James Dunn

About

James Dunn worked on the stage, in vaudeville and as an extra in silent movies before he was signed by Fox in 1931. His first movie with Fox was 1931's Sob Sister (1931). While at Fox, he appeared with Shirley Temple in her first three features: Baby Take a Bow (1934), Stand Up and Cheer! (1934) and Bright Eyes (1934). Dunn's screen character was usually the boy next door or the nice guy. In 1935 musicals at the new 20th Century-Fox were out and Dunn would move to the "B" list, from which he would never return. In The Payoff (1935) he plays the nice guy newspaper columnist whose wife ruins his career. By the late 1930s he was drinking heavily and become unemployable. He would appear in small roles in films during the early 1940s, but those parts were few. In 1945 he was able to make a comeback and win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), but his...

Known for

BonanzaSeries • 1959The FugitiveSeries • 1963Matinee TheaterSeries • 1955The VirginianSeries • 1962Studio OneSeries • 1948Robert Montgomery PresentsSeries • 1950Climax!Series • 1954Ben CaseySeries • 1961RawhideSeries • 1959Wanted: Dead or AliveSeries • 1958Naked CitySeries • 1958Route 66Series • 1960BrandedSeries • 1965Lux Video TheatreSeries • 1950Screen Director's PlayhouseSeries • 1955The Wonderful World of DisneySeries • 1954The Great AdventureSeries • 1963Going My WaySeries • 1962A Tree Grows in BrooklynMovie • 1945Bad GirlMovie • 1931Baby Take a BowMovie • 1934Bright EyesMovie • 1934The Living GhostMovie • 1942