Robert Dudley
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.]
Citizen Kane
as Photographer (uncredited)Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a...
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
as Reporter (uncredited)Naive and idealistic Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers, is appointed to the United...
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Son of Dracula
as Justice of the Peace Jonathan Kirby (uncredited)Carpathian Count Alucard is invited to the U.S. by a young heiress. Her boyfriend and local...
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The Lady Eve
as Husband on Ship (uncredited)It's no accident when wealthy Charles falls for Jean. Jean is a con artist with her sights set...
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Fury
as Store Owner (uncredited)Joe, who owns a gas station along with his brothers and is about to marry Katherine, travels to...
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The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
as Man (uncredited)A small-town girl with a soft spot for American soldiers wakes up the morning after a wild...
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Sleep, My Love
as Bar Patron at The MaplesA woman wakes up in the middle of the night on board a train, but she can't remember how she got...
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The Palm Beach Story
as Wienie KingA New York inventor, Tom Jeffers, needs cash to develop his big idea, so his adoring wife, Gerry...
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Belle of the Yukon
as Storekeeper (uncredited)Left by a con man, Belle De Valle, a dancer, finds him again in gold-rush Alaska running an...
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Stranger on the Third Floor
as Postman (uncredited)Newspaper reporter Michael Ward plunges into a nightmare of guilt, fearing that his "evidence"...
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When the Daltons Rode
as Pete Norris - JurorYoung lawyer Tod Jackson arrives in pioneer Kansas to visit his prosperous rancher friends the...
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All That Money Can Buy
as Lem (uncredited)Farmer Jabez Stone, about to lose his land, agrees to sell his soul to the devil, known as Mr....
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Broken Lullaby
as uncreditedA young French soldier in World War I is overcome with guilt when he kills a German soldier who,...
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It Happened Tomorrow
as Justice of the Peace (uncredited)A young turn-of-the-century newspaper man finds he can get hold of the next day's paper. This...
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San Quentin
as Fuller (uncredited)An ex-con sets up a program to straighten out hard-core prisoners. Things don't go as planned.
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San Antonio
as uncreditedRancher Clay Hardin arrives in San Antonio to search for and capture Roy Stuart, notorious...
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The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
as Robert McDuffyTwenty-three years after scoring the winning touchdown for his college football team...
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Magic Town
as DickeyRip Smith's opinion-poll business is a failure...until he discovers that the small town of...
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Lady on a Train
as uncreditedWhile watching from her train window, Nikki Collins witnesses a murder in a nearby building....
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Frisco Kid
as Vigilante Leader (uncredited)After a roustabout sailor avoids being shanghaied in 1850s San Francisco, his audacity helps him...
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Zenobia
as Court ClerkA modest country doctor in the antebellum South has to contend with his daughter's upcoming...
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Scandal Sheet
as Flint's SecretaryConfirming his principle that no one escapes the news, a tabloid editor prints a scathing story...
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The House of the Seven Gables
as Jury ForemanIn 1828, the bankrupt Pyncheon family fight over Seven Gables, the ancestral mansion. To obtain...
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Midnight Mary
as Mannering's Night Watchman (uncredited)A young woman is on trial for murder. In flashback, we learn of her struggles to overcome...
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The Toast of New York
as JanitorAfter the American Civil War, Jim Fisk, a former peddler and cotton smuggler, arrives in New...
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Living in a Big Way
as CarpenterA World War II pilot (Gene Kelly) comes home to a bride (Marie McDonald) who, spoiled by her...
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The Doughgirls
as Hotel WaiterArthur and Vivian are just married, but when the get to their honeymoon suite in Washington...
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Happy Land
as Old Man Bowers (uncredited)An Iowa drugstore owner becomes embittered when his son is killed in World War II. The druggist...
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Lucky Partners
as BailiffTwo strangers split a sweepstake prize to go on a fake honeymoon with predictable results.
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Race Street
as Pop (Watchman) (uncredited)A night club owner takes on the crooks who killed his best friend.
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Strike It Rich
as PopWhen not drinking and fighting, three wildcatters in search of a gusher are enthusiastically...
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Big News
as Telegraph EditorA reporter's marriage is jeopardized by his drinking and he finds himself accused of a murder he...
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Christmas Eve
as Robert - Matilda's Chauffeur (uncredited)The greedy nephew of eccentric Matilda Reid seeks to have her judged incompetent so he can...
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An American Tragedy
as Juror (uncredited)A social climber charms a debutante, seduces a factory worker and commits murder.
