Tom_Keene_(actor)

Tom Keene (actor)

Tom Keene (actor)

American actor (1896–1963)

For the 19th-century stage actor, see Thomas W. Keene.

Tom Keene (born George Duryea; December 30, 1896 – August 4, 1963[2]) was an American actor known mostly for his roles in B Westerns. During his almost 40-year career in motion pictures Tom Keene worked under three different names. From 1923, when he made his first picture, until 1930 he worked under his birth name, George Duryea. The last film he made under this name was Pardon My Gun. Beginning with the 1930 film Tol'able David, he used Tom Keene as his moniker. This name he used up to 1944 when he changed it to Richard Powers. The first film he used this name in was Up in Arms. He continued to use this name for the rest of his film career.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Early life and career

Born George Duryea (no known relation to fellow actor Dan Duryea despite a resemblance) in Rochester, New York,[3] Keene studied at Columbia University and Carnegie Tech before embarking on an acting career. He made his film debut in the 1923 short film The Just a Little Late Club. Keene followed with roles in The Godless Girl (1929) directed by Cecil B. DeMille; Tide of Empire (1929) with Renée Adorée; Thunder with Lon Chaney, Sr.; Tol'able David (1930) and Sundown Trail (1931).[4] In 1934 King Vidor cast him in the socially conscious Depression oriented classic Our Daily Bread with Karen Morley.[5]

1931 lobby card
Keene (left) in 1936 lobby card
Tom Keene in Western Mail (1942)

During the 1940s, Keene appeared in the film serial The Great Alaskan Mystery and two Dick Tracy films Dick Tracy's Dilemma and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947). In the 1950s, he moved on to television with guest roles on The Range Rider; Buffalo Bill, Jr.; Fury; Judge Roy Bean and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Keene's last film role was in Ed Wood's cult film Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957[6]).[7] He retired soon after this and focused on real estate and the insurance business.

Death

Tom Keene in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), his last role.

Keene died of cancer on August 4, 1963, aged 66. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Filmography

Poster for The Dude Wrangler (1930).

Later in his career (after 1944), Keene was often credited as Richard Powers, and once as Dick Powers.

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References

  1. [1]
    Folkart, Burt A. (March 19, 1992). "Gracie Lantz Dies; Invented Woody Woodpecker". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  2. [2]
    Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 396. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  3. [3]
    Pitts, Michael R. (2015). Poverty Row Studios, 1929-1940. McFarland p. 135. ISBN 978-1-4766-1036-8.
  4. [4]
    "Tom Keene". BFI. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020.
  5. [5]
    "George Duryea | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
  6. [6]
    Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). ISBN 978-0-922915-24-8.
  7. [7]
    Pitts, Michael R. (2015). RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929-1956. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-1683-4.
  8. [8]
    Levine, Sydney (April 13, 2020). "Vidor Retrospective is a Hot Alternate Reality at Berlin 70 — by Alex Deleon". Sydney's Buzz. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
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