Personal Info
Birth date
1893-07-18 (132 Years)
Day of death
1949-09-20
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Also known as
Ernest Carlton Brimmer
Richard Dix
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.
Filmography
The Thirteenth Hour
5.8
Overview:
In this drama, a trucker's business is nearly destroyed after he is wrongfully accused of killing a policeman with whom he recently quarreled.The Ten Commandments
6.5
Overview:
The first part tells the story of Moses leading the Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, his receipt of the tablets and the worship of the golden calf. The second part shows the efficacy of the commandments in modern life through a story set in San Francisco. Two brothers, rivals for the love of Mary, also come into conflict when John discovers Dan used shoddy materials to construct a cathedral.Let's Get Married
NYR
Overview:
College football star Billy Dexter is prone to getting into public fights. His father demands he reform and sends him to mend his ways with a devout old woman who deals in hymnals. She turns out to be devoutly drunk and a saloon brawler, leading to Billy's imprisonment. He tells his fiancée he's doing missionary work on a pacific island. He escapes and persuades her to marry him, all the while dodging the police who pursue him.The Quarterback
6
Overview:
Elmer Stone, quarterback of the 1899 Colton College football team vows to remain a student until Colton beats its biggest rival, State University. Twenty-seven years later, Elmer is still in school and is a classmate of his son, Jack. Other than driving a milk wagon in his spare time, Jack is also the quarterback of the football team. A matter of his eligibility comes up but he is cleared and goes out to do-or-die for Colton against State University. Maybe they will win The Big Game, and Jack's father can get a life...and a job.Cimarron
5.586
Overview:
When the government opens up the Oklahoma territory for settlement, restless Yancey Cravat claims a plot of the free land for himself and moves his family there from Wichita. A newspaperman, lawyer, and just about everything else, Cravat soon becomes a leading citizen of the boom town of Osage. Once the town is established, however, he begins to feel confined once again, and heads for the Cherokee Strip, leaving his family behind. During this and other absences, his wife Sabra must learn to take care of herself and soon becomes prominent in her own right.The Ghost Ship
6.3
Overview:
Captain Stone's newly recruited officer, Tom Merriam, idolizes his senior who treats him like a friend. But when a couple of his crew members die mysteriously, Tom starts doubting Stone's authority.American Empire
3.8
Overview:
Richard Dix as Dan Taylor and Preston S. Foster as Paxton Bryce are two longtime friends seeking their fortune in Texas after the war. The two men decide, not without problems, to establish a cattle empire. Paxton becoming too ambitious, distances himself from Dan and Abby, Paxton's wife. It will only be after a personal tragedy that he will come back to his senses.The Stolen Jools
5.583
Overview:
Famous actress Norma Shearer's jewels are stolen… (Star-packed promotional short film intended to raise funds for the National Variety Artists Tuberculosis Sanatorium.)Stingaree
5.9
Overview:
A young lady named Hilda who works as a servant for the wealthy Clarksons, sheep farmers, and dreams of being a great singer. An upcoming visit by Sir Julian, a famous composer arriving from London, drives jealous Mrs. Clarkson (an interfering biddy who fancies she can sing - but can't) to send away Hilda, so he doesn't hear Hilda has a good voice. Meanwhile, an infamous outlaw named Stingaree has just arrived in town and kidnaps Sir Julian, then poses as him at the Clarksons, where he meets Hilda a few hours before she is to leave.The Whistler
5.962
Overview:
A guilt-ridden man blames himself for his wife's death and secretly pays an assassin to kill him. But then he finds out that his wife isn't dead at all. And now the assassin is on his trail, with no way to call off the hit.The Vanishing American
6.5
Overview:
A tribe of Navajo live on a reservation overseen by an Indian-hating agent.The Kansan
5.429
Overview:
