Richard Dix

Richard Dix was a major leading man at RKO Radio Pictures from 1929 through 1943. He was born Ernest Carlton Brimmer July 18, 1893, in St. Paul, Minnesota. There he was educated, and at the desires of his father, studied to be a surgeon. His obvious acting talent in his school dramatic club led him to leading roles in most of the school plays. At 6' 0" and 180 pounds, Dix excelled in sports, especially football and baseball. These skills would serve him well in the vigorous film roles he would go on to play. After a year at the University of Minnesota he took a position at a bank, spending his evenings training for the stage. His professional start was with a local stock company, and this led to similar work in New York. The death of his father left him with a mother and sister to support. He went to Los Angeles, became leading man for the Morosco Stock Company and his success there got him a contract with Paramount Pictures. His rugged good looks and dark features made him a popular player in westerns. His athletic ability led to his starring role in Paramount's Warming Up (1928), a baseball story and also the studio's first feature with synchronized score and sound effects. His deep voice and commanding presence were perfectly suited for the talkies, and he was signed by RKO Radio Pictures in 1929, scoring an early triumph in the all-talking mystery drama, Seven Keys to Baldpate (1929). In 1931 he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his masterful performance in Cimarron (1931), winner of the Best Picture Oscar that year. Throughout the 1930s Dix would be a big box-office draw at RKO, appearing in mystery thrillers, potboilers, westerns and programmers. He appeared in the "Whistler" series of mystery films at Columbia in the mid-40s. He retired from films in 1947. He first married Winifred Coe on October 20, 1931, had a daughter, Martha Mary Ellen, then divorced in 1933. He then married Virginia Webster on June 29, 1934. They had twin boys, Richard Jr. and Robert Dix and an adopted daughter, Sara Sue. Richard Dix the actor, died at age 56 on September 20, 1949.

Known For	Acting
Most Rating	4.795
Birthday	1893-07-18
Place of Birth	Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Also Known As	Ernest Carlton Brimmer,

American Empire

The Ten Commandments

The Thirteenth Hour

The Ghost Ship

The Whistler

The Mark of the Whistler

The Power of the Whistler

Voice of the Whistler

The Tunnel

Mysterious Intruder

The Secret of the Whistler

Cimarron

The Kansan

Hell's Highway

Badlands Of Dakota

The Lost Squadron

Men Against the Sky

Sky Giant

Roar of the Dragon

Ace of Aces

Special Investigator

Twelve Crowded Hours

Blind Alibi

Eyes of the Underworld

Seven Keys to Baldpate

Buckskin Frontier

The Vanishing American

Redskin

Nothing But the Truth

Day of Reckoning

Womanhandled

Stingaree

The Arizonian

Secret Service

His Greatest Gamble

A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic

Lovin' the Ladies

The Conquerors

Reno

Here I Am a Stranger

Top Man

Icebound

West of the Pecos

Shooting Straight

The Marines Fly High

Men and Women

The Christian

Easy Come, Easy Go

The Devil Is Driving

Yellow Dust

It Happened in Hollywood

Souls for Sale

The Great Jasper

The Public Defender

Devil's Playground

Devil's Squadron

No Marriage Ties

The Roundup

Tombstone: The Town Too Tough to Die

Man of Conquest

Cherokee Strip

The Stolen Jools

The Quarterback

Too Many Kisses

The Lucky Devil

Fascinating Youth

Warming Up

Let's Get Married

The Stranger

Young Donovan's Kid

To the Last Man

The Call of the Canyon

The Shock Punch

Moran of the Marines

Knockout Reilly

The Bonded Woman

A Man Must Live

The Wheel of Life

The Wall Flower

Unguarded Women