Douglass Dumbrille
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 12, 1889
- Died
- April 2, 1974
- Birthplace
- Hamilton, Canada
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.
Filmography
Complicated Women 2003
as Self (archive footage)
Johnny Cool 1963
as Corrupt City Council Member
Air Patrol 1962
as Millard Nolan
High Time 1960
as Judge Carter (uncredited)
The Buccaneer 1958
as Collector of the Port
The Ten Commandments 1956
as Jannes
Shake, Rattle and Rock! 1956
as Eustace Fentwick III
Mobs, Inc. 1956
as Leland Cameron James
Jungle Safari 1956
as Lang
- Life of Vernon Hathaway
Life of Vernon Hathaway 1955
as Red Beecham
Allen in Movieland 1955
as Self - Lawyer
A Life at Stake 1955
as Gus Hillman
Jupiter's Darling 1955
as Scipio
The Lawless Rider 1954
as Marshal Brady (as Douglas Dumbrille)
World for Ransom 1954
as Insp. McCollum
Captain John Smith and Pocahontas 1953
as Powhatan (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Plunder of the Sun 1953
as Consul
Julius Caesar 1953
as Lepidus
Rapture 1952
as W.C. Hutton
Sky Full of Moon 1952
as Rodeo Official
Apache War Smoke 1952
as Maj. Dekker
Son of Paleface 1952
as Sheriff McIntyre
Scaramouche 1952
as Assembly President
A Millionaire for Christy 1951
as J.C. Thompson
The Kangaroo Kid 1950
as Vincent Moller
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the Foreign Legion 1950
as Sheik Hamud El Khalid
The Savage Horde 1950
as Col. Price
Riding High 1950
as Eddie Howard
Buccaneer's Girl 1950
as Capt. Martos
Tell It to the Judge 1949
as George Ellerby
Rapture 1949
as W.C. Hutton
Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch 1949
as Captain Lance
The Lone Wolf and His Lady 1949
as John J. Murdock
Alimony 1949
as Burton Crail
Riders of the Whistling Pines 1949
as Henry Mitchell
Dynamite 1949
as Hank Gibbons
Last of the Wild Horses 1948
as Charlie Cooper
Blonde Savage 1947
as Mark Harper
Beyond Our Own 1947
as E.W. Osborne
The Fabulous Texan 1947
as Luke Roland
Christmas Eve 1947
as Dr. Bunyan
Dragnet 1947
as Frank Farrington
Dishonored Lady 1947
as District Attorney O'Brien
It's a Joke, Son! 1947
as Big Dan Healey
Monsieur Beaucaire 1946
as George Washington
Under Nevada Skies 1946
as Courtney
Spook Busters 1946
as Dr. Coslow
The Cat Creeps 1946
as Tom McGalvey
Night in Paradise 1946
as High Priest
The Catman of Paris 1946
as Henry Borchard
Road to Utopia 1946
as Ace Larson
Pardon My Past 1945
as Uncle Wills
The Daltons Ride Again 1945
as Sheriff Hoskins
Flame of the West 1945
as Marshal Tom Nightlander
The Frozen Ghost 1945
as Inspector Brant
A Medal for Benny 1945
as General
Jungle Queen 1945
as Lang
Lost in a Harem 1944
as Nimativ
Gypsy Wildcat 1944
as Baron Tovar
Forty Thieves 1944
as Tad Hammond
Jungle Woman 1944
as District Attorney
Lumberjack 1944
as Daniel J. Keefer
Uncertain Glory 1944
as Police Commissioner LaFarge
False Colors 1943
as Mark Foster
Du Barry Was a Lady 1943
as Willie / Duc de Rigor
Stand by for Action 1942
as Capt. Ludlow
King of the Mounties 1942
as Harper
I Married an Angel 1942
as Baron Szigethy
Ten Gentlemen from West Point 1942
as Gen. William Henry Harrison
A Gentleman After Dark 1942
as Enzo Calibra
Ride 'Em Cowboy 1942
as Jake Rainwater
Castle in the Desert 1942
as Paul Manderley
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime 1941
as John Matthews
The Big Store 1941
as Mr. Grover
Washington Melodrama 1941
as District Attorney Donnelly
Road to Zanzibar 1941
as Slave Trader
The Roundup 1941
as Capt. Bob Lane
Murder Among Friends 1941
as Carter Stevenson
Michael Shayne: Private Detective 1940
