Douglass Dumbrille
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Douglass Rupert Dumbrille (October 13, 1889 – April 2, 1974) was a Canadian actor and one of the Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood. In 1913, the East Coast film industry was flourishing and that year he appeared in the film What Eighty Million Women Want, but it would be another 11 years before he appeared on screen again. In 1924, he made his Broadway debut and worked off and on in the theatre for several years while supplementing his income by selling such products as car accessories, tea, insurance, real estate, and books. During the Great Depression, Dumbrille moved to the West Coast of the U.S., where he specialized in playing secondary character roles alongside the great stars of the day. His physical appearance and suave voice equipped him for roles as slick politician, corrupt businessman, crooked sheriff, or unscrupulous lawyer. He was highly regarded by the studios and was sought out by Cecil B. DeMille, Frank Capra, Hal Roach and other prominent Hollywood filmmakers. A friend of fellow Canadian-born director Allan Dwan, Dumbrille played Athos in Dwan’s 1939 adaptation of The Three Musketeers. Dumbrille had roles in more than 200 motion pictures and, with the advent of television, made numerous appearances in the 1950s and 1960s. He had the ability to project a balance of menace and pomposity in roles as the "heavy" in comedy films, such as those of the Marx Brothers or Abbott and Costello.
Known For
Murchenson
Blondie of the Follies
Collector of the Port
The Buccaneer
Lepidus
Julius Caesar
Sheriff McIntyre
Son of Paleface
Jannes
The Ten Commandments
Slave trader
Road to Zanzibar
Lorel
The Princess Comes Across
Morgan
A Day at the Races
John Cedar
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Self- Lawyer
Allen in Movieland
Stewart Salsbury, alias Thomas Gregory
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island
B. Petroff (as Douglas Dumbrille)
City in Darkness
Mr. Grover
The Big Store
Brody
Baby Face
Insp. McCollum
World for Ransom
Ace Larson
Road to Utopia
Bill Brett (as Douglas Dunbrile)
The Rustler's Roundup
Paul Manderley
Castle in the Desert
Col. Price
The Savage Horde
Henry Mitchell
Riders of the Whistling Pines
Willie / Duc de Rigor
Du Barry Was a Lady
Spade
Lady Killer
Marquis de Melito
The Firefly
Grilov
Crime and Punishment
Prince de Namours de la Bonfain, Marietta's Uncle
Naughty Marietta
Mohammed Khan
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
Stillman (uncredited)
Elmer, the Great
Inspector Brant
The Frozen Ghost
Unknown Woman
Capt. Martos
Buccaneer's Girl
John Matthews
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime
Tad Hammond
Forty Thieves
Mark Foster
False Colors
Daniel J. Keefer
Lumberjack
Courtney
Under Nevada Skies
Gus Hillman
A Life at Stake
Mr. Korum, a Conspirator
The Emperor's Candlesticks
Dr. Coslow
Spook Busters
Consul (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Plunder of the Sun
Colonel Forsythe
Peter Ibbetson
Eddie Morgan
Broadway Bill
H.H. Snatcher (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Harold Teen
Comdr. La Costa
Mr. Moto in Danger Island
Dr. Bunyan
Christmas Eve
Henry Borchard
The Catman of Paris
Enzo Calibra
A Gentleman After Dark
District Commander
Thunder Afloat
U.S. Attorney Brandt (uncredited)
I Loved a Woman
Matt Cooper (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Tell No Tales
Prince Musah
Ali Baba Goes to Town
Ed Perkins
Laughter in Hell
Eustace Fentwick III
Shake, Rattle and Rock!
Benny Gordon (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Carter Stevenson
Murder Among Friends
Athos (as Douglas Dumbrille)
The Three Musketeers
George Taylor
Slightly Honorable
Eddie Howard
Riding High
Bishop
The Music Goes 'Round
Maj. Dekker
Apache War Smoke
General
A Medal for Benny
Scipio
Jupiter's Darling
Vincent Moller
The Kangaroo Kid
Governor William C.C. Claiborne
The Buccaneer
Big Dan Healey
It's a Joke, Son!
