Ralph Byrd

Ralph Byrd (April 22, 1909  – August 18, 1952) was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, films and television.^[1]

Ralph Byrd
Byrd in Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947)
Born	(1909-04-22)April 22, 1909 Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Died	August 18, 1952(1952-08-18) (aged 43) Tarzana, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1935–1952
Spouse	Virginia Carroll ​ ​ (m. 1936)​
Children	1

Early life and career

The son of George and Edna May Byrd, Ralph Byrd was born in Dayton, Ohio. Before he began acting in films, he sang and danced in theatrical productions.^[2]

He served in the United States Army during World War II, having been inducted into the service in San Pedro, California, in 1944.^[3]

He married actress and model Virginia Carroll in 1936.^[4] The couple remained together until Byrd's death in 1952.^[4]

He debuted in movies with a bit part in Red-Headed Woman in (1932).^[5]

Once established in Republic Pictures' Dick Tracy serials (beginning in 1937), he was usually cast in action features (as a truck driver, lumberjack, cowboy, etc.).

Byrd also starred in three other serials: Blake of Scotland Yard (1937), S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937), and The Vigilante (1947).^[6]

Dick Tracy

Republic cast Byrd as Chester Gould's comic-strip detective Dick Tracy in the 1937 serial of the same title. The film was so successful that it spawned three sequels (unheard of in serials): Dick Tracy Returns, Dick Tracy's G-Men (featuring a young Jennifer Jones, under her real name of Phylis Isley), and Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. (reissued in 1952 as Dick Tracy vs. the Phantom Empire).

RKO Radio Pictures made a feature film, Dick Tracy, in 1945, with Morgan Conway in the title role. After two films, exhibitors complained. To them, Ralph Byrd was Dick Tracy, and only Ralph Byrd would do. RKO capitulated, and hired Byrd to finish the series. Dick Tracy's Dilemma and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome were both released in 1947.^[7]

Later life and death

Byrd portrayed Tracy for one season on the TV series. He died of a heart attack on August 18, 1952, and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale).^[8] He was 43 years old.^[9][10]

