Dan Duryea (January 23, 1907 – June 7, 1968)
Known for portraying a vast range of character roles as a villain, he nonetheless had a long career in a wide variety of leading and secondary roles. Duryea made his name on Broadway in the play Dead End, followed by The Little Foxes, in which he portrayed Leo Hubbard. In 1940, Duryea moved to Hollywood to appear in the film version of The Little Foxes. He continued to establish himself with supporting and secondary roles in films such as The Pride of the Yankees and None But the Lonely Heart. In the 1950s, Duryea co-starred with James Stewart in three films, Winchester '73 (as the dastardly "Waco Johnny" Dean), Thunder Bay and Night Passage. He was featured in several other westerns, including Silver Lode, Ride Clear of Diablo and The Marauders, and in more film-noir productions like 36 Hours, Chicago Calling, Storm Fear and The Burglar. In his last years, Duryea was again teamed with Stewart for the adventure film The Flight of the Phoenix, about men stranded in the Sahara desert by a downed airplane, appearing as a mild-mannered accountant, closer to his real-life persona.
On Television, Duryea appeared in The Twilight Zone, Rawhide, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Wagon Train, and Laramie, among other shows. Duryea lived a quiet life at his house in the San Fernando Valley, devoting himself to gardening, boating, and community activities that included, at various times, active membership in the local parent-teacher association and Scout Master of a Boy Scout troop. He was married for 35 years to his wife Helen, until her death in 1967. On June 7, 1968, Duryea died of cancer at the age of 61. He is buried at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills.