Photo: Studio / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Dick Powell fascinates me as a case study in reinvention. He started out as a fresh-faced musical comedy crooner, the kind of role that can typecast you forever, and then willed himself into a hardboiled leading man. Being the first actor to play Philip Marlowe on screen is no small footnote; he helped define how that detective looked to audiences. What I admire most is that he didn't stop at acting, moving into directing, producing, and running a studio. That restlessness, the refusal to be one thing, is exactly the trait I find most compelling in performers of his era.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Dick Powell
- Name (Japanese)
- ディック・パウエル
- Reading
- でぃっく・ぱうえる
- Born
- November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Dragon
- Origin
- Mountain View, Arkansas, United States
- Occupation
- actor / singer / film director / film producer / jazz musician
2. Background
- University
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Awards & achievements
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 1996 Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame
- 1963 Trustees Award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Dick Powell born?
November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963.
Where is Dick Powell from?
Dick Powell is from Mountain View, Arkansas, United States.
What does Dick Powell do?
Dick Powell works as actor, singer, film director, film producer, jazz musician.
Actor — see all → · Singer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.