Rodeo Official
Sky Full of Moon
District Attorney (uncredited)
Hard to Handle
John Dillon - 1861
Kentucky
High Priest
Night in Paradise
Arnold Stamper (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Fast Company
Klingman
Stolen Heaven
Beau Gardner
You May Be Next!
Mario Tonelli
The Public Menace
John J. Murdock
The Lone Wolf and His Lady
Charlie Cooper
Last of the Wild Horses
Cartier (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Journal of a Crime
Buffalo Bill Cody
The World Changes
Victor Arnold
Air Hawks
Luke Roland
The Fabulous Texan
Assembly President
Scaramouche
McMahon
The Pride of the Legion
Uncle Wills
Pardon My Past
Burton Crail
Alimony
Gangster
The Door Knocker
Gen. William Henry Harrison
Ten Gentlemen from West Point
Baron Tovar
Gypsy Wildcat
Lang
Jungle Queen
Williams
South of Pago Pago
Alisandroe
His Woman
W.C. Hutton
Sangue sul sagrato
Pecos Bill aka Ben Wade
The Mysterious Rider
District Attorney Donnelly
Washington Melodrama
Hank Gibbons
Dynamite
Lou Ellis
M'Liss
Morphew
The Lone Wolf Returns
General Stuart
Operator 13
Lawyer Hammersmith (uncredited)
The Working Man
Johnny Cool
District Attorney
Jungle Woman
Pirate of the Spanish Main
Treasure Island
Jerome Culver
Woman in Distress
Joshua Mayard
Fog Over Frisco
Jake Rainwater
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Dawes
Hi, Nellie!
Maj. Drewery
Virginia City
Ed Peters
King of the Jungle
Marshal Brady (as Douglas Dumbrille)
The Lawless Rider
Baron Szigethy
I Married an Angel
Mark Harper
Blonde Savage
Stanley Whittaker
The Witness Chair
Stephen Holloway
Rovin' Tumbleweeds
Judge Collier
The Man Who Dared
Sam Edson
Smoke Lightning
George Mumford
Female
Police Commissioner LaFarge
Uncertain Glory
J.C. Thompson
A Millionaire for Christy
Breeden
The Secret Bride
August Marino
Counterfeit Lady
Bill Mason
End of the Trail
Count Maxim
Sharpshooters
District Attorney (uncredited)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Ramin Khan
Storm Over Bengal
Powhatan (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Captain John Smith and Pocahontas
Miller
Love Me Forever
Millard Nolan
Air Patrol
Jeff Hardy
The Calling of Dan Matthews
Preston
Captain Fury
Sheik Hamud El Khalid
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the Foreign Legion
Capt. Bob Lane
The Roundup
Harper
King of the Mounties
Sheriff Hoskins
The Daltons Ride Again
Marshal Tom Nightlander
Flame of the West
Lang
Jungle Safari
Chief Engineer Jim (uncredited)
Heroes for Sale
District Attorney O'Brien
Dishonored Lady
Nimativ
Lost in a Harem
Frank Farrington
Dragnet
Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
Capt. Ludlow
Stand by for Action
Tom McGalvey
The Cat Creeps
Captain Lance
Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch
Coach "Daisy" Adams
That's My Boy
Agent Chapusard
The Way to Love
George Ellerby
Tell It to the Judge
Chauffeur - aka The Wop
The Wiser Sex
E.W. Osborne
Beyond Our Own
J.J. Grant
Crime Takes a Holiday
Giuseppe Benito
The Symphony Murder Mystery
Leland Cameron James
Mobs, Inc.
George Washington
Monsieur Beaucaire
Judge Carter (uncredited)
High Time
Dan Thomas
The Big Brain
District Attorney(uncredited)
What 80 Million Women Want
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
152
Gender
Male
Birthday
1889-10-12
Place of Birth
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Also Known As
Douglass Rupert Dumbrille