Tom Powers
Encyclopedia
Tom Powers was an American stage and film actor. He was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA and died in Hollywood, California, of heart disease.
star in musical comedies and dramas, and had previously appeared in over 70 silent films from 1911 to 1917 opposite such actors as Florence Turner
, Harry T. Morey
, Clara Kimball Young
, Alma Taylor
and John Bunny
. He soon devoted himself to the stage, first as a musical comedy star, then as a dynamic actor in such productions as Eugene O'Neill
's Strange Interlude (1927), in which he created the role of 'Charles Marsden'. Powers enjoyed a successful career on Broadway as a playwright, actor and director; active there from 1916, until his Hollywood acting return in 1944.
Powers did not become a full-time movie actor until Billy Wilder
invited him to play the murder victim in the 1944 film noir
classic Double Indemnity. For the next dozen years or so, Powers appeared in over 80 film and television roles, usually playing middle-aged business men, military or police officers.
, won a Pulitzer Prize
in 1971 and is the author of several books on the intelligence community.
Career
Powers spent many years as a BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
star in musical comedies and dramas, and had previously appeared in over 70 silent films from 1911 to 1917 opposite such actors as Florence Turner
Florence Turner
Florence Turner was an American actress, who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films.Born in New York City, she was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by her ambitious mother...
, Harry T. Morey
Harry T. Morey
Harry Temple Morey was an American stage and motion picture actor who appeared in nearly two hundred films during his career....
, Clara Kimball Young
Clara Kimball Young
Clara Kimball Young was an American film actress, who was highly regarded and publicly popular in the early silent film era.-Early life:...
, Alma Taylor
Alma Taylor
- Life :Taylor was born in London. She made her first screen appearance as a child actor in the 1907 film His Daughter's Voice. She went on to appear in more than 150 film roles, appearing in a number of larger-budget films such as Shadow of Egypt which was shot on location in Egypt in 1924. Taylor...
and John Bunny
John Bunny
John Bunny was an American actor and was one of the first comic stars of the motion picture era. Between 1910 and his death in 1915 Bunny was one of the top stars of early silent film, as well as an early example of celebrity...
. He soon devoted himself to the stage, first as a musical comedy star, then as a dynamic actor in such productions as Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
's Strange Interlude (1927), in which he created the role of 'Charles Marsden'. Powers enjoyed a successful career on Broadway as a playwright, actor and director; active there from 1916, until his Hollywood acting return in 1944.
Powers did not become a full-time movie actor until Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age...
invited him to play the murder victim in the 1944 film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
classic Double Indemnity. For the next dozen years or so, Powers appeared in over 80 film and television roles, usually playing middle-aged business men, military or police officers.
Death
Tom Powers died on November 7, 1955, at the age of 65, and was interred in Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park, in North Hollywood, California. He was survived by his widow Meta, who died at age 85, in September 1983.Trivia
His nephew, Thomas PowersThomas Powers
Thomas Powers is an author, and an intelligence expert.He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1971 together with Lucinda Franks for his articles on Weatherman member Diana Oughton...
, won a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1971 and is the author of several books on the intelligence community.
Partial filmography
- Double Indemnity (1944)
- Two Years Before the MastTwo Years Before the Mast (film)Two Years Before the Mast is a 1946 adventure film based on Richard Henry Dana, Jr.'s travel book of the same name. It starred Alan Ladd, Brian Donlevy, William Bendix, Howard Da Silva and Esther Fernández.-Plot summary:...
(1946) - The Blue DahliaThe Blue DahliaThe Blue Dahlia is a 1946 film noir, directed by George Marshall and written by Raymond Chandler. The film marks the third pairing of stars Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.-Plot:...
(1946) - Angel and the BadmanAngel and the BadmanAngel and the Badman is a 1947 black-and-white Western film, starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot which examines the ability of a gunman to renounce violence. This film, which was the first one Wayne produced as well as starred in, was a departure for this genre at the...
(1947) - The Farmer's Daughter (1947)
- For the Love of RustyFor the Love of RustyFor the Love of Rusty is a 1947 drama film directed by John Sturges. It was the third of the "Rusty" film series involving the adventures of German shepherd Rusty and his human companions - young Danny Mitchell and his pals...
(1947) - The Time of Your LifeThe Time of Your Life (film)The Time of Your Life is a 1948 film starring James Cagney adapted from the 1939 William Saroyan play of the same title. The movie was adapted by Nathaniel Curtis, directed by H. C. Potter, and featured William Bendix as Nick, Wayne Morris as Tom, Broderick Crawford as Krupp, and Ward Bond as...
(1948) - Mexican HayrideMexican HayrideMexican Hayride is a 1948 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The film is based on Cole Porter's Broadway musical Mexican Hayride starring Bobby Clark...
(1948) - Scene of the CrimeScene of the Crime (film)Scene of the Crime often goes by the name of Ladykiller is a 1996 USA Independent Film/Thriller/Mystery film/Suspense-Synopsis:Over a year after a chase to catch a serial slayer dubbed the 'LADYKILLER' ended in the death of his old partner. Lt...
(1949) - East Side, West SideEast Side, West Side (1949 film)East Side, West Side is a melodramatic crime film, starring Barbara Stanwyck as a wronged wife and Ava Gardner in one of her earliest roles.-Plot:Wealthy socialite Brandon Bourne can't resist cheating on his faithful wife, Jessie...
(1949) - Destination MoonDestination Moon (film)Destination Moon is an American science fiction feature film produced by George Pal, who later produced When Worlds Collide, The War of the Worlds, and The Time Machine. Pal commissioned the script by James O'Hanlon and Rip Van Ronkel...
(1950) - The WellThe Well (1951 film)The Well is a 1951 American film noir which tackled the issue of racial tensions and collective behavior. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.- Plot :...
(1951) - Julius CaesarJulius Caesar (1953 film)Julius Caesar is an 1953 MGM film adaptation of the play by Shakespeare, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who also wrote the uncredited screenplay, and produced by John Houseman. The original music score is by Miklós Rózsa...
(1953) - I, the JuryI, the Jury (1953 film)I, the Jury is a mystery-thriller film from 1953, based on the novel I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane. It was directed by Harry Essex, produced by Victor Saville's company, Parklane Pictures and released through United Artists....
(1953) - Donovan's BrainDonovan's Brain (film)Donovan's Brain is a 1953 film, starring Lew Ayres, Gene Evans, and Nancy Reagan , based on the 1942 horror novel Donovan's Brain by Curt Siodmak.-Plot:...
(1953) - New York ConfidentialNew York Confidential (film)New York Confidential is a 1955 crime film starring Broderick Crawford and Richard Conte as New York gangsters. It is based on the 1948 book New York: Confidential! by Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer.-Plot:...
(1955)