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IMDbPro

James Dunn(1901-1967)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
James Dunn in The Fugitive (1963)
Following a mishap in the ring, hard-nosed lightweight Tommy "Killer" McCoy gets mixed-up with a big-time gambler and falls for his educated daughter, Sheila, against her father's better wishes.
Play trailer1:44
Killer McCoy (1947)
3 Videos
99+ Photos
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 became unemployable. He would appear in small roles in films during the early 1940s, but those parts were few and far between. In 1945 he was able to make a comeback and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), but his rejuvenated career would not continue. By 1951 he would again be unemployed and bankrupt. Television would later supply some work and he would be a regular on the series It's a Great Life (1954).
BornNovember 2, 1901
DiedSeptember 1, 1967(65)
BornNovember 2, 1901
DiedSeptember 1, 1967(65)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 8 wins total

Photos146

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Known for

Joan Blondell, James Dunn, Ted Donaldson, Peggy Ann Garner, Dorothy McGuire, and Lloyd Nolan in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
8.0
  • Johnny Nolan
  • 1945
Sally Eilers in Bad Girl (1931)
Bad Girl
6.4
  • Eddie Collins
  • 1931
James Dunn and Sally Eilers in Over the Hill (1931)
Over the Hill
7.1
  • Johnny Shelby
  • 1931
Shirley Temple, James Dunn, and Judith Allen in Bright Eyes (1934)
Bright Eyes
7.2
  • Loop Merritt
  • 1934

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor



  • Shadow Over Elveron (1968)
    Shadow Over Elveron
    6.7
    TV Movie
    • Luke Travers
    • 1968
  • Dundee and the Culhane (1967)
    Dundee and the Culhane
    6.4
    TV Series
    • Milo Hawkins
    • 1967
  • Robert Loggia in T.H.E. Cat (1966)
    T.H.E. Cat
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Joey Crato
    • 1966
  • Ernest Borgnine, Stephen Boyd, Joseph Cotten, Jill St. John, Tony Bennett, Edie Adams, Eleanor Parker, and Elke Sommer in The Oscar (1966)
    The Oscar
    5.2
    • Network Executive
    • 1966
  • Chuck Connors in Branded (1965)
    Branded
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Sam Manning
    • 1965
  • Richard Crenna and Maxine Stuart in Slattery's People (1964)
    Slattery's People
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Samuel Walton
    • 1965
  • James Drury, Doug McClure, and John McIntire in The Virginian (1962)
    The Virginian
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Congressman Matthew J. Cosgrove
    • 1964
  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963)
    Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Russ Landers
    • 1964
  • James Dunn in The Movie Maker (1964)
    The Movie Maker
    6.2
    TV Movie
    • Landers
    • 1964
  • Ben Casey (1961)
    Ben Casey
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Eric Bender
    • Stanley Schultz
    • 1962–1963
  • David Janssen in The Fugitive (1963)
    The Fugitive
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Lou Bragan
    • 1963
  • The Great Adventure (1963)
    The Great Adventure
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Indian Agent McLean
    • 1963
  • Vacation Playhouse (1963)
    Vacation Playhouse
    7.6
    TV Series
    • P.J. Cunningham
    • 1963
  • Swingin' Together
    8.0
    TV Movie
    • P.J. Cunningham
    • 1963
  • Going My Way (1962)
    Going My Way
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Honus Shamroy
    • 1962

Soundtrack



  • Joan Blondell, James Dunn, Ted Donaldson, Peggy Ann Garner, Dorothy McGuire, and Lloyd Nolan in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
    A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
    8.0
    • performer: "Molly Malone" (1883), "Bridal Chorus" (1850), "School Days" (1907), "Annie Laurie" (1834) (uncredited)
    • 1945
  • James Dunn, Sally Eilers, and Pinky Tomlin in Don't Get Personal (1936)
    Don't Get Personal
    • performer: "An Old Fashioned Song"
    • 1936
  • Bad Boy (1935)
    Bad Boy
    6.5
    • performer: "As I Live and Breathe" (1935) (uncredited)
    • 1935
  • James Dunn and Claire Dodd in The Payoff (1935)
    The Payoff
    5.6
    • performer: "California, Here I Come" (1924) (uncredited)
    • 1935
  • George White's 1935 Scandals (1935)
    George White's 1935 Scandals
    5.8
    • performer: "According to the Moonlight" (1935), "It's an Old Southern Custom" (1935), "Hunkadola" (1935) ("According to the Moonlight" (1935), "It's an Old Southern Custom" (1935), uncredited)
    • 1935
  • Alice Faye in 365 Nights in Hollywood (1934)
    365 Nights in Hollywood
    5.6
    • performer: "My Future Star" (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Shirley Temple in Baby, Take a Bow (1934)
    Baby, Take a Bow
    6.4
    • performer: "On Account-a I Love You" (1934), "Rock-A-Bye Baby" (1886) (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor in Change of Heart (1934)
    Change of Heart
    6.0
    • performer: "My Time Is Your Time" (1924) (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Sylvia Froos in Stand Up and Cheer! (1934)
    Stand Up and Cheer!
    5.4
    • performer: "Baby, Take a Bow" (1934) (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • James Dunn, June Knight, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, and Lillian Roth in Take a Chance (1933)
    Take a Chance
    6.4
    • performer: "Come Up and See Me Sometime" (uncredited)
    • 1933

Videos3

Bright Eyes
Clip 2:03
Bright Eyes
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:44
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:44
Official Trailer
DVD Trailer
Trailer 2:15
DVD Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Jimmy Dunn
  • Height
    • 6′ (1.83 m)
  • Born
    • November 2, 1901
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • September 1, 1967
    • Santa Monica, California, USA(following abdominal surgery)
  • Spouses
      Edna RushMarch 7, 1945 - September 1, 1967 (his death)
  • Other works
    (1930- 1949?). Active on Broadway in the following productions:
  • Publicity listings
    • 6 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    On Christmas in 1935, Dunn fulfilled Shirley Temple's wish that Santa Claus visit her house by airplane, delivering presents to her via parachute.
  • Quotes
    [on hearing his name announced at the Academy Awards]I trampled several people and bumped Ann Revere's head getting to the aisle, and all I could say was "Gee, not me!". I walked backstage into a corner and started to cry.
  • Trademark
      A very engaging smile
  • Nickname
    • Jimmy

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did James Dunn die?
    September 1, 1967
  • How did James Dunn die?
    Following abdominal surgery
  • How old was James Dunn when he died?
    65 years old
  • Where did James Dunn die?
    Santa Monica, California, USA
  • When was James Dunn born?
    November 2, 1901

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