Dick Haymes
Born: 1918-09-13 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Died: 1980-03-28
Known For: Acting
Biography
Arguably one of the best singers of the twentieth century, Dick Haymes was born in Argentina to a Scots/Irish father and Irish mother, but brought to the U.S. as an infant. Dick inherited his vocal gift from his mother who made ends meet during the Depression as a singer and voice teacher. A music gig in 1931 caught the eye of a local band leader and soon Dick was moving up, but it was slow-going. In 1939, while Dick was trying to pitch his songwriting talents to band leader Harry James, he ended up his featured vocalist, instead. During the war years Dick hooked up with the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey orchestras before deciding to go solo. Nabbing his own radio program in addition to a Decca recording contract, Twentieth Century Fox soon expressed interest in his musical talents. Among his many film leads were State Fair (1945) opposite Jeanne Crain and Vivian Blaine, Diamond Horseshoe (1945) and The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) both paired with Betty Grable, One Touch of Venus (1948) with Ava Gardner, and All Ashore (1953), a second string version of On the Town (1949), with Mickey Rooney and Ray McDonald as his shore-leave buddies. For such a pleasant and unassuming man, Dick's personal life certainly was a shambles aggravated by alcoholism and financial debt. Five marriages came and went (including actresses Joanne Dru, Nora Eddington, Rita Hayworth, and Fran Jeffries) before his sixth one finally stuck. By the 1960s, his life was all but ruined. He managed to travel to Europe and picked up the remnants of his career. His reputation had not tarnished there, and he enjoyed some renewed popularity; he never regained, however, the foothold in the business that he once had. Dick died of lung cancer in 1980. Though not as well remembered as other crooners of his time (Frank Sinatra, Tony Martin, Vic Damone), and not a particularly charismatic performer on film, this rich baritone's legacy IS his music. Some of Dick's more popular recordings include "The More I See You," "How Blue the Night," "For You, For Me, Forever More," "Speak Low," and "Another Night Like This."
Filmography
2011
- Under Jakob's Ladder as Thick-Neck
1979
- Real Life as Councilman Harris
1976
- Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood as James Crawford
1974
- Betrayal as Harold Porter
1971
- McMillan & Wife as Fred Wesley
1970
1968
- Adam-12 as Dr. Elroy Gantman
1962
- The Saint as Dunstan
- The Merv Griffin Show as Self
1961
- The Mike Douglas Show as Self
1958
- The Dick Clark Show as Self
1957
- Tonight Starring Jack Paar as Self
1955
- Screen Director's Playhouse as Jim Wheeler
1953
- All Ashore as Joe Carter
- Let's Do It Again as Singer, "Anyone But You" (voice) (uncredited)
- Cruisin' Down the River as Beauregard Clemment III
1952
- The Ford Television Theatre as John Erickson
1951
- St. Benny the Dip as Benny
1950
- What's My Line? as Self
- The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- Lux Video Theatre as Dan Shepherd
1949
1948
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- Words and Music as Dick Haymes
- One Touch of Venus as Joe Grant
- Up in Central Park as John Matthews
1947
- The Shocking Miss Pilgrim as John Pritchard
- Carnival in Costa Rica as Jeff Stephens
1946
- Do You Love Me as Jimmy Hale
1945
- Fallen Angel as Himself - JukeBox Vocalist (voice) (uncredited)
- State Fair as Wayne Frake
- Diamond Horseshoe as Joe Davis, Jr.
1944
- I Am an American as Self (uncredited)
- Four Jills in a Jeep as Lt. Dick Ryan
- Irish Eyes Are Smiling as Ernest R. Ball
1943
- Du Barry Was a Lady as Member of The Pied Pipers (uncredited)
1938
- Dramatic School as Student (uncredited)
1935
- Mutiny on the Bounty as Able Bodied Seaman (uncredited)