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Almost a Gentleman
as FarmerSaving a dog from the pound gets a man mixed up in murder.
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The Jackpot
as Simpkins (uncredited)Bill Lawrence wins a bevy or prizes from a radio program, but ends up having to sell them all in...
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Casanova Brown
as Justice Of The PeaceCass Brown is about to marry for the second time; his first marriage, to Isabel was annulled....
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Haunted House
as Hank EdwardsTeenagers try to clear a friend accused of murder.
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Three Wise Girls
as Lem - the DruggistRomantic comedy drama about three friends in New York. Cassie has come to New York and goes to...
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3 Kids and a Queen
as ShopkeeperAn eccentric, wealthy spinster, 'Queenie' Baxter is erroneously presumed to be kidnapped. She...
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Conspiracy
as Mr. Christopher (uncredited)Margaret Holt and her brother Victor set out to smash a narcotics ring responsible for their...
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Main Street Today
as Frank Hostetter (uncredited)This patriotic short film promotes America's war effort at home. The story looks at a fictional...
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For Heaven's Sake
as Harold's Secretary (uncredited)An irresponsible young millionaire changes his tune when he falls for the daughter of a downtown...
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Wild Gold
as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)A young man desperately in love with a nightclub singer sees an opportunity to spend some time...
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The Tiger's Claw
as Army OfficerJack Holt plays Sam Sandell, an American engineer working in India who rescues a pretty...
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Dames Ahoy
as ParsonThree sailors go searching for a girl who swindled one of them out of half his pay.
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Paddy O'Day
as Robert - ChauffeurA wealthy, eccentric collector of stuffed birds and a beautiful Russian singer provide refuge to...
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Fools for Luck
as Jim SimpsonWealthy Sam Hunter is approached by scheming Richard Whitehead about investing in oil. There...
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Honeymoon Lodge
as Elderly ManHoneymoon Lodge is a musical variation on the old Awful Truth plotline. Divorce-bound Bob and...
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The Ghost and the Guest
as Ben BowronNewlyweds Webster and Jackie Frye spend their honeymoon in a sinister old country house. Before...
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The Perfect Set-Up
as Theatre Employee Shooting Victim (uncredited)In this MGM "Crime Does Not Pay" series short, a radio and television engineer falls into a life...
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Face in the Sky
as Minister (uncredited)Joe and Lucky travel around New England painting barns in exchange for an advertisement on one...
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The Extra Girl
as FinancierSue Graham is a small town girl who wants to be a motion picture star. She wins a contract when...
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One a Minute
as Rogers' Attorney (uncredited)An excellent silent comedy starring unjustly forgotten star Douglas MacLean. Its indictment of...
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Wide Open
as Office WorkerAn eccentric, fluttery bachelor is dismayed to discover an undressed woman in his apartment.
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Singin' in the Corn
as Gramp McCoyJudy McCoy, a fortune teller with a circus, learns she has inherited some property and heads...
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Seven Keys to Baldpate
as ClerkA writer bets a publisher friend that he can write a 10,000-word novel in 24 hours. The...
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A Woman of the World
as French-speaking party guestA European countess, after being betrayed by her lover, goes to live in small town Middle...
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Casey at the Bat
as Farmer (uncredited)Casey is a slovenly junk man in a turn of the twentieth century hick town who has a remarkable...
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Yankee Doodle Goes to Town
as Shopkeeper (uncredited)Made just before America would be forced into the Second World War, this short subject is a...
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The Night Flyer
as FreddyJimmy Bradley, a fireman on the old locomotive No. 99, loves Kate Murphy, daughter of the...
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The Ninety and Nine
as Abner BlakeMelodramatic thriller, presented in 9.5mm format
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Burning Up
as SheriffRacecar-driver Lou Larrigan gets mixed up with a crooked gang of racetrack promoters, and is in...
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The Mighty Treve
as Rancher at AuctionStory of a dog that is fanatically devoted to its master.
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Traveling Salesman
as Pierce GillA practical joke makes a man get off before his intended stop, leading to all sorts of trouble.
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Shanghai Rose
as ReformerShanghai Rose is the proprietress of a gin mill which doubles as a bordello. A murder occurs,...
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The Last Edition
as Yes ManA twenty-year veteran of the printing room of The San Francisco Chronicle is passed up for a...
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The Marriage Clause
as SecretaryA Broadway actress becomes a star due to the guidance of her director. The two fall in love, but...
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