Dick Powell
Known for Acting · 106 credits
- Born
- 1904-11-14
- Died
- 1963-01-02
- Place of birth
- Mountain View, Arkansas, USA
- Also known as
- Richard Ewing Powell · Дик Пауэлл · Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell
Biography
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss.
Born in Mountain View, the seat of Stone County in northern Arkansas, Powell attended the former Little Rock College in the state capital, before he started his entertainment career as a singer with the Charlie Davis Orchestra, based in the midwest. He recorded a number of records with Davis and on his own, for the Vocalion label in the late 1920s.
Powell moved to Pittsburgh, where he found great local success as the Master of Ceremonies at the Enright Theater and the Stanley Theater. In April 1930, Warner Bros. bought up Brunswick Records which at that time owned Vocalion. Warner Bros. was sufficiently impressed by Powell's singing and stage presence to offer him a film contract in 1932. He made his film debut as a singing bandleader in Blessed Event. He went on to star as a boyish crooner in movie musicals such as 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, Gold Diggers of 1933, Dames, Flirtation Walk, and On the Avenue, often appearing opposite Ruby Keeler and Joan Blondell.
Powell desperately wanted to expand his range but Warner Bros. wouldn't allow him to do so, although they did (mis)cast him in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) as Lysander. This was to be Powell's only Shakespearean role and one he did not want to play, feeling that he was completely wrong for the part. Finally, reaching his forties and knowing that his young romantic leading man days were behind him he lobbied to play the lead in Double Indemnity. He lost out to Fred MacMurray, another Hollywood nice guy. MacMurray’s success, however, fueled Powell’s resolve to pursue projects with greater range and in 1944, he was cast in the first of a series of films noir, as private detective Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet, directed by Edward Dmytryk. The film was a big hit and Powell had successfully reinvented himself as a dramatic actor.
The following year Dmytryk and Powell re-teamed to make Cornered, a gripping, post-WWII thriller that helped define the film noir style. He became a popular "tough guy" lead appearing in movies such as Johnny O'Clock and Cry Danger. But 1948 saw him step out of the brutish type when he starred in Pitfall, a film noir that sees a bored insurance company worker fall for an innocent but dangerous femme fatale, played by Lizabeth Scott. Even when he appeared in lighter fare such as The Reformer and the Redhead and Susan Slept Here (1954) he never sang in his later roles. The latter, his final onscreen appearance in a feature film, did include a dance number with costar Debbie Reynolds.
Known For
American Experience
1988
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Host
What's My Line?
1950
as Self / Self - Panelist
Climax!
1954
as Philip Marlowe
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Willie Dante / Eddie White / US Marshal Philip Dana / Burt Stroude / Graham / Mike Donegan / Paul / Dan Hodges / Dave Robinson / Fred / Chris / Jeff / Capt. Avery / Andrew / Will Sonnett / Fleet Mason / Grover Doane / Steve / Priest / Philip Benton / Dan Matson
TV Shows (15)
American Experience
1988
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Host
What's My Line?
1950
as Self / Self - Panelist
Climax!
1954
as Philip Marlowe
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Willie Dante / Eddie White / US Marshal Philip Dana / Burt Stroude / Graham / Mike Donegan / Paul / Dan Hodges / Dave Robinson / Fred / Chris / Jeff / Capt. Avery / Andrew / Will Sonnett / Fleet Mason / Grover Doane / Steve / Priest / Philip Benton / Dan Matson
This Is Your Life
1952
as Self
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Self - Host
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
1957
as Self
The Jack Benny Program
1950
as Dick Powell
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Self - Intermission Guest
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959
as Paul Martin / Dr. Timothy McVey
The Dick Powell Show
1961
as Self - Host
The Emmy Awards
1949
as Self
The DuPont Show of the Week
1961
as Self
Movies (91)
Footlight Parade
1933
as Scotty
Hollywood Newsreel
1934
as Himself
Convention City
1933
as Jerry Ford
The Bad and the Beautiful
1952
as James Lee Bartlow
Wonder Bar
1934
as Tommy
Susan Slept Here
1954
as Mark Christopher
Gold Diggers of 1933
1933
as Brad
Hollywood on Parade No. B-10
1934
as Self
FDR
1994
as Self (archive footage)
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1935
as Lysander
Studio Highlights
1934
as Self (archive footage)
Murder, My Sweet
1944
as Philip Marlowe
The King's Vacation
1933
as John Kent
That's Dancing!
