York City, Dunn was the son of a Wall Street . He joined his father in his business for three years. Dunn started his entertainment career in vaudeville before progressing to films at Paramount's Astoria studios in the late 1920s starting as an extra. After a gap where he appeared in stock companies, he returned to films. He was signed by Fox in 1931, making 22 films and several more on loan-out.
Dunn made a strong first impression with his first role, in director Frank Borzage's Bad Girl. He went on to make several formula films, including Society Girl (1932), in which he played a boxer distracted by his girlfriend (Peggy Shannon) and whose manager, played by Spencer Tracy in a rare supporting role, walks out in frustration; and Hello, Sister! (1933), a butchered recutting and partial reshooting of Erich von Stroheim's film Walking Down Broadway with Boots Mallory and ZaSu Pitts. Dunn's early successes included four Shirley Temple films in 1934, Baby Take a Bow, Stand Up and Cheer!, Change of Heart and Bright Eyes. The roles that followed did nothing to further his career, and during the late 1930s his prospects were further diminished by a battle with alcoholism.
In 1945 his performance in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He portrayed an alcoholic but good-natured Irish father, a dreamer whose presence brought joy to those around him even though he was never a success in the traditional sense.
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