Eddie Dunn

Edward Frank Dunn (March 31, 1896 – May 5, 1951) was an American actor best known for his roles in comedy films, supporting many comedians such as Charley Chase (with whom he co-directed several short films), Charlie Chaplin, W. C. Fields and Laurel and Hardy. As a high school student in Waco, Texas, Dunn began performing with some fellow students on a local radio station. He broke into films with the Vitagraph studio in 1915, working with the studio's star comedians Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew and Larry Semon. By 1927 he was working with stop-motion animator Charley Bowers at Educational Pictures, as a supporting player in Bowers's live-action comedies. In 1929 his career took a decided turn for the better when he signed with the Hal Roach studio. He became a member of the Roach stock company, appearing prominently in short subjects and featurettes starring Laurel and Hardy, Thelma Todd, and Charley Chase. Dunn and Chase worked so closely that Dunn was allowed to co-direct six Chase shorts. The affable Eddie Dunn was an all-purpose talent: he could play butlers, bandleaders, radio announcers, cab drivers, waiters, soldiers, and sailors. He was often cast as an authority figure opposite the Roach comedians -- a policeman or detective -- which led to more work in feature films. ... ()