Dan Duryea

• Name — Dan Duryea • Born — 23 January 1907 • Birthplace — White Plains, New York, U.S. • Died — 7 June 1968 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Resting Place — Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, California • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1933–1968 • Children — 2, including Peter Duryea

Duryea was born and raised in White Plains, New York. He graduated from White Plains High School in 1924 and Cornell University in 1928. While at Cornell, Duryea was elected into the Sphinx Head Society, Cornell's oldest senior honor society. He majored in English, and in his senior year succeeded Franchot Tone as president of the college drama society. Because his parents did not approve of his choice of an acting career, Duryea became an advertising executive. After six years, he had a heart attack that sidelined him for a year.

• Illustration — Tallulah Bankhead, Charles Dingle, Carl Benton Reid and Dan Duryea in the original Broadway production of The Little Foxes (1939)

Returning to his earlier love of acting and the stage, Duryea made his name on Broadway in the play Dead End, followed by The Little Foxes, in which he portrayed Leo Hubbard. He appeared on Broadway in Many Mansions (1937) and Missouri Legend (1938).

Duryea starred as the lead character China Smith in the television series China Smith from 1952 to 1953 and The New Adventures of China Smith from 1954 to 1956. He later guest-starred as Roy Budinger, the self-educated mastermind of a criminal ring dealing in silver bullion, in the episode "Terror Town" on October 18, 1958, of NBC's western series Cimarron City. On season 1, episode 15 of Wagon Train, he guest-starred as the title character in "The Cliff Grundy Story" (December 1957). He reappeared as Cliff, saving Robert Horton's Flint McCullough from being "Shanghaied" in S1 E39 "The Sacramento Story" which aired 6/24/1958. In 1959, Duryea appeared as an alcoholic gunfighter in the third episode of The Twilight Zone, "Mr. Denton on Doomsday". He guest starred on NBC's anthology series The Barbara Stanwyck Show and appeared in an episode of Rawhide in 1959, "Incident Of The Executioner." On September 15, 1959, Duryea guest-starred as the outlaw Bud Carlin in the episode "Stage Stop", the premiere of NBC's Laramie western series. Duryea appeared again as Luke Gregg on Laramie on October 25, 1960, in the episode "The Long Riders". Duryea put in a comic performance in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in an episode called "Three Wives Too Many" (1964). Three weeks later, on November 16, 1960, Duryea played a mentally unstable pioneer obsessed by demons and superstitions in "The Bleymier Story" of NBC's Wagon Train. Elen Willard played his daughter; James Drury, his daughter's suitor. Duryea was cast twice in 1960 as Captain Brad Turner in consecutive episodes of the NBC western series Riverboat. He spoofed his tough-guy image in a comedy sketch about a robbery on the Dec. 4, 1960 episode of The Jack Benny Program. Duryea guest starred in a 1962 episode of Tales of Wells Fargo TV western series as Marshal Blake opposite Dale Robertson. In 1963, Duryea portrayed Dr. Ben Lorrigan on NBC's medical drama, The Eleventh Hour. In 1967, a television version of Winchester '73 was released in which Duryea played the part of Bart McAdam, an uncle to Lin and Dakin McAdam. A notable co-star in the film was John Saxon (Dakin McAdam). From 1967 to 1968, he appeared in a recurring role as Eddie Jacks on the soap opera Peyton Place.

Duryea was different from the unsavory characters he often portrayed. He was married for 35 years to his wife, Helen, until her death in January 1967. The couple had two sons: Peter (who worked for a time as an actor), and Richard, a talent agent. At home, Duryea lived a quiet life at his house in the San Fernando Valley, devoting himself to gardening, boating, and community activities including, at various times, active membership in the local parent-teacher association and Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop. Duryea died of esophageal cancer on June 7, 1968, at the age of 61. The New York Times noted the passing of a "heel with sex appeal." His remains are interred in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. There is a street named after Duryea in San Antonio, Texas.

