Ralph Byrd

Ralph Byrd (April 22, 1909 – August 18, 1952) was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, films and television.
Early life and career
The son of George and Edna May Byrd, Ralph Byrd was born in Dayton, Ohio. Before he began acting in films, he sang and danced in theatrical productions.
He served in the United States Army during World War II, having been inducted into the service in San Pedro, California, in 1944.
He married actress and model Virginia Carroll in 1936. The couple remained together until Byrd's death in 1952.
He debuted in movies with a bit part in Red-Headed Woman in (1932).
Once established in Republic Pictures' Dick Tracy serials (beginning in 1937), he was usually cast in action features (as a truck driver, lumberjack, cowboy, etc.).
Byrd also starred in three other serials: Blake of Scotland Yard (1937), S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937), and The Vigilante (1947).
Dick Tracy
Republic cast Byrd as Chester Gould's comic-strip detective Dick Tracy in the 1937 serial of the same name. The film was so successful that it spawned three sequels (unheard of in serials): Dick Tracy Returns, Dick Tracy's G-Men (featuring a young Jennifer Jones, under her real name of Phylis Isley), and Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. (reissued in 1952 as Dick Tracy vs. the Phantom Empire).
RKO Radio Pictures made a feature film, Dick Tracy, in 1945, with Morgan Conway in the title role. After two films, exhibitors complained. To them, Ralph Byrd was Dick Tracy, and only Ralph Byrd would do. RKO capitulated, and hired Byrd to finish the series. Dick Tracy's Dilemma and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome were both released in 1947.
Later life and death
Byrd portrayed Tracy for one season on the TV series. He died of a heart attack on August 18, 1952, and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale). He was 43 years old.
Selected filmography
Red-Headed Woman (1932) as Driver with Mustache (uncredited)
Chinatown Squad (1935) as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
The Adventures of Rex and Rinty (1935, Serial) as Forest Ranger Jerry Morton [Chs. 5-6] (uncredited)
The Affair of Susan (1935) as Mechanic (uncredited)
Hell-Ship Morgan (1936) as Dale
Border Caballero (1936) as Tex Weaver
Pride of the Marines (1936) as Male Nurse (uncredited)
The Last Outlaw (1936) as Pilot (uncredited)
The Final Hour (1936) as Department of Justice Guard (uncredited)
Two-Fisted Gentleman (1936) as Charley
Swing Time (1936) as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Alibi for Murder (1936) as Cop (uncredited)
A Tenderfoot Goes West (1936) as Steve
White Legion (1936) as NCO Clerk (uncredited)
We Who Are About to Die (1937) as Police Lab Technician (uncredited)
Find the Witness (1937) as Tex
Blake of Scotland Yard (1937) as Dr. Jerry Sheehan
They Wanted to Marry (1937) as Roger Coleman (uncredited)
Sea Devils (1937) as Court-Martial Seaman (uncredited)
Dick Tracy (1937, Serial) as Dick Tracy
Motor Madness (1937) as C.P.O. Mike Burns
Criminals of the Air (1937) as Williamson
They Gave Him a Gun (1937) as Wounded Soldier (uncredited)
San Quentin (1937) as Cop on Phone (scenes deleted)
A Fight to the Finish (1937) as Jimmy (uncredited)
S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937) as Lt. Terry Kent
The Firefly (1937) as French Lieutenant (uncredited)
The Trigger Trio (1937) as Larry Smith
Paid to Dance (1937) as Nickels Brown
Born to Be Wild (1938) as Steve Hackett
Army Girl (1938) as Capt. Bob Marvin
Dick Tracy Returns (1938) as Dick Tracy
Down in 'Arkansaw' (1938) as John Parker
Fighting Thoroughbreds (1939) as Ben Marshall
S.O.S. Tidal Wave (1939) as Jeff Shannon
Mickey the Kid (1939) as Dr. Ben Cameron
Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939) as Dick Tracy
The Captain Is a Lady (1940) as Randy - Seaman (uncredited)
The Golden Fleecing (1940) as Larry Kelly
The Howards of Virginia (1940) as James Howard
Dulcy (1940) as Businessman in Meeting (uncredited)
Drums of the Desert (1940) as Paul Dumont
North West Mounted Police (1940) as Constable Ackroyd
The Mark of Zorro (1940) as Student / Officer (uncredited)
Dark Streets of Cairo (1940) as Dennis Martin
The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) as William Gluck
Misbehaving Husbands (1940) as Bob Grant
Play Girl (1941) as Miami Doctor (uncredited)
The Penalty (1941) as Brock
Power Dive (1941) as Jackson - Draftsman
Desperate Cargo (1941) as Tony Bronson
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day (1941) as Policeman (uncredited)
Navy Blues (1941) as Lieutenant (uncredited)
A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941) as Al Bennett
Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. (1941) as Dick Tracy
Duke of the Navy (1942) as Breezy Duke
Broadway Big Shot (1942) as Jimmy O'Brien
Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book (1942) as Durga
Moontide (1942) as Rev. Wilson
Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942) as Maloney
Careful, Soft Shoulder (1942) as Elliott Salmon
Manila Calling (1942) as Corbett
Time to Kill (1942) as Lou Venter, bodyguard
Margin for Error (1943) as Pete - Dice-Playing Soldier (uncredited)
The Meanest Man in the World (1943) as Reporter (uncredited)
They Came to Blow Up America (1943) as Burkhardt
Guadalcanal Diary (1943) as Ned Rowman
December 7th: The Movie (1943) as Reporter (uncredited)
Four Jills in a Jeep (1944) as Sergeant in Mess Hall (uncredited)
Tampico (1944) as Quartermaster O'Brien (uncredited)
Stallion Road (1947) as Richmond Mallard
Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947) as Dick Tracy
The Vigilante (1947) as Greg Sanders / Vigilante
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947) as Dick Tracy
The Argyle Secrets (1948) as Police Lt. Samuel Samson
Stage Struck (1948) as Police Sgt. Tom Ramey
Canon City (1948) as Officer Gray
Jungle Goddess (1948) asBob Simpson
Thunder in the Pines (1948) as 'Boomer' Benson
Radar Secret Service (1950) as Static
Union Station (1950) as Priest (uncredited)
The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951) as Capt. Andrews
Lightning Strikes Twice (1951) as Jack Ross, Hair Tonic Salesman on Bus (uncredited)
Double Crossbones (1951) as Will - Debtor (uncredited)
Close to My Heart (1951) as Charlie (uncredited)
My Favorite Spy (1951) as Official (uncredited)
Bugles in the Afternoon (1952) as First officer (uncredited)
References
External links
American male film actors
Male film serial actors
1909 births
1952 deaths
Male actors from Dayton, Ohio
20th-century American male actors
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)