1985
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Star Spangled Rhythm
1942
as Dick Powell
The Road Is Open Again
1933
as The Songwriter
It's Showtime
1976
as Self (archive footage)
Model Wife
1941
as Frederick "Fred" Chambers
Pitfall
1948
as John Forbes
The Reformer and the Redhead
1950
as Andrew Hale
42nd Street
1933
as Billy Lawler
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975
as Self (archive footage)
The Tall Target
1951
as John Kennedy
Just Around the Corner
1933
as Jerry
It Happened Tomorrow
1944
as Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens
Johnny O'Clock
1947
as Johnny O'Clock
Naughty but Nice
1939
as Professor Donald Hardwick
Television: The First Fifty Years
1999
as Self (archive footage)
Christmas in July
1940
as Jimmy McDonald
The Singing Marine
1937
as Bob Brent
Station West
1948
as Lt. John Martin Haven
Dames
1934
as Jimmy Higgens
Flirtation Walk
1934
as Dick "Canary" Dorcy
To the Ends of the Earth
1948
as Commissioner Michael Barrows
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
2012
as Self (archive footage)
In the Navy
1941
as Thomas Halstead
Cornered
1945
as Laurence Gerard
Happy Go Lucky
1943
as Pete Hamilton
Breakdowns of 1938
1938
as Elly Jordan (archive footage) (uncredited)
Happiness Ahead
1934
as Bob Lane
Going Places
1938
as Peter Mason
Gold Diggers of 1937
1936
as Rosmer Peck
Breakdowns of 1937
1937
as Self
Cry Danger
1951
as Rocky Mulloy
Twenty Million Sweethearts
1934
as Buddy Clayton
I Want a Divorce
1940
as Alan MacNally
You Never Can Tell
1951
as Rex Shepherd
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
2013
as Self (archive footage)
On the Avenue
1937
as Gary Blake
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984
as (archive footage)
Meet the People
1944
as William 'Swanee' Swanson
True to Life
1943
as Link Ferris
Hollywood Hotel
1938
as Ronnie Bowers
Hollywood Hobbies
1939
as Self (uncredited)
Things You Never See on the Screen
1935
as Self
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
2006
as Self (archive footage)
Who Killed Julie Greer?
1961
as Host / Inspector Amos Burke
Thanks a Million
1935
as Eric Land
And She Learned About Dames
1934
as Himself
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 1, From beginning"
1936
Right Cross
1950
as Rick Garvey
Colleen
1936
as Donald Ames
One And One Is One
1936
as Himself
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 5"
1936
Shipmates Forever
1935
as Richard 'Dick' Melville III
Blessed Event
1932
as Bunny Harmon
One Must Die
1961
Varsity Show
1937
as Charles 'Chuck' Daly
Riding High
1943
as Steve Baird
The All-Star Christmas Show
1958
as Self
A Dream Comes True
1935
as Himself (uncredited)
Hearts Divided
1936
as Jerome Bonaparte
Page Miss Glory
1935
as Bingo Nelson
Cowboy from Brooklyn
1938
as Elly Jordan
Rogues' Regiment
1948
as Whit Corbett
Blow-Ups of 1947
1947
as Self
Big City Blues
1932
as Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Hard to Get
1938
as Bill Davis
Broadway Gondolier
1935
as Richard 'Dick' Purcell, aka Ricardo Purcelli
College Coach
1933
as Phil "Sarge" Sargeant
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
1936
as Self
Mrs. Mike
1949
as Sgt. Mike Flannigan
Gold Diggers of 1935
1935
as Dick Curtis
Stage Struck
1936
as George Randall
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 3, Normie"
1936
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
2024
as Self (archive footage)
Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound
2006
as Self (archive footage)
Too Busy to Work
1932
as Dan Hardy
Ricochet
1961
as Self - Host
Three Cheers for the Girls
1943
as Singer (archive footage) (uncredited)
About Dick Powell
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss. Born in Mountain View, the seat of Stone County in northern Arkansas, Powell attended the former Little Rock College in the state capital, before he started his entertainment career as a singer with the Charlie Davis Orchestra, based in the midwest. He recorded a number of records with Davis and on his own, for the Vocalion label in the late 1920s. Powell moved to Pittsburgh, where he found great local success as… With 106 credits spanning from 1932 to 2024, Dick Powell has appeared in 91 films and 15 TV shows.
Fans searching for Dick Powell movies, Dick Powell filmography, or the latest projects starring Dick Powell can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Dick Powell Movies
- Footlight Parade (1933) — as Scotty
- Hollywood Newsreel (1934) — as Himself
- Convention City (1933) — as Jerry Ford
- The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) — as James Lee Bartlow
- Wonder Bar (1934) — as Tommy
Where to Watch Dick Powell Films
Most Dick Powell movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Dick Powell, check our movies catalogue and browse page.