• Year — Film — Role — Director — Notes • 1934 — The Tango on Broadway — Laurita's Boyfriend — Louis J. Gasnier — uncredited • 1941 — The Little Foxes — Leo Hubbard — William Wyler • 1941 — Ball of Fire — Duke Pastrami — Howard Hawks • 1942 — The Pride of the Yankees — Hank Hanneman — Sam Wood • 1942 — That Other Woman — Ralph Cobb — Ray McCarey • 1943 — Sahara — Jimmy Doyle — Zoltán Korda • 1944 — Man from Frisco — Jim Benson — Robert Florey • 1944 — Mrs. Parkington — Jack Stilham — Tay Garnett • 1944 — None But the Lonely Heart — Lew Tate — Clifford Odets • 1944 — The Woman in the Window — Heidt / Tim, the Doorman — Fritz Lang • 1944 — Ministry of Fear — Cost / Travers the Tailor — Fritz Lang • 1945 — Main Street After Dark — Posey Dibson — Edward L. Cahn • 1945 — The Great Flamarion — Al Wallace — Anthony Mann • 1945 — The Valley of Decision — William Scott Jr. — Tay Garnett • 1945 — Along Came Jones — Monte Jarrad — Stuart Heisler • 1945 — Lady on a Train — Arnold Waring — Charles David • 1945 — Scarlet Street — Johnny Prince — Fritz Lang • 1946 — Black Angel — Martin Blair — Roy William Neill • 1946 — White Tie and Tails — Charles Dumont — Charles Barton • 1948 — Black Bart — Charles E. Boles / Black Bart — George Sherman • 1948 — River Lady — Beauvais — George Sherman • 1948 — Another Part of the Forest — Oscar Hubbard — Michael Gordon • 1948 — Larceny — Silky Randall — George Sherman • 1949 — Criss Cross — Slim Dundee — Robert Siodmak • 1949 — Manhandled — Karl Benson — Lewis R. Foster • 1949 — Too Late for Tears — Danny Fuller — Byron Haskin • 1949 — Johnny Stool Pigeon — Johnny Evans — William Castle • 1950 — One Way Street — John Wheeler — Hugo Fregonese • 1950 — Winchester '73 — Waco Johnny Dean — Anthony Mann • 1950 — The Underworld Story — Mike Reese — Cy Endfield • 1951 — Chicago Calling — William R. Cannon — John Reinhardt • 1951 — Al Jennings of Oklahoma — Al Jennings — Ray Nazarro • 1953 — Thunder Bay — Gambi — Anthony Mann • 1953 — Sky Commando — Colonel Ed (E.D.) Wyatt — Fred F. Sears • 1953 — Terror Street — Major Bill Rogers • 1954 — World for Ransom — Mike Callahan / Corrigan — Robert Aldrich (uncredited) • 1954 — Ride Clear of Diablo — Whitey Kincade — Jesse Hibbs • 1954 — Rails Into Laramie — Jim Shanessy — Jesse Hibbs • 1954 — Silver Lode — Fred McCarty — Allan Dwan • 1954 — This Is My Love — Murray Myer — Stuart Heisler • 1955 — Foxfire — Hugh Slater — Joseph Pevney • 1955 — The Marauders — Avery — Gerald Mayer • 1955 — Storm Fear — Fred Blake — Cornel Wilde • 1956 — Battle Hymn — Sergeant Herman — Douglas Sirk • 1957 — The Burglar — Nat Harbin — Paul Wendkos • 1957 — Night Passage — Whitey Harbin — James Neilson • 1957 — Slaughter on Tenth Avenue — John Jacob Masters — Arnold Laven • 1958 — Kathy O — Harry Johnson — Jack Sher • 1960 — Platinum High School — Major Redfern Kelly — Charles Haas • 1962 — Six Black Horses — Frank Jesse — Harry Keller • 1965 — Daniel Boone — Simon Perigore • 1964 — He Rides Tall — Bart Thorne — R. G. Springsteen • 1964 — Do You Know This Voice? — John Hopta • 1964 — Walk a Tightrope — Carl Lutcher — Frank Nesbitt • 1964 — Taggart — Jay Jason — R. G. Springsteen • 1965 — The Bounty Killer — Willie Duggan — Spencer Gordon Bennet • 1965 — The Flight of the Phoenix — Standish — Robert Aldrich • 1966 — Incident at Phantom Hill — Joe Barlow — Earl Bellamy • 1966 — The Hills Run Red — Colonel Winny Getz • 1967 — Winchester '73 — Bart McAdam — TV Movie • 1967 — Five Golden Dragons — Dragon #1 — Jeremy Summers • 1967 — Stranger on the Run — O.E. Hotchkiss — Don Siegel — TV Movie • 1968 — The Bamboo Saucer — Hank Peters — Frank Telford — Filmed in 1966, released posthumously; final film role

