Tom Dugan | |
|---|---|
 Dugan in the 1930s | |
| Born | 1 January 1889 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 7 March 1955 (aged 66) Redlands, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | San Fernando Mission Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1927–1955 |
| Spouses |
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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.
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]
Dugan died 7 March 1955 in Redlands, California. His remains are interred at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in North Hollywood.[2]
