Richard Dye (May 11, 1902 – January 3, 1952), known professionally as Dick Curtis, was an American actor who made over 230 film and television appearances during his career.

Early years

Curtis was born in Newport, Kentucky, the son of Frank Dye and Elizabeth Faulkner Dye.

Career

After having limited work in Hollywood, Curtis acted on stage in New York and toured in a variety of productions from 1926 to 1930. Standing at 6' 3" (190.5 cm), Curtis appeared in films stretching from Charles Starrett to The Three Stooges. In most of his films, he played villains or heavies. He made television appearances on The Lone Ranger and The Range Rider. He appeared in California Gold Rush, Spook Town, The Gene Autry Show, and many others. Curtis appeared in such Three Stooges films as Yes, We Have No Bonanza, You Nazty Spy!, and The Three Troubledoers.

Pioneertown

With the help of his friend and actor Russell Hayden, Curtis helped develop Pioneertown, a western movie set location in Southern California that was used for many television and film westerns. The project was done in partnership with Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers.

Personal life

Curtis was married to silent-film actress Ruth Sullivan, who survived him.

Death

Curtis died at age 49 of pneumonia brought on by lung cancer. Curtis's final appearance with the Stooges was as Shemp Howard's dental patient in The Tooth Will Out, filmed in February 1951. He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Selected filmography