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.
Known For
Dan Taylor
American Empire
John McTavish
The Ten Commandments
Steve Reynolds
The Thirteenth Hour
Capt. Will Stone
The Ghost Ship
Earl C. Conrad
The Whistler
Richard 'Mack' McAllan
The Tunnel
Don Gale
Mysterious Intruder
Ralph Harrison
The Secret of the Whistler
William Everest
The Power of the Whistler
Lee Selfridge Nugent
The Mark of the Whistler
John Sinclair / John Carter
Voice of the Whistler
Yancey Cravat
Cimarron
Parrish
Yellow Men and Gold
John Colby
The Poverty of Riches
Tommy Frazer
Fools First
Bill Bear
The Sin Flood
Billy Grant
The Glorious Fool
Lt. Bill
Quicksands
Robby Smith
Racing Hearts
Richard Templar
The Woman with Four Faces
Bob Howard
Say It Again
Steve Porter
Paradise for Two
Tom Roberts
Man Power
Jim Bucklin
Shanghai Bound
Dr. Gerald Summer
The Love Doctor
Joaquin Murrieta
The Gay Defender
Richard Shelby
Sporting Goods
John Bonniwell
The Kansan
James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok
Badlands of Dakota
Frank 'Duke' Ellis
Hell's Highway
Capt. 'Gibby' Gibson
The Lost Squadron
Bill Fenwick
Special Investigator
Nick Green
Twelve Crowded Hours
Paul Dover
Blind Alibi
Police Chief Richard Bryan
Eyes of the Underworld
Phil Mercedes
Men Against the Sky
Capt. W.R. 'Stag' Cahill
Sky Giant
Rex 'Rocky' Thorne
Ace of Aces
William Magee
Seven Keys to Baldpate
Stephen Brent
Buckskin Frontier
Nophaie
The Vanishing American
Wing Foot
Redskin
Robert Bennett
Nothing But the Truth
Tim Bart
It Happened in Hollywood
Pike Winslow
The Public Defender
Sam Houston
Man of Conquest
John Day
Day of Reckoning
Bill Dana
Womanhandled
Clay Tallant
The Arizonian
Stingaree
Stingaree
Lewis Dumont
Secret Service
Self
A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic
Phillip
His Greatest Gamble
Peter
Lovin' the Ladies
Roger Standish / Roger Lennox
The Conquerors
William Shayne
Reno
Tom Warren
Top Man
Duke Allen
Here I Am a Stranger
Carson
Roar of the Dragon
Larry Sheldon / Ted Walters
Shooting Straight
Lt. Danny Darrick
The Marines Fly High
Will Prescott
Men and Women
Ben Jordan
Icebound
John Storm
The Christian
Robert Parker
Easy Come, Easy Go
Paul Driscoll
The Devil Is Driving
Bob Culpepper
Yellow Dust
Frank Claymore
Souls for Sale
Jasper Horn
The Great Jasper
Jack Dorgan
Devil's Playground
Paul Redmond
Devil's Squadron
Pecos Smith
West of the Pecos
Marshal Dave Lovell
Cherokee Strip
Bruce Foster
No Marriage Ties
Steve Payson
The Roundup
Wyatt Earp
Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die
Richard Dix
The Stolen Jools
Jack Stone
The Quarterback
Richard Gaylord, Jr.
Too Many Kisses
Randy Farnum
The Lucky Devil
Richard Dix
Fascinating Youth
Billy Dexter
Let's Get Married
Bert Tulliver
Warming Up
Larry Darrant
The Stranger
Jim Donovan
Young Donovan's Kid
Glenn Kilbourne
The Call of the Canyon
Jean Isbel
To the Last Man
Randall Lee Savage
The Shock Punch
Michael Moran
Moran of the Marines
Dundee 'Knockout' Reilly
Knockout Reilly
Geoffrey Farnell
A Man Must Live
Lee Marvin
The Bonded Woman
Capt. Leslie Yeullet
The Wheel of Life
Walt Breen
The Wall Flower
Douglas Albright
Unguarded Women
Alan Croft
Sinners in Heaven
James Lowery - Butler
One of Many
Paul / Arthur Ellison (twins)
Not Guilty
Bobby Cameron
All's Fair in Love
Harley Jones
Dangerous Curve Ahead
Peter Minuit
Manhattan
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
101
Gender
Male
Birthday
1893-07-18
Place of Birth
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Also Known As
Ernest Carlton Brimmer