• Kate Smith Kate Smith Hour, Live TV, January 16, 1952. Stars in a one act play, "Land's End". • China Smith (1952–1953) (26 episodes) as China Smith • The New Adventures of China Smith (1954–1956) (26 episodes) as China Smith • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1952–1958) (5 episodes) as China Smith / Federal Agent Sam Ireland / Pete Richards • December Bride (1955) (Episode: "High Sierras") as himself • Wagon Train (1957–1964) (7 episodes) as Sam Race / Amos / Samuel Bleymier / Joshua Gilliam / Survivor / Cliff Grundy • Zane Grey Theater (1958) (Season 2 Episode 16: "This Man Must Die") as Kirk Joiner • Laramie (1959) (Season 1 Episode 1: "Stage Stop") as Bud Carlin • Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1959) (Season 5 Episode 15: "Texas John Slaughter: Showdown at Sandoval") as Dan Trask • The Twilight Zone (1959) (Season 1 Episode 3: "Mr. Denton on Doomsday") as Al Denton • Rawhide (1959) (Season 1 Episode 3: "Incident with an Executioner") as Jardin • Laramie (1960) (Season 2 Episode 6: "The Long Riders") as Luke Gregg • Bonanza (1960) (Season 2 Episode 3: "Badge Without Honor") as U.S. Dep. Marshall Gerald Eskith • Route 66 (1961) (Season 1 Episode 24: "Don't Count Stars") as Mike McKay • Zane Grey Theater (1961) (Season 5 Episode 22: "Knight of the Sun") as Henry Jacob Hanley • Laramie (1961) (Season 3 Episode 4: "The Mountain Men") as Ben Sanford • Naked City (1962) (Season 4 Episode 3: "Daughter, Am I In My Father's House?") as Clyde Royd • Tales of Wells Fargo (1962) (Season 6 Episode 23: "Winter Storm") as Marshal Blake • Going My Way (1962) (Season 1 Episode 9: "Mr. Second Chance") as Harold Harrison • Rawhide (1962) (Season 5 Episode 9: "Incident of the Wolvers") as Abner Cannon • Rawhide (1963) (Season 6 Episode 9: "Incident of Prophecy") as Brother William • Route 66 (1963) (Season 4 Episode 9: "A Cage in Search of a Bird") as Jay Leonard Ringsby • Bonanza (1964) (Season 6 Episode 5: "Logan's Treasure") as Sam Logan • The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964) (Season 2 Episode 12: "Three Wives Too Many") as Raymond Brown • Combat! (TV series) (1965) (Season 3 Episode 23: "Dateline") as Barton • The Virginian (1966) (Season 5 Episode 6: "The Challenge") as Ben Crayton • Combat! (TV series) (1967) (Season 5 Episode 22: "A Little Jazz") as Bernie Wallace • Peyton Place (1967–1968) (60 episodes) as Eddie Jacks

• Suspense, "The Man Who Couldn't Lose" (1947) • Suspense, "The Man from Homicide" (1951) • Suspense, "Remember Me" (1952)