Dennis O'Keefe

About Dennis O'Keefe

Who is it?: Actor, Writer, Soundtrack
Birth Day: March 29, 1908
Birth Place:  Fort Madison, Iowa, United States
Cause of death: Lung cancer
Other names: Bud Flanagan
Occupation: Actor
Years active: 1930–1967
Spouse(s): Louise Stanley (m. 1937; div. 1938) Steffi Duna (m. 1940)
Children: 1

Dennis O'Keefe

Dennis O'Keefe was born on March 29, 1908 in  Fort Madison, Iowa, United States, is Actor, Writer, Soundtrack. Tall, cheerful, outdoorsy leading man of Hollywood B movies who started in show business as an infant accompanying his vaudevillian parents ("Flanagan and Edwards, the Rollicking Twosome") on the stage. In his teens, Dennis started to write film scripts while attending college. He then tried to break into films as an extra, appearing under his birth name Bud Flanagan. His easy-going manner and impudent grin -- possibly reminding Clark Gable of himself (they worked together on Saratoga (1937)) -- led to the star suggesting Bud to MGM management for leading roles. In short order, Bud Flanagan became Dennis O'Keefe, resident tough guy of action dramas and the occasional comedy.Serious acting was rarely called upon but Dennis handled the material given to him with aplomb and good humour. After his contract with MGM expired in 1940, he free-lanced and appeared in, arguably, three of his best pictures: in support of Roland Young and Joan Blondell in the delightful supernatural murder spoof Topper Returns (1941); in the Val Lewton-produced thriller, The Leopard Man (1943); and in the tense crime melodrama T-Men (1947) which he co-scripted (with John C. Higgins) for Eagle-Lion. This rather unambitious little film for what was essentially considered a 'poverty row' studio proved so successful that it spawned a CBS radio series three years later. Dennis was chosen for the lead (though his character was renamed) and his delivery was perfect for scripts which balanced drama with light comedy.For most of the period between 1944 and 1952, Dennis alternated roles on radio with film work. He had another lead in the 1945 radio serial "Hollywood Mystery Time" as a movie director-cum-sleuth. On screen, he displayed his penchant for comedy in the funniest version of the much-filmed Brewster's Millions (1945), followed by the forgettable farce Getting Gertie's Garter (1945) (from the same stable). Another fair, marginally off-beat comedy, was The Lady Wants Mink (1953), co-starring Dennis with Ruth Hussey and Eve Arden. In addition, there were scores of 'cheap and cheerful' action films including several made in Europe. Dennis eventually turned his hand to directing with Angela (1954), a crime thriller set in Rome which he also co-scripted under the pseudonym Jonathan Rix. At the end of the decade, Dennis starred in his own short-lived television sitcom about a widowed Los Angeles syndicated columnist. After that, he guested in just a few more TV episodes before his untimely death from lung cancer in August 1968.
Dennis O'Keefe is a member of Actor

Does Dennis O'Keefe Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, Dennis O'Keefe has been died on August 31, 1968(1968-08-31) (aged 60)\nSanta Monica, California, U.S..

🎂 Dennis O'Keefe - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday

When Dennis O'Keefe die, Dennis O'Keefe was 60 years old.

Popular As Dennis O'Keefe
Occupation Actor
Age 60 years old
Zodiac Sign Aries
Born March 29, 1908 ( Fort Madison, Iowa, United States)
Birthday March 29
Town/City  Fort Madison, Iowa, United States
Nationality United States

🌙 Zodiac

Dennis O'Keefe’s zodiac sign is Aries. According to astrologers, the presence of Aries always marks the beginning of something energetic and turbulent. They are continuously looking for dynamic, speed and competition, always being the first in everything - from work to social gatherings. Thanks to its ruling planet Mars and the fact it belongs to the element of Fire (just like Leo and Sagittarius), Aries is one of the most active zodiac signs. It is in their nature to take action, sometimes before they think about it well.

🌙 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Dennis O'Keefe was born in the Year of the Monkey. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Monkey thrive on having fun. They’re energetic, upbeat, and good at listening but lack self-control. They like being active and stimulated and enjoy pleasing self before pleasing others. They’re heart-breakers, not good at long-term relationships, morals are weak. Compatible with Rat or Dragon.

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Biography/Timeline

1930

Born in Fort Madison, Iowa, O'Keefe was the son of Irish vaudevillians working in the United States. As a small child, he joined his parents' act and later wrote skits for the stage. O'Keefe started in films as an extra in the early 1930s and appeared in numerous films under the name Bud Flanagan. After a small but impressive role in Saratoga (1937), Clark Gable recommended O'Keefe to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which signed him to a contract in 1937 and renamed him Dennis O'Keefe. His film roles were bigger after that, starting with The Bad Man of Brimstone (1938) opposite Wallace Beery, and the lead role in Burn 'Em Up O'Connor (1939).

1940

In the mid-1940s, he was under a five-year contract to Edward Small. O'Keefe starred in film-noir classics such as T-Men and Raw Deal, both directed by Anthony Mann.

1946

In a 1946 newsreel following Howard Hughes' calamitous plane wreck into a neighbor's Beverly Hills home, O'Keefe can be seen walking through the home inspecting the damage.

1957

In the 1950s, he did some directing and wrote mystery stories. He appeared on NBC's legal drama Justice and on the network's The Martha Raye Show. On October 3, 1957, he was a guest star on another NBC variety show, The Ford Show, starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. From 1957 to 1958, he was the host of Suspicion, a TV series produced by Alfred Hitchcock. From 1959-1960, he was the star of the CBS Television situation comedy, The Dennis O'Keefe Show.

1968

A heavy cigarette smoker, O'Keefe died of lung cancer in 1968 at the age of sixty at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California and was buried at Wee Kirk O' the Heather, Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale).

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