James Dunn
James Dunn worked on the stage, in vaudeville and as an extra in silent movies before he was signed by Fox in 1931. His first movie with Fox was 1931's Sob Sister (1931). While at Fox, he appeared with Shirley Temple in her first three features: Baby Take a Bow (1934), Stand Up and Cheer! (1934) and Bright Eyes (1934). Dunn's screen character was usually the boy next door or the nice guy. In 1935 musicals at the new 20th Century-Fox were out and Dunn would move to the "B" list, from which he would never return. In The Payoff (1935) he plays the nice guy newspaper columnist whose wife ruins his career. By the late 1930s he was drinking heavily and become unemployable. He would appear in small roles in films during the early 1940s, but those parts were few. In 1945 he was able to make a comeback and win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), but his rejuvenated career would not continue. By 1951 he would again be unemployed and bankrupt. Television would later supply some work and he would be a regular on the series It's a Great Life (1954). Dunn was born 2 November 1901, New York City, New York, USA, and he died 1 September 1967, Santa Monica, California, USA (following abdominal surgery)
Known for
ActingBirthday
November 2, 1901Deathday
September 3, 1967Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
58Place of birth
New York City, New York, USAAlso known as
James Howard Dunn, Jimmy Dunn![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/kDp98yuPJxvLuvX4ViOH8bItYkx.jpg)
Cast credits
![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/8OcspR78jQLgR2ishUhf7ecILi0.jpg)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Johnny Nolan![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/e5l9pDPZedJIbb1JxCjX9m7nbfg.jpg)
Baby Take a Bow
Eddie Ellison![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/mXgcmju6l2pkEi0cazBhCSRKSVC.jpg)
The Living Ghost
Nick Trayne![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/jEEtxWvQWB9OXUzocGCLqquZYVs.jpg)
Bright Eyes
Loop Merritt![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/zBRPNKU85TOmSzXVLzUF3lmlDRL.jpg)
Stand Up and Cheer!
Jimmy Dugan![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/dl8veKLqmzmhYYjtr0fdjk1fUUH.jpg)
The Ghost and the Guest
Webster Frye![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/oKKEHQpshkBvBYglJX2EBw2Kmq7.jpg)
Government Girl
Sergeant Joe Blake![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/kUwfDGMbTdb3Foc8p0cG7urBQBW.jpg)
Bad Girl
Eddie Collins![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/jLh7UvVYc5pa0MLJbFRItLN4QTO.jpg)
The Oscar
TV executive![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/l3smbqr81IxuJc7mKV1U6qBKes5.jpg)
Killer McCoy
Brian McCoy![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/jhePE4yAAUNRmrXnpcZ8RosCmkS.jpg)
Sailor's Luck
Jimmy Fenimore Harrigan![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/5rsuLbAiIVLW70rgvghcpF1tfB0.jpg)
Hearts in Bondage
Lt. Kenneth Reynolds![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/8IqWKVSHCmBWICtyrluWPN0TfrN.jpg)
Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man
Telegrapher![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/k64dV3MElZtId4NE4Hq6Z8K2D1o.jpg)
The Caribbean Mystery
Mr. Smith![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/zXj9RFoHycRHsyLtU5gHl98uR9H.jpg)
The Girl in 419
Dr. Daniel French![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/h0ZIFzd0UnjBKrbTl6BBCpYfpBe.jpg)
Arizona to Broadway
Smiley Wells![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/hJckPZwVgsjChRW97716Qsw5Df1.jpg)
George White's 1935 Scandals
Eddie![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/yOOdqLdAhWw7eJjK9Fp8OjOITfJ.jpg)
The Payoff
Joe McCoy![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/m3r1aQbXTxB7cR533i00U3SvX2u.jpg)
Hold That Woman!
Jimmy Parker![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/WrgmIGnLDCmphEsTTf8S1ChkeZ.jpg)
Have a Heart
James 'Jimmie' Flaherty![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/nRe65DK23jTj52vkYMlSRKv0x7n.jpg)
That Brennan Girl
Denny Reagan