Biography of dick powell
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Biography
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss.
Born in Mountain View, the seat of Stone County in northern Arkansas, Powell attended the former Little Rock College in the state capital, before he started his entertainment career as a singer with the Charlie Davis Orchestra, based in the midwest. He recorded a number of records with Davis and on his own, for the Vocalion label in the late 1920s.
Powell moved to Pittsburgh, where he found great local success as the Master of Ceremonies at the Enright Theater and the Stanley Theater. In April 1930, Warner Bros. bought up Brunswick Records which at that time owned Vocalion. Warner Bros. was sufficiently impressed by Powell's singing and stage presence to offer him a film contract in 1932. He made his film debut as a singing bandleader in Blessed Event. He went on to star as a boyish crooner in movie musicals such as 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, Gold Diggers of 1933, Dames, Flirtation Walk, and On the Avenue, often appearing opposite Ruby Keeler and Joan Blondell.
Powell desperately wanted to expand his range but Warner Bros. wouldn't allow him to do so, although they did (mis)cast him in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) as Lysan
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Dick Powell
American doer (1904–1963)
For spanking people first name Richard General, see Richard Powell (disambiguation).
Dick Powell | |
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Dick Solon in 1962 | |
| Born | Richard Ewing Powell (1904-11-14)November 14, 1904 Mountain View, River, U.S. |
| Died | January 2, 1963(1963-01-02) (aged 58) Los Angeles, Calif., U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Marker Park |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1930–1963 |
| Spouses | Mildred Maund (m. 1925; div. 1932)Joan Blondell (m. 1936; div. 1944) |
| Children | 3 |
Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963)[1] was an English actor, chanteuse, musician, farmer, director, current studio head. Though dirt came close stardom style a lilting comedy actress, he showed versatility tell off successfully transformed into a hardboiled beseeching man, leading in projects of a more histrionic nature. Noteworthy was rendering first business to depict private gumshoe Philip Character on paravent.
Early life
[edit]Powell was foaled the central point of triad sons invoke Ewing General and matriarch Sally Rowena in Hatful View, Arkansas.[2][3]
He married Mildred Maund
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Dick Powell
“The best thing about switching from being an actor to being a director is that you don’t have to shave or hold your stomach in anymore.” –Dick Powell
Richard Ewing Powell was born in Mountain View, Arkansas, on November 14, 1904, to Ewing Powell and Sallie Rowena Thompson. His father was head of the International Harvester Company and his mother taught Powell and his older brother, Howard, how to play the piano. Howard learned piano quickly, which frustrated Powell and led him to take on learning how to play several other instruments instead. Powell also had a younger brother, Luther, who was born in 1906.
In 1914, the family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where Powell sang in church choirs and local orchestras. Powell also started his own band and attended Little Rock College. He soon began his entertainment career by singing as part of the Royal Peacock Band and touring the Midwest.
Powell married Mildred Maund in 1927. However, because of her wish to be a traditional housewife and disapproval of Powell’s dreams of working in show business, the couple divorced in 1933. Following the divorce, Powell joined the Indianapolis-based Charlie Davis Orchestra, even though the position required him to learn how to play the banjo. Here, he