as Benny Gordon (as Douglas Dumbrille)
South of Pago Pago 1940
as Williams
Virginia City 1940
as Maj. Drewery
Slightly Honorable 1939
as George Taylor
Rovin' Tumbleweeds 1939
as Stephen Holloway
City in Darkness 1939
as B. Petroff (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Thunder Afloat 1939
as District Commander
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island 1939
as Stewart Salsbury, alias Thomas Gregory
Tell No Tales 1939
as Matt Cooper
Captain Fury 1939
as Preston
Mr. Moto in Danger Island 1939
as Comdr. La Costa
The Three Musketeers 1939
as Athos (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Kentucky 1938
as John Dillon - 1861
Sharpshooters 1938
as Count Maxim
Storm Over Bengal 1938
as Ramin Khan
Crime Takes a Holiday 1938
as J.J. Grant
The Mysterious Rider 1938
as Pecos Bill aka Ben Wade
Fast Company 1938
as Arnold Stamper (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Stolen Heaven 1938
as Klingman
The Buccaneer 1938
as Governor William C.C. Claiborne
The Firefly 1937
as Marquis de Melito
Ali Baba Goes to Town 1937
as Prince Musah
The Emperor's Candlesticks 1937
as Mr. Korum, a Conspirator
A Day at the Races 1937
as Morgan
Woman in Distress 1937
as Jerome Culver
Counterfeit Lady 1936
as August Marino
End of the Trail 1936
as Bill Mason
M'Liss 1936
as Lou Ellis
The Princess Comes Across 1936
as Lorel
The Witness Chair 1936
as Stanley Whittaker
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town 1936
as John Cedar
The Music Goes 'Round 1936
as Bishop
You May Be Next! 1936
as Beau Gardner
The Lone Wolf Returns 1935
as Morphew
The Calling of Dan Matthews 1935
as Jeff Hardy
Crime and Punishment 1935
as Grilov
Peter Ibbetson 1935
as Colonel Forsythe
The Public Menace 1935
as Mario Tonelli
Love Me Forever 1935
as Miller
- Unknown Woman
Unknown Woman 1935
as Phil Gardner
Air Hawks 1935
as Victor Arnold
Naughty Marietta 1935
as Prince de Namours de la Bonfain, Marietta's Uncle
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer 1935
as Mohammed Khan
The Secret Bride 1934
as Breeden
Broadway Bill 1934
as Eddie Morgan
Treasure Island 1934
as Pirate of the Spanish Main
Operator 13 1934
as General Stuart
Fog Over Frisco 1934
as Joshua Mayard
Harold Teen 1934
as H.H. Snatcher (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Journal of a Crime 1934
as Cartier (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Hi, Nellie! 1934
as Harvey Dawes
Lady Killer 1933
as Spade
The World Changes 1933
as Buffalo Bill Cody
Female 1933
as George Mumford
The Way to Love 1933
as Agent Chapusard
I Loved a Woman 1933
as U.S. Attorney Brandt (uncredited)
The Big Brain 1933
as Dan Thomas
Baby Face 1933
as Brody
The Man Who Dared 1933
as Judge Collier
Heroes for Sale 1933
as Chief Engineer Jim (uncredited)
Elmer, the Great 1933
as Stillman (uncredited)
The Working Man 1933
as Lawyer Hammersmith (uncredited)
The Rustler's Roundup 1933
as Bill Brett (as Douglas Dunbrile)
King of the Jungle 1933
as Ed Peters
Hard to Handle 1933
as District Attorney (uncredited)
Laughter in Hell 1933
as Ed Perkins
Smoke Lightning 1933
as Sam Edson
That's My Boy 1932
as Coach "Daisy" Adams
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang 1932
as District Attorney (uncredited)
The Pride of the Legion 1932
as McMahon
Blondie of the Follies 1932
as Murchenson
The Wiser Sex 1932
as Chauffeur - aka The Wop
The Symphony Murder Mystery 1932
as Giuseppe Benito
His Woman 1931
as Alisandroe
- The Door Knocker
The Door Knocker 1931
as Gangster
What 80 Million Women Want 1913
as District Attorney(uncredited)
Credits from TMDB.