Howard Duff

Career overview

Howard Green Duff was born on November 24, 1913, in Charleston, Washington, an area that later became part of Bremerton. He completed his secondary education at Roosevelt High School in Seattle in 1932, where he began acting in school productions after being cut from the basketball team. Duff’s early professional work was in radio during World War II, a medium that launched his career in entertainment. Following his radio experience, he transitioned to the screen, making his first film appearance as an inmate in Brute Force.

From the late 1940s onward, Duff built a substantial film résumé. He appeared in The Naked City and All My Sons in 1948, and in the 1949 releases Calamity Jane and Sam Bass. His later film work included roles in Panic in the City (1968), In Search of America (1971), A Wedding (1978) and No Way Out (1987). During this period he also acted in several movies alongside his first wife, actress and director Ida Lupino.

In addition to his film work, Duff was a regular presence on television, contributing to a wide range of programs from the late 1940s through 1990. His career spanned more than four decades, encompassing radio, stage, film and television, until his death on July 8, 1990, at the age of 76.