Dick Powell
Known for Acting · 104 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
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Host
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Self - Host
American Experience
1988
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Climax!
1954
as Philip Marlowe
What's My Line?
1950
as Self - Mystery Guest / Self - Panelist
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Willie Dante / Eddie White / US Marshal Philip Dana / Burt Stroude / Graham / Paul / Mike Donegan / Dan Hodges / Dave Robinson / Fred / Chris / Jeff / Capt. Avery / Andrew / Will Sonnett / Fleet Mason / Grover Doane / Steve / Priest / Philip Benton / Dan Matson
TV Shows (14)
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Host
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Self - Host
American Experience
1988
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Climax!
1954
as Philip Marlowe
What's My Line?
1950
as Self - Mystery Guest / Self - Panelist
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Willie Dante / Eddie White / US Marshal Philip Dana / Burt Stroude / Graham / Paul / Mike Donegan / Dan Hodges / Dave Robinson / Fred / Chris / Jeff / Capt. Avery / Andrew / Will Sonnett / Fleet Mason / Grover Doane / Steve / Priest / Philip Benton / Dan Matson
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
1957
as Self
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Self - Intermission Guest
This Is Your Life
1952
as Self
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 (90)
Broadway Gondolier
1935
as Richard 'Dick' Purcell, aka Ricardo Purcelli
Cornered
1945
as Laurence Gerard
Wonder Bar
1934
as Tommy
Rogues' Regiment
1948
as Whit Corbett
Dames
1934
as Jimmy Higgens
Stage Struck
1936
as George Randall
Going Places
1938
as Peter Mason
Right Cross
1950
as Rick Garvey
42nd Street
1933
as Billy Lawler
Gold Diggers of 1933
1933
as Brad
Murder, My Sweet
1944
as Philip Marlowe
Varsity Show
1937
as Charles 'Chuck' Daly
Station West
1948
as Lt. John Martin Haven
Television: The First Fifty Years
1999
as Self (archive footage)
It Happened Tomorrow
1944
as Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens
The Bad and the Beautiful
1952
as James Lee Bartlow
Footlight Parade
1933
as Scotty Blair
Flirtation Walk
1934
as Dick "Canary" Dorcy
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Christmas in July
1940
as Jimmy McDonald
To the Ends of the Earth
1948
as Commissioner Michael Barrows
Gold Diggers of 1935
1935
as Dick Curtis
Pitfall
1948
as John Forbes
Mrs. Mike
1949
as Sgt. Mike Flannigan
Hollywood Newsreel
1934
as Himself
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1935
as Lysander
It's Showtime
1976
as Self (archive footage)
Breakdowns of 1937
1937
as Self
Susan Slept Here
1954
as Mark Christopher
The Tall Target
1951
as John Kennedy
Big City Blues
1932
as Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975
as Self (archive footage)
Studio Highlights
1934
as Self (archive footage)
True to Life
1943
as Link Ferris
In the Navy
1941
as Thomas Halstead
Breakdowns of 1938
1938
as Elly Jordan (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Road Is Open Again
1933
as The Songwriter
That's Dancing!
1985
Riding High
1943
as Steve Baird
Cry Danger
1951
as Rocky Mulloy
Happiness Ahead
1934
as Bob Lane
Hollywood Hobbies
1939
as Self (uncredited)
Star Spangled Rhythm
1942
as Dick Powell
Hollywood Hotel
1938
as Ronnie Bowers
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
2013
as Self (archive footage)
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
2012
as Self (archive footage)
Too Busy to Work
1932
as Dan Hardy
Naughty But Nice
1939
as Professor Donald Hardwick
Gold Diggers of 1937
1936
as Rosmer Peck
A Dream Comes True
1935
as Himself (uncredited)
Convention City
1933
as Jerry Ford
Shipmates Forever
1935
as Richard 'Dick' Melville III
The Singing Marine
1937
as Bob Brent
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
2006
as Self (archive footage)
Meet the People
1944
as William 'Swanee' Swanson
The Reformer and the Redhead
1950
as Andrew Hale
Happy Go Lucky
1943
as Pete Hamilton
On the Avenue
1937
as Gary Blake
Hard to Get
1938
as Bill Davis
You Never Can Tell
1951
as Rex Shepherd
Model Wife
1941
as Frederick "Fred" Chambers
Thanks a Million
1935
as Eric Land
Things You Never See on the Screen
1935
as Self
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
1936
as Self
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 1, From beginning"
1936
Blessed Event
1932
as Bunny Harmon
And She Learned About Dames
1934
as Himself
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984
as (archive footage)
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
2024
as Self (archive footage)
Hearts Divided
1936
as Jerome Bonaparte
The All-Star Christmas Show
1958
as Self
College Coach
1933
as Phil "Sarge" Sargeant
Twenty Million Sweethearts
1934
as Buddy Clayton
Ricochet
1961
as Self - Host
Page Miss Glory
1935
as Bingo Nelson
Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound
2006
as Self (archive footage)
The King's Vacation
1933
as John Kent
Johnny O'Clock
1947
as Johnny O'Clock
Colleen
1936
as Donald Ames
Cowboy from Brooklyn
1938
as Elly Jordan
Who Killed Julie Greer?
1961
as Host / Inspector Amos Burke
One Must Die
1961
I Want a Divorce
1940
as Alan MacNally
Blow-Ups of 1947
1947
as Self
Three Cheers for the Girls
1943
as Singer (archive footage) (uncredited)
Just Around the Corner
1933
as Jerry
Hollywood on Parade No. B-10
1934
as Self
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 5"
1936
One And One Is One
1936
as Himself
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 3, Normie"
1936
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 104 credits spanning from 1932 to 2024, Dick Powell has appeared in 90 films and 14 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
- Broadway Gondolier (1935) — as Richard 'Dick' Purcell, aka Ricardo Purcelli
- Cornered (1945) — as Laurence Gerard
- Wonder Bar (1934) — as Tommy
- Rogues' Regiment (1948) — as Whit Corbett
- Dames (1934) — as Jimmy Higgens
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.