Douglass Dumbrille

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.

The Ten Commandments

7.8

The Twilight Zone

8.4

Batman

7.3

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

7.5

Julius Caesar

7.0

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

7.8

A Day at the Races

7.1

Baby Face

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Perry Mason

7.7

The Beverly Hillbillies

6.8

The Untouchables

7.9

Scaramouche

7.1

The Big Store

6.2

Treasure Island

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Crime and Punishment

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Peter Ibbetson

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The Buccaneer

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The Lives of a Bengal Lancer

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Road to Utopia

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Petticoat Junction

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Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the Foreign Legion

6.1

Son of Paleface

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Virginia City

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Road to Zanzibar

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Lady Killer

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The Frozen Ghost

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Female

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Charlie Chan at Treasure Island

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A Life at Stake

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Ride 'Em Cowboy

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Heroes for Sale

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Dishonored Lady

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77 Sunset Strip

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Johnny Cool

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Uncertain Glory

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World for Ransom

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Broadway Bill

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Naughty Marietta

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Mr. Moto in Danger Island

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Jungle Woman

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Fog Over Frisco

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City in Darkness

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Ali Baba Goes to Town

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The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

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The Princess Comes Across

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Castle in the Desert

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Plunder of the Sun

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Du Barry was a Lady

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The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

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Buccaneer's Girl

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Hard to Handle

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Journal of a Crime

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Operator 13

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Lost in a Harem

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The Cat Creeps

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Bat Masterson

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Christmas Eve

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I Loved a Woman

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The Secret Bride

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The Catman of Paris

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Michael Shayne: Private Detective

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Kentucky

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Last of the Wild Horses

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Complicated Women

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Blondie of the Follies

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Hi, Nellie!

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Stand by for Action

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The Three Musketeers

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Fast Company

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Elmer, the Great

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Slightly Honorable

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It's a Joke, Son!

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Alimony

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Blonde Savage

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Monsieur Beaucaire

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The Emperor's Candlesticks

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Riding High

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The Lone Wolf Returns

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Tell It to the Judge

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Jupiter's Darling

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The World Changes

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The Working Man

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The Witness Chair

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Captain Fury

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Hallmark Hall of Fame

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Riders of the Whistling Pines

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The Firefly

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Thunder Afloat

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Tell No Tales

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Shake, Rattle and Rock!

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Air Hawks

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Pardon My Past

6.0

Ten Gentlemen from West Point

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King of the Jungle

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A Millionaire for Christy

6.4

Storm Over Bengal

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Matinee Theater

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Letter to Loretta

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Lux Video Theatre

6.0

Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime

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False Colors

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Lumberjack

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A Medal for Benny

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Washington Melodrama

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Love Me Forever

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Spook Busters

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The Lone Wolf and His Lady

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Gypsy Wildcat

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Jungle Queen

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I Married an Angel

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The Millionaire

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Racket Squad

6.0

Cavalcade of America

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The DuPont Show with June Allyson

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Screen Director's Playhouse

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The Savage Horde

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A Gentleman After Dark

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Sky Full of Moon

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South of Pago Pago

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His Woman

3.5

The Mysterious Rider

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Rovin' Tumbleweeds

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Smoke Lightning

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End of the Trail

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Captain John Smith and Pocahontas

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Air Patrol

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Flame of the West

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Crossroads

5.0

Dangerous Assignment

3.5

Hey, Jeannie!

5.5

The Ford Television Theatre

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The Life Of Riley

6.0

Public Defender

6.0

Allen in Movieland

5.0

Unknown Woman

6.0

Forty Thieves

3.0

Under Nevada Skies

5.0

Harold Teen

6.0

Laughter in Hell

1.0

Apache War Smoke

3.0

The Kangaroo Kid

6.0

Night in Paradise

4.0

You May Be Next!

2.5

The Public Menace

5.0

The Fabulous Texan

4.0

The Pride of the Legion

6.0

Dynamite

4.0

M'Liss

5.0

Woman in Distress

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The Lawless Rider

4.0

The Man Who Dared

6.0

The Calling of Dan Matthews

3.0

The Roundup

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The Daltons Ride Again

3.0

Jungle Safari

4.0

Dragnet

6.0

The Wiser Sex

6.0

Mobs, Inc.

4.0

Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers

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The Rustler's Roundup

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Murder Among Friends

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The Music Goes 'Round

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Stolen Heaven

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The Door Knocker

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Rapture

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Counterfeit Lady

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Sharpshooters

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King of the Mounties

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Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch

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That's My Boy

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The Way to Love

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Beyond Our Own

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Crime Takes a Holiday

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The Symphony Murder Mystery

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Mobs Incorporated

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Bringing Up Buddy

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China Smith

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Studio 57

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