Dick Curtis

Dick Curtis
Richard Dye (May 11, 1902January 3, 1952), known professionally as Dick Curtis, was an American actor who made over 230 film and television appearances during his career.
Early years
Curtis was born in Newport, Kentucky, the son of Frank Dye and Elizabeth Faulkner Dye.
Career
After having limited work in Hollywood, Curtis acted on stage in New York and toured in a variety of productions from 1926 to 1930.
Standing at 6' 3", Curtis appeared in films stretching from Charles Starrett to The Three Stooges. In most of his films, he played villains or heavies. He made television appearances on The Lone Ranger and The Range Rider. He appeared in California Gold Rush, Spook Town, The Gene Autry Show, and many others.
Curtis appeared in such Three Stooges films as Yes, We Have No Bonanza, You Nazty Spy!, and The Three Troubledoers.
Pioneertown
With the help of his friend and actor Russell Hayden, Curtis helped develop Pioneertown, a western movie set location in Southern California that was used for many television and film westerns. The project was done in partnership with Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers.
Personal life
Curtis was married to silent-film actress Ruth Sullivan, who survived him.
Death
Curtis died at age 49 of pneumonia brought on by lung cancer. Curtis's final appearance with the Stooges was as Shemp Howard's dental patient in The Tooth Will Out, filmed in February 1951.
He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Selected filmography
Tell It to the Marines (1926) - Marine in Barracks (uncredited)
Shooting Straight (1930) - Butch
Up the River (1930) - New Inmate (uncredited)
The Silver Horde (1930) - Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Secret Service(1931) - Prisoner Buying Goobers (uncredited)
Hell's House (1932) - Cop on the Beat (uncredited)
Girl Crazy (1932) - Cowboy Giving Directions (uncredited)
The Famous Ferguson Case (1932) - O'Toole (uncredited)
King Kong (1933) - Member of Ship's Crew (uncredited)
King Kelly of the U.S.A. (1934) - Otto - Palace Guard (uncredited)
A Successful Failure (1934) - Man in Rally Crowd (uncredited)
The Silver Streak (1934) - Boulder Dam Foreman (uncredited)
Romance in Manhattan (1935) - Man at East River (uncredited)
Clive of India (1935) - Hoodlum on Dock (uncredited)
Northern Frontier (1935) - Pete - Henchman (uncredited)
Mutiny Ahead (1935) - Stevens
Wilderness Mail (1935) - Jacques - Henchman
The Miracle Rider (1935, Serial) - Copelee (uncredited)
The Nitwits (1935) - Cop on Stakeout (uncredited)
Code of the Mounted (1935) - Snakey - Henchman
The Arizonian (1935) - Henchman (uncredited)
Trails of the Wild (1935) - Henchman Roper
Western Frontier (1935) - Pioneer Settler (uncredited)
Condemned to Live (1935) - Villager at Pit Rim (uncredited)
Skybound (1935) - Master of Ceremonies (uncredited)
Western Courage (1935) - Henchman Bat (uncredited)
Racing Luck (1935) - 'Dynamite'
Just My Luck (1935) - Henchman (uncredited)
Federal Agent (1936) - Curbside Cabbie (uncredited)
Crashing Through Danger (1936) - Foreman
Burning Gold (1936) - Swede
Go-Get-'Em, Haines (1936) - Mike - Cab Driver (uncredited)
Wildcat Trooper (1936) - Henri (uncredited)
The Lion's Den (1936) - Slim Burtis - Henchman
The Crooked Trail (1936) - Kirk - Miner (uncredited)
Ghost Patrol (1936) - Henchman Charlie
The Traitor (1936) - Henchman Morgan
Phantom Patrol (1936) - Henchman Josef
Daniel Boone (1936) - Vince - Frontiersman (uncredited)
Wild Horse Round-Up (1936) - Bill
Valley of Terror (1937) - Buck - Henchman
The Singing Buckaroo (1937) - Odie - Henchman
Blake of Scotland Yard (1937) - Nicky - Henchman
The Gambling Terror (1937) - Henchman Dick
Headline Crasher (1937) - Joe (uncredited)
Trail of Vengeance (1937) - Cartwright - Henchman
Motor Madness (1937) - Sailor (uncredited)
Two Gun Law (1937) - Len Edwards
Bar-Z Bad Men (1937) - Henchman Brent
The Frame-Up (1937) - Slim (uncredited)
Guns in the Dark (1937) - Brace Stevens
A Lawman Is Born (1937) - Lefty Drogan
One Man Justice (1937) - Henchman Hank Skinner
Boothill Brigade (1937) - Bull Berke