Selected filmography

• Red-Headed Woman (1932) as Driver with Mustache (uncredited)
• Chinatown Squad (1935) as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
• The Adventures of Rex and Rinty (1935, Serial) as Forest Ranger Jerry Morton [Chs. 5-6] (uncredited)
• The Affair of Susan (1935) as Mechanic (uncredited)
• Hell-Ship Morgan (1936) as Dale
• Border Caballero (1936) as Tex Weaver
• Pride of the Marines (1936) as Male Nurse (uncredited)
• The Last Outlaw (1936) as Pilot (uncredited)
• The Final Hour (1936) as Department of Justice Guard (uncredited)
• Two-Fisted Gentleman (1936) as Charley
• Swing Time (1936) as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
• Alibi for Murder (1936) as Cop (uncredited)
• A Tenderfoot Goes West (1936) as Steve
• White Legion (1936) as NCO Clerk (uncredited)
• We Who Are About to Die (1937) as Police Lab Technician (uncredited)
• Find the Witness (1937) as Tex
• Blake of Scotland Yard (1937) as Dr. Jerry Sheehan
• They Wanted to Marry (1937) as Roger Coleman (uncredited)
• Sea Devils (1937) as Court-Martial Seaman (uncredited)
• Dick Tracy (1937, Serial) as Dick Tracy
• Motor Madness (1937) as C.P.O. Mike Burns
• Criminals of the Air (1937) as Williamson
• They Gave Him a Gun (1937) as Wounded Soldier (uncredited)
• San Quentin (1937) as Cop on Phone (scenes deleted)
• A Fight to the Finish (1937) as Jimmy (uncredited)
• S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937) as Lt. Terry Kent
• The Firefly (1937) as French Lieutenant (uncredited)
• The Trigger Trio (1937) as Larry Smith
• Paid to Dance (1937) as Nickels Brown
• Born to Be Wild (1938) as Steve Hackett
• Army Girl (1938) as Capt. Bob Marvin
• Dick Tracy Returns (1938) as Dick Tracy
• Down in 'Arkansaw' (1938) as John Parker
• Fighting Thoroughbreds (1939) as Ben Marshall
• S.O.S. Tidal Wave (1939) as Jeff Shannon
• Mickey the Kid (1939) as Dr. Ben Cameron
• Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939) as Dick Tracy
• The Captain Is a Lady (1940) as Randy - Seaman (uncredited)
• The Golden Fleecing (1940) as Larry Kelly
• The Howards of Virginia (1940) as James Howard
• Dulcy (1940) as Businessman in Meeting (uncredited)
• Drums of the Desert (1940) as Paul Dumont
• North West Mounted Police (1940) as Constable Ackroyd
• The Mark of Zorro (1940) as Student / Officer (uncredited)
• Dark Streets of Cairo (1940) as Dennis Martin
• The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) as William Gluck
• Misbehaving Husbands (1940) as Bob Grant
• Play Girl (1941) as Miami Doctor (uncredited)
• The Penalty (1941) as Brock
• Power Dive (1941) as Jackson - Draftsman
• Desperate Cargo (1941) as Tony Bronson
• Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day (1941) as Policeman (uncredited)
• Navy Blues (1941) as Lieutenant (uncredited)
• A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941) as Al Bennett
• Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. (1941) as Dick Tracy
• Duke of the Navy (1942) as Breezy Duke
• Broadway Big Shot (1942) as Jimmy O'Brien
• Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book (1942) as Durga
• Moontide (1942) as Rev. Wilson
• Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942) as Maloney
• Careful, Soft Shoulder (1942) as Elliott Salmon
• Manila Calling (1942) as Corbett
• Time to Kill (1942) as Lou Venter, bodyguard
• Margin for Error (1943) as Pete - Dice-Playing Soldier (uncredited)
• The Meanest Man in the World (1943) as Reporter (uncredited)
• They Came to Blow Up America (1943) as Burkhardt
• Guadalcanal Diary (1943) as Ned Rowman
• December 7th: The Movie (1943) as Reporter (uncredited)
• Four Jills in a Jeep (1944) as Sergeant in Mess Hall (uncredited)
• Tampico (1944) as Quartermaster O'Brien (uncredited)
• Stallion Road (1947) as Richmond Mallard
• Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947) as Dick Tracy
• The Vigilante (1947) as Greg Sanders / Vigilante
• Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947) as Dick Tracy
• The Argyle Secrets (1948) as Police Lt. Samuel Samson
• Stage Struck (1948) as Police Sgt. Tom Ramey
• Canon City (1948) as Officer Gray
• Jungle Goddess (1948) asBob Simpson
• Thunder in the Pines (1948) as 'Boomer' Benson
• Radar Secret Service (1950) as Static
• Union Station (1950) as Priest (uncredited)
• The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951) as Capt. Andrews
• Lightning Strikes Twice (1951) as Jack Ross, Hair Tonic Salesman on Bus (uncredited)
• Double Crossbones (1951) as Will - Debtor (uncredited)
• Close to My Heart (1951) as Charlie (uncredited)
• My Favorite Spy (1951) as Official (uncredited)
• Bugles in the Afternoon (1952) as First officer (uncredited)

References

1. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 305. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
2. Backer, Ron (2010). Mystery Movie Series of 1940s Hollywood. McFarland. p. 262. ISBN 9780786457007. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
3. "Actor Ralph Byrd Dies; Was Film Dick Tracy". Lebanon Daily News. Pennsylvania, Lebanon. United Press. August 19, 1952. p. 12. Retrieved February 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Passings: Virginia Carroll, Character actress and leading lady". Los Angeles Times. July 30, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
5. "Ralph Byrd Personifies Dick Tracy". Harrisburg Telegraph. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. February 1, 1937. p. 16. Retrieved February 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Cline, William C. (December 1997). In the Nick of Time: Motion Picture Sound Serials. McFarland. p. 80. ISBN 9780786404711. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
7. Harmon, Jim; Glut, Donald F. (2013). Great Movie Serials Cb: Great Movie Serial. Routledge. p. 174. ISBN 9781136223211. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
8. Wilson, Scott (September 5, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
9. Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 39. ISBN 9780786409839. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
10. "Ralph Byrd, Veteran Screen Actor, Dies". The Daily Republican. Pennsylvania, Monongahela. United Press. August 19, 1952. p. 5. Retrieved February 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Ralph Byrd at IMDb
• Ralph Byrd at Find a Grave