Tom Keene | |
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Publicity photograph of Tom Keene for Our Daily Bread (1934)
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Born |
George Duryea December 30, 1896 Rochester, New York, U.S. |
Died | August 4, 1963 Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
(aged 66)
Cause of death | Cancer |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
Other names | Dick Powers Richard Powers Tom Keen |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1923–1959 |
Spouse(s) | Grace Stafford (m. 1919–40) |
Tom Keene (December 30, 1896 – August 4, 1963) was an American actor known mostly for his roles in B Westerns.
Born as George Duryea (no relation to fellow actor Dan Duryea) in Rochester, New York, Keene studied at Columbia University and Carnegie Tech before embarking on an acting career. He made his film debut in the 1923 short film The Just a Little Late Club. Keene followed with roles in The Godless Girl (1929) directed by Cecil B. DeMille, Tide of Empire (1929) with Renée Adorée, Thunder with Lon Chaney, Sr., Tol'able David (1930), Sundown Trail (1931). In 1934 King Vidor cast him in the socially conscious Depression oriented classic Our Daily Bread with Karen Morley.
During the 1940s, Keene appeared in the film serial The Great Alaskan Mystery and two Dick Tracy films Dick Tracy's Dilemma and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947). In the 1950s, he moved on to television with guest roles on The Range Rider, Buffalo Bill, Jr., Fury, Judge Roy Bean, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Keene's last film role was in the Ed Wood-directed cult film Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959). He retired soon after this and focused on real estate and the insurance business.