Dusett, John

John Dusett was born on January 21, 1921 in Brockton , Massachusetts . As a child, the Dusett family moved to Los Angeles , where he became interested in acting. Dusett first appeared on stage at the age of 15. He later completed an internship at the Pasadena Theater ^{[1] [2]} .

Dusett made his movie debut in 1941 as a reporter (without crediting) in the detective Steps in the Dark (1941) and played his first notable role in the 1943 military melodrama Two Tickets to London ^{[3] [4]} However, conscription in the same year interrupted his career. During World War II, Dusett served in Europe as an infantry rifleman, ending his service under General Patton (later Dusett will play in the famous biographical tape Patton ) ^{[4] [5]} .

Dusett resumed his career only in 1947, playing in the prison drama " The Road to the Big House " (1947). In the same year, he played a gangster (without credits) in his first film, The Pink Horse noir (1947), starring Robert Montgomery , as well as the Burning Cross social drama about the Ku Klux Klan (1947) and in the historical melodrama Foxes from Harrow (1947) ^{[3] [1]} . As noted in the actor’s biography on the Turner Classic Movies website, “since this year, Dusett has taken a strong place in the cinema thanks to the small roles of both dangerous villains and respected authorities” ^[4] . In 1948, Dusett played in the film noir " I would not want to be in your shoes " (1948) and the prison drama " Canyon City " (1948). A year later, he played a small role as an architect in a drama based on the Ayn Rand novel The Source (1949) with Gary Cooper in the title role, the historical thriller The Domination of Terror (1949), the Noir movies Criss Cross (1949) with Burt Lancaster and “The Criminal Way ” (1949) with John Payne , as well as in the adventure movie series “ Batman and Robin ” (1949) ^{[1] [2]} .

Among more than 130 films Dusett had a lot of blockbusters, among them Westerns of “ Winchester 73 ” (1950) with James Stewart , “ Exactly at noon ” (1952) with Gary Cooper and “ True Courage ” (1969) with John Wayne , historical dramas “ Julius Caesar ” (1953) with Marlon Brando and “ Cleopatra ” (1963) with Elizabeth Taylor , drama “ Director 's Room ” (1954) with William Holden , musical comedy “ There Is No Business Like Show Business ” (1954), romantic romance “ The Last Time I Saw Paris ” (1954) with Elizabeth Taylor, romance “ Peyton Place ” (1957) and military bi the optician “ Patton ” (1970), where Dusett played Major General Lucian Truscott ^{[1] [2] [3]} .

In the 1950s, Dusett also played in several significant noir films, such as The Tipping Point (1950) directed by Michael Curtis with John Garfield in the title role, Strangers on the Train (1951) Alfred Hitchcock , The Great Heat (1953) ) Fritz Lang with Glenn Ford and The House of Bamboo (1955) by Samuel Fuller with Robert Ryan . Other noir films featuring Dusett were The Convict (1950), The Scream of Vengeance (1954) and The Secrets of New York (1955) ^[1] . According to cinema historian Karen Hannsberry, "in most films he played criminals, including several prison inmates, and in one film he was just a thief." In The Scream of Vengeance, however, “he played a rare role for himself as a compassionate cop who tries to save a depressed former detective from self-destruction. However, it was in the roles of criminals with “psychological problems” that Dusett showed himself most vividly ” ^[1] . In 1959, Dusett said: “I try to make people sympathize with me, even if I'm bad” ^[1] .

In addition, Dusett played in more than 50 westerns, among them the most significant were “The Thirst for Gold ” (1949) with Glenn Ford , “The Broken Arrow ” (1950) with Stewart , “ Only the Brave ” (1951) with Gregory Peck , “ The Notorious ranch "(1952) with Marlene Dietrich ," Far Land "(1954) with Stuart," River Without Return "(1954) with Robert Mitchem and Marilyn Monroe ," The Fastest Weapon "(1956) with Glenn Ford," Accident in Dakota "(1956) with Linda Darnell ," Seven persons Dr. Tao "(1964)," sons of Katie Elder "(1965) with John Wayne ," Nevada Smith "(1966) with Steve McQueen and " Big Jake " (1971) Wayne ^{[2] [6]} .

