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 Maddock

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

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

149

Gender

Male

Birthday

1889-10-12

Place of Birth

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Also Known As

Douglass Rupert Dumbrille