Dan White (actor)
Dan White (March 25, 1908 – July 7, 1980) was an American actor, well known for appearing in Western films and TV shows.
Biography
Early life
Dan White was born to George and Orpha White in Falmouth, Florida, one of twelve siblings. The Whites moved to Lakeland during World War I. By age 14, White was in show business. He left home to travel thousands of miles throughout the South in tent, minstrel, vaudeville and theater shows. His brother Willard joined him for nine years in a show in Tampa's Rialto Theater. Frances Langford worked with White during the time, and he convinced her to go to Hollywood. During this period, he met Tilda Spivey and proposed marriage on February 25, 1933. She had a 2-year-old child, Arthur Gifford, before her wedding. Dan left show business for financial reasons to work with the Civilian Conservation Corps. He still longed for a career in entertainment and took a cruise to Los Angeles. He and his family made extra stops at cities all over the country to earn money to continue the tour.
In January 1937, he stopped at Texarkana, Arkansas, where Tilda awaited the birth of their child. Her sister, Mary, who was in Texarkana, invited the Whites to stay there for a few months. The baby, June Larue White, was finally born, and the Whites continued toward California.
In Hollywood
They arrived 16 days later and rented a house for 23 years, even film scripts were written in their own living room. Dan had a hard time finding a job and was in Panama working on the Pan American Highway. Although, upon return in 1938, he got work with the Republic Pictures Corporation, making 6 films in his first year. The first film was, Prairie Moon, with Gene Autry. White made $55 a week during that picture. He'd claimed to have made about 300 films and 150 television cameos during his years in Hollywood. Around 70 percent were Westerns. Among some of his well-known films were, The Yearling, Distant Drums, Red River, To Kill a Mockingbird, Giant, Duel in the Sun, Four Faces West, Jailhouse Rock and Touch of Evil. During this time, White and his wife had a third child, Donald Curtis White, born on November 9, 1941. The films that made White most famous were his numerous appearances in B-Westerns, where he portrayed the antagonist. During the 1950s and 1960s, he started turning to television. He was offered the role of, "Sam the Bartender," in, Gunsmoke, but he didn't commit to the idea. He asked Glenn Strange to apply for the job.
Post-acting
Dan loved California for the almost 40 years he was there, but his true love was his old town in Florida. Upon retirement, he returned to Tampa and made appearances in Western Film Round-Ups and talk shows. He was often visited by his family until his death on July 7, 1980, in Tampa, Florida.
Filmography
Note: An asterisk (*) means that Dan White had an uncredited role; two asterisks means that he was credited as either Daniel White or Daniel M. White.
- Prairie Moon (1938)*
- Rough Rider's Round-Up (1939)*
- The Law Comes to Texas (1939)*
- In Old Monterey (1939)*
- Destry Rides Again (1939)*
- Days of Jesse James (1939)*
- Our Town (1940)*
- The Grapes of Wrath (1940)*
- Prairie Pioneers (1941)*
- Sheriff of Sage Valley (1942)*
- Overland Stagecoach (1942)*
- Juke Girl (1942)*
- Lady of Burlesque (1943)*
- Fighting Valley (1943)*
- Trail of Terror (1943)*
- Arizona Trail (1943)
- Blazing Guns (1943)
- Outlaws of Stampede Past (1943)
- Boss of Rawhide (1943)
- False Colors (1943)*
- Smart Guy (1943)
- The Phantom (1943)*
- Westward Bound (1944)
- Marshal of Gunsmoke (1944)*
- Voodoo Man (1944)
- Arizona Whirlwind (1944)
- The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)*
- The Utah Kid (1944)
- Black Arrow (1944)*
- Crazy Knights (1944)
- Harmony Trail (1944)
- The Big Bonanza (1944)*
- Rough Ridin' Justice (1945)*
- The Return of the Durango Kid (1945)*
- Beyond the Pecos (1945)*
- San Antonio (1945)*
- Trail to Vengeance (1945)*
- Gun Town (1946)
- The Yearling (1946)*
- Duel in the Sun (1946)*
- The Sea of Grass (1947)*
- Albuquerque (1948)
- Shaggy (1948)
- Four Faces West (1948)
- Red River (1948)*
- Station West (1948)*
- Sunset Carson Rides Again (1948)
- Unknown Island (1948)**
- Gunning for Justice (1948)
- Outlaw Country (1949)
- Dynamite (1949)*
- Cover-Up (1949)
- Roseanna McCoy (1949)
- Intruder in the Dust (1949)*
- Return of the Frontiersman (1950)
- Rawhide (1951)
- Vengeance Valley (1951)*
- His Kind of Woman (1951)*
- Drums in the Deep South (1951)
- Red Mountain (1951)
- The Red Badge of Courage (1951)*
- Distant Drums (1951)*
- The Frontier Phantom (1952)*
- Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952)
- Horizons West (1952)*
- The Silver Whip (1953)
- Born to the Saddle (1953)
- Inferno (1953)
- Taza, Son of Cochise (1954)
- Jubilee Trail (1954)*
- Suddenly (1954)*
- The Road to Denver (1955)*
- The Americano (1955)
- Great Day in the Morning (1956)*
- The First Traveling Saleslady (1956)**
- The Last Hunt (1956)*
- Gun Brothers (1956)*
- Giant (1956)*
- Jailhouse Rock (1957)*
- Gunfire at Indian Gap (1957)
- Touch of Evil (1958)*
- Escape from Red Rock (1958)**
- Quantrill's Raiders (1958)
- The Sheepman (1958)
- Frontier Gun (1958)
- This Earth is Mine (1959)
- Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)
- Beloved Infidel (1959)*
- Ma Barker's Killer Brood (1960)**
- The Sergeant Was a Lady (1961)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)*
- A Tiger Walks (1964)*
- The Bounty Killer (1965)*
- Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966)
- Waco (1966)
- Red Tomahawk (1967)
- The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)*
- Skyjacked (1972)
- Smoke in the Wind (1975)
- Beyond the Bermuda Triangle (1975)
Television
- The Lone Ranger
- Hopalong Cassidy
- The Adventures of Kit Carson
- The Cisco Kid
- Climax!
- Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
- Lux Video Theatre
- Stories of the Century
- The Man Behind the Badge
- Red Ryder
- Corky and White Shadow
- Tales of the Texas Rangers
- Screen Directors Playhouse
- Telephone Time
- The Adventures of Jim Bowie
- West Point
- Cavalcade of America
- Sheriff of Cochise
- Science Fiction Theatre
- Circus Boy
- Adventures of Superman
- The Ford Television Theatre
- Sugarfoot
- Casey Jones
- Highway Patrol
- Broken Arrow
- From These Roots
- Northwest Passage
- The Californians
- Lassie
- Wanted: Dead or Alive
- Overland Trail
- Wichita Town
- The Texan
- Thriller
- G.E. True Theater
- The Deputy
- Twilight Zone
- The Rebel
- Maverick
- The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
- Bat Masterson
- Checkmate
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
- Outlaws
- Sea Hunt
- Cheyenne
- Ripcord
- Rawhide
- Tales of Wells Fargo
- Laramie
- Have Gun - Will Travel
- The Rifleman
- Wagon Train
- Destry
- Flipper
- Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Petticoat Junction
- Green Acres
- Bonanza
- The Name of the Game
- The High Chaparral
- The Virginian
- Adam-12
- Gunsmoke
- Barnaby Jones
- Mannix
External links
- Dan White (I) at the Internet Movie Database
- http://www.b-westerns.com/villan33.htm at The Old Corral http://www.b-westerns.com/