According to Hannsberry, Dusett also had a fruitful television career. He played most of his roles in Westerns, including The Lone Ranger (1949-55, 11 episodes), The Horseman in the Gorge (1951-53, 4 episodes), The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock (1951), Annie Oakley "(1954-55, 2 episodes)," Cheyenne "(1955-57, 2 episodes)," Haze from the trunk "(1957)," Broken Arrow "(1957-58, 2 episodes)," Wells Fargo Stories " (1957-62, 4 episodes), “ Bat Masterson ” (1959-60, 2 episodes), “Caravan of Wagons” (1961-65, 8 episodes), “ Rawhide ” (1962-65, 2 episodes), “Virgin "(1965-69, 4 episodes)," The Great Valley "(1968) and" How the West was Conquered "(1979) ^{[1] [2] [4]} .

In 1952-56, Dusett played the role of police lieutenant in four episodes of the criminal television series "The Big City". Later, he starred in two television series - in 78 episodes of the crime series “ Put in Jail " (1959-60) he was a police detective, lieutenant Weston, and in 20 episodes of the sitcom “ Partners ” (1971-72, 20 episodes) he was the chief of the detective department, the sarcastic police captain Andrews ^{[1] [3] [4]} .

Dusett played his last role on television in 1982 in the television movie Steel Heart ^[1] .

According to Dusett’s biography on Turner Classic Movies , he would be “a balding, tightly knocked-down character actor with a deep voice and admirable mastery, which he brought to a huge variety of roles in film and television from the late 1940s to the late 1970s " ^[4] . According to Hal Erickson, Dusett “had a deep voice and rude facial features,” thanks to which he often “received roles in which it was necessary to show anger, irritation and threat, but he also knew how to demonstrate nobility and power” ^[3] . According to Jim Beaver, Dusett was “a stocky, balding character actor with a rich voice who was equally good at playing both the bad guys in westerns and Shakespearean plays. He began his film career with small roles, mainly as improvised bandits, after which he became widely known as an actor in various dramatic and comedy films. Although he was a reliable supporting actor, however, his character did not allow him to claim the main roles. Nevertheless, he remained a respected actor whose face was familiar to a whole generation of film and television viewers ” ^[7] .

Dusett, who was once called "one of the best supporting actors in Hollywood" ^[1] , played, according to the New York Times , "in dozens of films, mainly in westerns. During his career, which lasted from 1947 to 1987, he appeared in more than 130 films, mainly playing the roles of sheriffs, robbers and other Western characters, but he also played in drama and in comedy ” ^[2] . The Turner Classic Movies website also states that, in addition to westerns, “Dusett went through a wide range of genres, including the hard film noir, a movie series with superheroes and historical dramas” ^[4] . According to Erickson, Dusett was equally confident both with the archaic dialogues of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra , and with the military manner of speech of the 20th century in Patton ^[3] .

In 1948, Dusett married opera singer Katry Sicily Samples, with whom he lived until her death in 1991. The couple had eight children, five girls and three boys ^[8] .

John Dusett died of cancer on August 16, 1994 at his home in Bunning , California. He was 73 years old ^{[8] [2]} .

After death, Dusett, in addition to eight children, left a brother, sister, 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren ^[2] .

• Karen Burroughs Hannsberry. Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir . - Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2003. - ISBN 978-0-7864-3739-9 .
• Everett Aaker. Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters: All Regular Cast Members in American Crime and Mystery Series, 1948–1959 . - Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2011 .-- ISBN 978-0-7864-6409-8 .

• John Dusett at IMDb
• John Dusett on AllMovie
• John Dusett at Turner Classic Movies