Wounded while stopping the James gang from robbing the local bank, a cowboy wakes up in the hospital to find that he's been elected town marshal. He soon comes into conflict with the town banker, who controls everything in town and is squeezing the townspeople for every penny he can get out of them.Nothing But the Truth
4.6
Overview:
A young man bets $10,000 that for 24 hour he can tell nothing but the truth.Ace of Aces
5.6
Overview:
A sculptor who doesn't want to have any part of World War I is shamed by his girlfriend into joining the army. He becomes a fighter pilot, and undergoes a complete personality change.Warming Up
NYR
Overview:
Bert, a pitcher for a baseball team in a small town, is given the opportunity to try out for a team in the big leagues. Unfortunately, he incurs the enmity of McRae, the league's leading home-run hitter. In addition, he falls for the team owner's daughter, who McRae has designs on.Badlands of Dakota
5.9
Overview:
In the Dakotas during the days of the Great Gold Boom, brothers Jim and Bob Holliday are bumping heads over the affections of pretty Anne Grayson. While all this is going on, Wild Bill Hickok does his best to neutralize the local criminal element-and to fend off the romantic overtures of boisterous Calamity Jane.Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die
5.4
Overview:
Uneven version of Wyatt Earp vs. the Clanton Gang with a little romance thrown in haphazardly.The Arizonian
NYR
Overview:
Clay Tallant comes to Silver City, Arizona in the 1880s and encounters wide-spread lawlessness and disorder, unscrupulous politicians, outlaws galore and brow-beaten citizens. He accepts the position of town marshal and, with his brother and a reformed outlaw , Tex Randolph, who comes over to his side, sets out to bring law-and-order where none exists. He also wins the hand of the singer appearing at the Opera House.Day of Reckoning
5
Overview:
In this brutal prison drama a hen-pecked husband is sentenced to prison after getting caught with his hand in the company till. He is sent to a high-rise facility in LA. It seems the fellow was only following the instructions of his domineering, constantly nagging wife who, as soon as he is put away, takes up with a more successful businessman. This causes her new lover's ex-lover to get insanely jealous and kill the conniving wife.Sky Giant
4.7
Overview:
Given the job of training young pilots for important post-war cargo flights, hard-boiled Col. Stockton forces ex-officer Stag Cahill back into the military to be his aide at the academy. Complications arise when Stockton's son Kenneth arrives for training and Stockton, believing his son to be a slackard, looks for an excuse to drop him from the program. Rivalry develops between Stag and Ken as well, as they fall for the same girl.Hell's Highway
6.2
Overview:
A prison-camp convict learns that his younger brother will soon be joining him behind bars.The Devil Is Driving
5
Overview:
In the fine tradition of And Sudden Death, Columbia's The Devil is Driving tabulates the dangers of drunken driving in an exciting, unabashedly melodramatic fashion. In his first true portrayal of a "little creep," Elisha Cook Jr. stars as Tony, the spoiled-rotten son of the wealthy and influential Mr. Stevens.The Call of the Canyon
NYR
Overview:
Returning from World War I, Glenn Kilbourne travels to Arizona to regain his health. He meets a local girl, Flo Hutler, who helps him recover. His fiancee, Carley Burch, follows him to Arizona but soon decides she'd rather go back to New York. When Flo is badly hurt in an accident, Glenn decides to repay her for her help in bringing him back to health by proposing marriage.Yellow Men and Gold
NYR
Overview:
Parrish, a young author, leaves his study during a storm to answer a call for help. He discovers a dying man and is rewarded with a treasure map, which he shows to Carroll, a retired sea captain. They plan a quest for the treasure; but before Carroll's ship sails, Parrish is drugged, relieved of the map, and thrown from the dock.Devil's Playground
5.75
Overview:
A remake of Frank Capra's Submarine (1928), Devil's Playground is a snappy Columbia "B plus" picture starring Richard Dix and Chester Morris. Submarine officers Dorgan (Dix) and Mason (Morris) battle on land for the affections of dance-hall girl Carmen (Dolores del Rio). She marries Dorgan but makes a play for Mason when her husband is on duty. The romantic rivalry is forgotten when Dorgan must rescue Mason and his crew from a sunken sub.The Sin Flood
NYR
Overview:
Stratton's café is a popular place with the people of Cottonia, a wealthy cotton town on the banks of the Mississippi, installs flood-proof doors as a safeguard against an overflow of the river; when a flood comes, it appears that the entire town will be submerged. Trapped in Stratton's cafe, amongst others, are Billy Bear, a young broker, and Poppy, a chorus girl with whom he has been in love.Acting
1947The Thirteenth Hour as Steve Reynolds
1946The Secret of the Whistler as Ralph Harrison
1946Mysterious Intruder as Don Gale
1945Voice of the Whistler as John Sinclair / John Carter
1945The Power of the Whistler as William Everest
1944The Mark of the Whistler as Lee Selfridge Nugent
1944The Whistler as Earl C. Conrad
1943The Ghost Ship as Capt. Will Stone
1943Top Man as Tom Warren
1943The Kansan as John Bonniwell
1943Buckskin Frontier as Stephen Brent
1942American Empire as Dan Taylor
1942Eyes of the Underworld as Police Chief Richard Bryan
1942Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die as Wyatt Earp
1941Badlands of Dakota as James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
1941The Roundup as Steve Payson
1940Cherokee Strip as Marshal Dave Lovell
1940Men Against the Sky as Phil Mercedes
1940The Marines Fly High as Lt. Danny Darrick
1939Reno as William Shayne
1939Here I Am a Stranger as Duke Allen
1939Man of Conquest as Sam Houston
1939Twelve Crowded Hours as Nick Green
1938Sky Giant as Capt. W.R. 'Stag' Cahill
1938Blind Alibi as Paul Dover
1937It Happened in Hollywood as Tim Bart
1937The Devil Is Driving as Paul Driscoll
1937Devil's Playground as Jack Dorgan
1936Special Investigator as Bill Fenwick
1936Devil's Squadron as Paul Redmond
1936Yellow Dust as Bob Culpepper
1935The Tunnel as Richard 'Mack' McAllan
1935The Arizonian as Clay Tallant
1934West of the Pecos as Pecos Smith
1934His Greatest Gamble as Phillip
1934Stingaree as Stingaree
1933Day of Reckoning as John Day
1933Ace of Aces as Rex 'Rocky' Thorne
1933No Marriage Ties as Bruce Foster
1933The Great Jasper as Jasper Horn
1932The Conquerors as Roger Standish / Roger Lennox
1932Hell's Highway as Frank 'Duke' Ellis
1932Roar of the Dragon as Carson
1932The Lost Squadron as Capt. 'Gibby' Gibson
1931Secret Service as Lewis Dumont
1931The Public Defender as Pike Winslow
1931Young Donovan's Kid as Jim Donovan
1931The Stolen Jools as Richard Dix
1931Cimarron as Yancey Cravat
1930Shooting Straight as Larry Sheldon / Ted Walters
1930Lovin' the Ladies as Peter
1929Seven Keys to Baldpate as William Magee
1929Redskin as Wing Foot
1929The Wheel of Life as Capt. Leslie Yeullet
1929A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic as Self
1929Nothing But the Truth as Robert Bennett
1929The Love Doctor as Dr. Gerald Summer
1928Moran of the Marines as Michael Moran
1928Warming Up as Bert Tulliver
1928Easy Come, Easy Go as Robert Parker
1928Sporting Goods as Richard Shelby
1927The Gay Defender as Joaquin Murrieta
1927Shanghai Bound as Jim Bucklin
1927Man Power as Tom Roberts
1927Knockout Reilly as Dundee 'Knockout' Reilly
1927Paradise for Two as Steve Porter
1926The Quarterback as Jack Stone
1926Say It Again as Bob Howard
1926Fascinating Youth as Richard Dix
1926Let's Get Married as Billy Dexter
1925Womanhandled as Bill Dana
1925The Vanishing American as Nophaie
1925The Lucky Devil as Randy Farnum
1925Men and Women as Will Prescott
1925The Shock Punch as Randall Lee Savage
1925A Man Must Live as Geoffrey Farnell
1925Too Many Kisses as Richard Gaylord, Jr.
1924Manhattan as Peter Minuit
1924Sinners in Heaven as Alan Croft
1924Unguarded Women as Douglas Albright
1924Icebound as Ben Jordan
1924The Stranger as Larry Darrant
1923The Call of the Canyon as Glenn Kilbourne
1923The Ten Commandments as John McTavish
1923To the Last Man as Jean Isbel
1923Racing Hearts as Robby Smith
1923The Woman with Four Faces as Richard Templar
1923Souls for Sale as Frank Claymore
1923Quicksands as Lt. Bill
1923The Christian as John Storm
1922The Sin Flood as Bill Bear
1922The Bonded Woman as Lee Marvin
1922Fools First as Tommy Frazer
1922Yellow Men and Gold as Parrish
1922The Wall Flower as Walt Breen
1922The Glorious Fool as Billy Grant
1921The Poverty of Riches as John Colby
1921Dangerous Curve Ahead as Harley Jones
1921All's Fair in Love as Bobby Cameron
1921Not Guilty as Paul / Arthur Ellison (twins)
1917One of Many as James Lowery - Butler
Production
1921Not Guilty ... Producer