Robert Dudley
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1889-09-12
Day of Death
1955-11-12 (66 years old)
Place of Birth
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Robert Dudley
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Dudley (September 13, 1869 – September 15*, 1955) was a dentist turned film character actor who, in his 35-year career, appeared in more than 115 films.
Dudley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and was educated at Lake Forest College in Evanston, Illinois and Chicago, where he majored in oral surgery. In 1917 he appeared in his first film, Seven Keys to Baldpate, and then made three other silent films through 1921. After 1922 he worked consistently, appearing in three or four films a year, and making the transition to sound films in 1929 with The Bellamy Trial. Dudley often played characters with a quick temper, including jurors, shopkeepers, ticket agents, court clerks and justices of the peace, as well as an occasional farmer, hobo, or laborer. His performances in these small parts were frequently uncredited.
In the 1940s, Dudley was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in six films written and directed by Sturges. His most distinctive and memorable role for Sturges was the "Wienie King" in 1942's The Palm Beach Story, the funny little self-made rich man with a big hat who spontaneously bankrolls Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea on their escapade.
The 5' 9" Dudley, who was the founder of the "Troupers Club of Hollywood", was married to Elaine Anderson, and they had two girls, Jewell and Patricia Lee.
He made his final film, As Young as You Feel, in 1951, and died in 1955 in San Clemente, California.
*[TMDb note: The California Death Index indicates that Mr. Dudley died on 12 November 1955. That date should therefore be considered accurate and official.]
Acting
(1950)
The Jackpot
as Simpkins (uncredited)
(1948)
Race Street
as Pop (Watchman) (uncredited)
(1948)
Sleep, My Love
as Bar Patron at The Maples
(1948)
Strike It Rich
as Pop
(1947)
Christmas Eve
as Robert - Matilda's Chauffeur (uncredited)
(1947)
Mourning Becomes Electra
as Chemist (uncredited)
(1947)
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
as Robert McDuffy
(1947)
Living in a Big Way
as Carpenter
(1947)
Magic Town
as Dickey
(1946)
Gallant Journey
as Process Server (uncredited)
(1946)
San Quentin
as Fuller (uncredited)
(1946)
Singin' in the Corn
as Gramp McCoy
(1945)
(1945)
(1945)
(1944)
Belle of the Yukon
as Storekeeper (uncredited)
(1944)
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
as Man (uncredited)
(1944)
The Doughgirls
as Hotel Waiter
(1944)
It Happened Tomorrow
as Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
(1944)
Main Street Today
as Frank Hostetter (uncredited)
(1944)
Casanova Brown
as Justice Of The Peace
(1943)
Honeymoon Lodge
as Elderly Man
(1943)
Happy Land
as Old Man Bowers (uncredited)
(1943)
The Ghost and the Guest
as Ben Bowron
(1943)
Son of Dracula
as Justice of the Peace Jonathan Kirby (uncredited)
(1942)
The Palm Beach Story
as Wienie King
(1941)
Citizen Kane
as Photographer (uncredited)
(1941)
The Lady Eve
as Husband on Ship (uncredited)
(1941)
All That Money Can Buy
as Lem (uncredited)
(1940)
Haunted House
as Hank Edwards
(1940)
When the Daltons Rode
as Pete Norris - Juror
(1940)
The House of the Seven Gables
as Jury Foreman
(1940)
Stranger on the Third Floor
as Postman (uncredited)
(1940)
Lucky Partners
as Bailiff (uncredited)
(1939)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
as Reporter (uncredited)
(1939)
Almost a Gentleman
as Farmer
(1939)
Zenobia
as Court Clerk
(1939)
Yankee Doodle Goes to Town
as Shopkeeper (uncredited)
(1937)
The Mighty Treve
as Rancher at Auction
(1937)
The Toast of New York
as Janitor
(1936)
The Perfect Set-Up
as Theatre Employee Shooting Victim (uncredited)
(1936)
Paddy O'Day
as Robert - Chauffeur
(1936)
The Prisoner of Shark Island
as Druggist at Trial (uncredited)
(1936)
Fury
as Store Owner (uncredited)
(1935)
Frisco Kid
as Vigilante Leader (uncredited)
(1935)
The Gilded Lily
as Store Clerk (uncredited)
(1935)
3 Kids and a Queen
as Shopkeeper
(1934)
Wild Gold
as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
(1933)
Face in the Sky
as Minister (uncredited)
(1933)
Midnight Mary
as Mannering's Night Watchman (uncredited)
(1932)
(1932)
Three Wise Girls
as Lem - the Druggist
(1931)
Scandal Sheet
as Flint's Secretary
(1931)
An American Tragedy
as Juror (uncredited)
(1930)
Conspiracy
as Mr. Christopher (uncredited)
(1930)
Wide Open
as Office Worker
(1930)
Burning Up
as Sheriff
(1930)
Dames Ahoy
as Parson
(1929)
Shanghai Rose
as Reformer
(1929)
Dynamite
as Store Proprietor
(1929)
Big News
as Telegraph Editor
(1928)
Fools for Luck
as Jim Simpson
(1928)
The Night Flyer
as Freddy
(1927)
Casey at the Bat
as Farmer (uncredited)
(1926)
The Marriage Clause
as Secretary
(1926)
For Heaven's Sake
as Harold's Secretary (uncredited)
(1925)
The Last Edition
as Yes Man
(1925)
A Woman of the World
as French-speaking party guest
(1924)
On the Stroke of Three
as Jasper Saddler
(1923)
The Tiger's Claw
as Army Officer
(1923)
The Extra Girl
as Financier
(1922)
The Ninety and Nine
as Abner Blake
(1922)
Making a Man
as Bailey
(1921)
One a Minute
as Rogers' Attorney (uncredited)
(1921)
Traveling Salesman
as Pierce Gill
(1920)
The Fourteenth Man
as Tidmarsh
(1917)
Seven Keys to Baldpate
as Clerk