Morgan Conway
Born: 1903-03-16 in Newark, New Jersey, USA
Died: 1981-11-16
Known For: Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Morgan Conway (March 16, 1903 in Newark, New Jersey – November 16, 1981 in Livingston, New Jersey) was an American actor, best known for his portrayals of Dick Tracy. Born Sydney Conway, he was educated at Columbia University in New York City. He arrived in Hollywood just in time to get on the ground floor of the industry's burgeoning labor movement. Conway was one of the founding members of the Screen Actors Guild. His first film appearance was in the 1934 film Looking for Trouble. For many years he freelanced, working for various studios in bits or supporting roles. His most familiar appearance from this period is probably in Charlie Chan in Reno (1939). By the mid-1940s he was a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures, and he was chosen to portray Chester Gould's comic-strip detective Dick Tracy in a pair of feature films: Dick Tracy and Dick Tracy vs. Cueball. RKO's earliest publicity photos posed Conway in profile, hoping to emulate Gould's square-jawed caricatures. Although this screen Tracy didn't resemble the print Tracy physically, Conway's dramatic interpretation was faithful; he gave the role an understated, businesslike quality totally in keeping with a police procedural. Morgan Conway is considered by many (including Dick Tracy writer Max Allan Collins) to be the best screen Dick Tracy. Morgan/Sydney Conway left the motion picture industry and returned to New Jersey, where he died of lung cancer at the age of 78.
Filmography
1946
- Badman's Territory as Captain William 'Bill' Hampton
- Dick Tracy vs. Cueball as Dick Tracy
- Vacation in Reno as Joe
- The Truth About Murder as Lester Ashton
1945
- Dick Tracy as Dick Tracy
1943
- Canyon City as Craig Morgan
- Jack London as Richard Harding Davis
- Tornado as Gary Linden
1942
- A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen as Ray Stafford
- Bells of Capistrano as Stag Johnson
1940
- Brother Orchid as Philadelphia Powell
- A Fugitive from Justice as 'Julie' Alexander
- Florian as Kingston
- The Saint Takes Over as Sam Reese
- Millionaires in Prison as James Brent
1939
- Secret Service of the Air as Henchman Ed Powell
- Wings of the Navy as Tommy - Duty Officer
- Television Spy as Carl Venner
- North of Shanghai as Bob Laird
- Charlie Chan in Reno as George Bentley
- Off the Record as Lou Baronette
- Blackwell's Island as Steve Cardigan
- The Spellbinder as Mr. Carrington
- Sued for Libel as Albert Pomeroy
- Grand Jury Secrets as Thomas Reedy
- Private Detective as Nat Flavin
1938
- Sinners in Paradise as Harrison Brand
- Illegal Traffic as State's Attorney Ryan
- The Nurse from Brooklyn as Inspector Donohue
- Crime Ring as Ray Taylor
- Smashing the Spy Ring as Professor Leonard (uncredited)
1934
- Looking for Trouble as Dan Sutter
- Happy Landing as Frank Harland