The Game That Kills (1937) - Whitey
Moonlight on the Range (1937) - Hank - Henchman
Life Begins with Love (1937) - Radical (uncredited)
Counsel for Crime (1937) - Hood (uncredited)
Murder in Greenwich Village (1937) - Campbell Security Guard (uncredited)
The Old Wyoming Trail (1937) - Ed Slade
Outlaws of the Prairie (1937) - Dragg
Paid to Dance (1937) - Mike Givens
The Shadow (1937) - Carlos
Little Miss Roughneck (1938) - (uncredited)
Penitentiary (1938) - Tex (uncredited)
Cattle Raiders (1938) - Ed Munro
Who Killed Gail Preston? (1938) - Henchman Mike
Women in Prison (1938) - Mac
Rawhide (1938) - Butch - Saunders Henchman
Call of the Rockies (1938) - Matt Stark
Law of the Plains (1938) - Jim Fletcher
The Lone Wolf in Paris (1938) - Palace Vault Guard (uncredited)
Reformatory (1938) - Guard (uncredited)
The Main Event (1938) - Sawyer
Squadron of Honor (1938) - Craig
West of Cheyenne (1938) - Link Murdock
City Streets (1938) - Madden - County Welfare Officer (uncredited)
South of Arizona (1938) - Ed Martin
You Can't Take It with You (1938) - Strongarm Man (uncredited)
The Colorado Trail (1938) - Henchman Slash Driscoll
Juvenile Court (1938) - Detective Capturing Dutch Adams (uncredited)
West of the Santa Fe (1938) - Matt Taylor
The Spider's Web (1938, Serial) - Malloy (uncredited)
The Lady Objects (1938) - Jail Guard (uncredited)
Adventure in Sahara (1938) - Karnoldi
Blondie (1938) - Daily Gazette Reporter (uncredited)
Rio Grande (1938) - Ed Barker
Flat Foot Stooges (1938, Short) - Mr. Reardon
The Little Adventuress (1938) - Race Starter (uncredited)
Smashing the Spy Ring (1938) - Williams (uncredited)
Homicide Bureau (1939) - Radio Broadcaster (voice, uncredited)
The Thundering West (1939) - Wolf Munro
North of Shanghai (1939) - Creighton
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939) - Heavy (uncredited)
Flying G-Men (1939, Serial) - Henchman Korman
My Son Is a Criminal (1939) - Gangster (uncredited)
We Want Our Mummy (1939, Short) - Jackson (uncredited)
Let Us Live (1939) - Convict on Death Row (uncredited)
Romance of the Redwoods (1939) - Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)
Blind Alley (1939) - Trooper with Joe (uncredited)
Spoilers of the Range (1939) - Lobo Savage
Outside These Walls (1939) - Flint
Mandrake the Magician (1939, Serial) - Dorgan - Henchman (Chs. 6–8)
Yes, We Have No Bonanza (1939, Short) - Maxey
Missing Daughters (1939) - Henchman (uncredited)
Western Caravans (1939) - Mort Kohler
Overland with Kit Carson (1939, Serial) - Drake - Henchman
Behind Prison Gates (1939) - Capt. Simmons
The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) - Jury Foreman Clifford Kearney
Riders of Black River (1939) - Blaize Carewe
Outpost of the Mounties (1939) - Wade Beaumont
Those High Grey Walls (1939) - Convict (uncredited)
Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise (1939, Short) - Clipper - Swindler in Back Seat (uncredited)
The Taming of the West (1939) - Rawhide
Scandal Sheet (1939) - Guard
The Amazing Mr. Williams (1939) - Joe (uncredited)
The Stranger from Texas (1939) - Bat Stringer
Two-Fisted Rangers (1939) - Henchman Dirk Hogan
My Son Is Guilty (1939) - Monk
You Nazty Spy! (1940, Short) - Mr. Ohnay (uncredited)
Pioneers of the Frontier (1940) - Matt Brawley
Blondie on a Budget (1940) - Tony - Mechanic (uncredited)
Bullets for Rustlers (1940) - Strang
Rockin' Thru the Rockies (1940, Short) - Indian Chief (uncredited)
Blazing Six Shooters (1940) - Lash Bender
Terry and the Pirates (1940, Serial) - Master Fang
Men Without Souls (1940) - Duke
Texas Stagecoach (1940) - Shoshone Larsen
Boom Town (1940) - Hiring Boss (uncredited)
Wyoming (1940) - Corky - Henchman (uncredited)
Ragtime Cowboy Joe (1940) - Bo Gilman
Three Men from Texas (1940) - Gardner - Henchman
The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) - Guard (uncredited)
So Ends Our Night (1941) - Gestapo Stormtrooper (uncredited)
Across the Sierras (1941) - Mitch Carew
The Round Up (1941) - Ed Crandall
Billy the Kid (1941) - Kirby Claxton
I Was a Prisoner on Devil's Island (1941) - Jules
Mystery Ship (1941) - Van Brock
