Tom Dugan (actor, born 1889)

Tom Dugan (1 January 1889 – 7 March 1955) was an Irish-American film actor. He appeared in more than 260 films between 1927 and 1955. He was born in Dublin, Ireland and died in Redlands, California, after injuries sustained in a road accident.

Tom Dugan
Dugan in the 1930s
Born(1889-01-01)1 January 1889
Dublin, Ireland
Died7 March 1955(1955-03-07) (aged 66)
Redlands, California, U.S.
Resting placeSan Fernando Mission Cemetery
OccupationActor
Years active1927–1955
Spouses
  • Marie Engle
  • Marie Raymond

Life and career

At an early age, Tom Dugan's family moved to Philadelphia where he was educated at the Philadelphia High School. After leaving school, he tried three trades (shoe cutting, neck tie cutting and paper hanging) in quick succession but he had a good tenor voice, so he decided on show business. He appeared in a travelling medicine show, then a minstrel troupe before going on stage. He was a headliner for the Keith Circuit in America for several years. He also played in musical comedies in New York City and in vaudeville theatres like Earl Carroll's Vanities. He eventually became a Broadway comedian.

Dugan appeared in nearly 270 films between 1927 and 1955 and had also some television roles near the end of his life. He supported comedians like Charley Chase and appeared in Lights of New York (1928), the first all-talking picture. Dugan also worked as an actor and perhaps also writer for the Hal Roach studios in the mid-1930s. He mostly played small roles, often as an Irish cop, gangster or cab driver. His best film role was perhaps the Polish actor Bronski who disguises himself as Adolf Hitler in Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942).[1]

Death

Dugan died 7 March 1955 in Redlands, California. His remains are interred at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in North Hollywood.[2]

Partial filmography

References
  1. Tom Dugan at Allmovie
  2. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson
  3. Backer, Ron (24 May 2010). Mystery Movie Series of 1940s Hollywood. McFarland. pp. 88 & 93. ISBN 9780786457007. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
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