Stick to Your Guns (1941) - Nevada Teale
Honky Tonk (1941) - Tough Man on Train (uncredited)
Sea Raiders (1941, Serial) - Mate on the 'Astoria' [Chs. 4-5] (uncredited)
Arizona Cyclone (1941) - Quirt Crenshaw
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring (1941) - Policeman (uncredited)
Shut My Big Mouth (1942) - Henchman (uncredited)
Two Yanks in Trinidad (1942) - Sea Captain
Men of San Quentin (1942) - Butch Mason
Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die (1942) - Frank McLowery
Jackass Mail (1942) - Jim Swade
Vengeance of the West (1942) - Jeff Gorman
City of Silent Men (1942) - Frank Muller
Pardon My Gun (1942) - Clint Hayes (uncredited)
You Can't Beat the Law (1943) - Prison Guard (uncredited)
Riders of the Northwest Mounted (1943) - Victor Renaud (uncredited)
Batman (1943, Serial) - Agent Croft of Section 50 [Ch. 10-12] (uncredited)
Higher Than a Kite (1943, Short) - Gen. Bommel (uncredited)
Salute to the Marines (1943) - Cpl. Mosley
The Cross of Lorraine (1943) - Nazi Guard in Village (uncredited)
Jack London (1943) - Cannery Foreman (uncredited)
Cowboy in the Clouds (1943) - Roy Madison
The Phantom (1943, Serial) - Tartar Chieftain (uncredited)
Crash Goes the Hash (1944, Short) - Prince Shaam of Ubeedarn
Lady in the Death House (1944) - Willis Millen
Hey, Rookie (1944) - Sergeant (uncredited)
Gambler's Choice (1944) - Mr. Hadley (uncredited)
The Black Parachute (1944) - German Lieutenant (uncredited)
Spook Town (1944) - Sam Benson
Waterfront (1944) - Drunken Sailor (uncredited)
Mystery of the River Boat (1944, Serial) - Craig Cassard
High Powered (1945) - Worker (uncredited)
The Master Key (1945, Serial) - Reicher (uncredited)
The Great John L. (1945) - Waldo (uncredited)
Blonde from Brooklyn (1945) - Soldier (uncredited)
Scared Stiff (1945) - Bus Driver (uncredited)
Wagon Wheels Westward (1945) - Henchman Tuttle
Scarlet Street (1945) - Detective (uncredited)
The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946) - Castle Gate Guard (uncredited)
Abilene Town (1946) - 'Cap' Ryker
The Scarlet Horseman (1946, Serial) - Jed (Ch 2) (uncredited)
California Gold Rush (1946) - Chopin - the Harmonica Killer
Song of Arizona (1946) - Henchman Bart
Lost City of the Jungle (1946) - Johnson
The Three Troubledoers (1946, Short) - Badlands Blackie
Traffic in Crime (1946) - Jake Schultz
Wild Beauty (1946) - John Andrews
Lawless Breed (1946) - Bartley Mellon and Captain Isaac Mellon
Santa Fe Uprising (1946) - Henchman Luke Case
Renegade Girl (1946) - Joe Barnes
Wyoming (1947) - Ed Lassiter
Navajo Trail Raiders (1949) - Henchman Brad
The Outriders (1950) - Outrider at Dance (uncredited)
Cargo to Capetown (1950) - Charlie - Sailor in Bar (uncredited)
Wabash Avenue (1950) - Jim - Poker Player (uncredited)
The Vanishing Westerner (1950) - Bartender
Rock Island Trail (1950) - Barton - Railroad Agitator (uncredited)
The Gunfighter (1950) - Townsman at Funeral (uncredited)
Covered Wagon Raid (1950) - Henchman Grif
The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950) - Guard (uncredited)
The Jackpot (1950) - Moving Man (uncredited)
Three Arabian Nuts (1951, Short) - Hassan
Inside Straight (1951) - Marshal (uncredited)
Rawhide (1951) - Hawley (uncredited)
Whirlwind (1951) - Lon Kramer
Don't Throw That Knife (1951, Short) - Mr. Wycoff
Roar of the Iron Horse - Rail-Blazer of the Apache Trail (1951) - Campo - The Baron's Chief Gunman
Lorna Doone (1951) - Garth (uncredited)
The Texas Rangers (1951) - Prison Guard (uncredited)
Government Agents vs. Phantom Legion (1951) - Regan
The Red Badge of Courage (1951) - Veteran (uncredited)
The Tooth Will Out (1951, Short) - Shemp's Last Patient (uncredited)
Chicago Calling (1951) - Road Gang Foreman (uncredited)
Rose of Cimarron (1952) - Clem Dawley
My Six Convicts (1952) - Guard (uncredited)
Bronco Buster (1952) - Bartender (uncredited) (final film role)
References
Pioneertown
External links
Three Stooges Online Filmography
1902 births
1952 deaths
Male actors from Kentucky
American male film actors
Deaths from lung cancer in California
Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American comedians