Richard Arlen
Biography
Richard Arlen was an American film and television actor born as Sylvanus Richard Mattimore in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Flying Corps during World War I. Following the war, he worked in the oilfields of Texas and Oklahoma as a tool boy, and later served as a newspaper messenger and sporting editor. He moved to Los Angeles to act in films, eventually working as a delivery boy for a film laboratory. After breaking his leg in a motorcycle accident outside the Paramount Pictures lot, a sympathetic film director gave him his start as an extra. He appeared in silent films before transitioning to talkies, accumulating 174 known acting credits throughout his career. He passed away on March 28, 1976.
Career overview
Richard Arlen was born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore on September 1, 1899, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and also went by the name Van Matti. Before his career in entertainment, he served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Flying Corps during World War I. Following the war, he worked in the oilfields of Texas and Oklahoma as a tool boy, and later served as a messenger and sporting editor for a newspaper.
He subsequently traveled to Los Angeles to act in films, though initially no producers wanted him. While working as a delivery boy for a film laboratory, he sustained a broken leg in a motorcycle accident outside the Paramount Pictures lot. A sympathetic film director subsequently gave him his start as an extra.
Arlen established a career as an American film and television actor, appearing initially in silent films before making the transition to talkies. Throughout his career, he accumulated 174 known acting credits across movies and television shows. He passed away on March 28, 1976, at the age of 76.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
173 titles- Clara Bow: Hollywood's Lost Screen Goddess (2012)
- The Horror Show (1979) as (archive footage)
- Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) as Silent Film Star 2
- A Whale of a Tale (1976) as Mr. Monahan
- The Sky's the Limit (1975) as Grimes
- Buckskin (1968) as Townsman
- Rogue's Gallery (1968) as Man in Club
- Hostile Guns (1967) as Sheriff Travis
- Red Tomahawk (1967) as Deadwood Telegrapher
- Fort Utah (1967) as Sam Tyler
- Johnny Reno (1966) as Ned Duggan
- Road to Nashville (1966) as Studio Boss
- Waco (1966) as Billy Kelly
- To the Shores of Hell (1966) as Brig. Gen. F.W. Ramsgate
- Branded (1965)
- The Human Duplicators (1965) as National Intelligence
- Black Spurs (1965) as Pete
- The Bounty Killer (1965) as Matthew Ridgeway
- Town Tamer (1965) as Doctor Kent
- Apache Uprising (1965) as Captain Gannon
- Young Fury (1964) as Sheriff Jenkins
- Law of the Lawless (1964) as Ben the Bartender
- The Best Man (1964) as Sen. Oscar Anderson
- Sex and the College Girl (1964) as Charles Devon
- The Shepherd of the Hills (1964) as Old Matt
- Petticoat Junction (1963) as Self
- The Crawling Hand (1963) as Lee Barrenger
- The Young and the Brave (1963) as Col. Ralph Holbein
- The Lucy Show (1962) as Richard
- The New Breed (1961) as Willits
- The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961) as Col. Edwin Martin
- Coronado 9 (1960)
- Raymie (1960) as Chris Garber
- Lock-Up (1959)
- Warlock (1959) as Bacon
- Bat Masterson (1958) as John Minor
- Bat Masterson (1958) as Sheriff Dan Rainey
- Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958) as Damon Ring, Sr.
- Yancy Derringer (1958) as General Hugh Morgan
- Cavalry Command (1958) as Sgt. Jim Heisler
- Perry Mason (1957) as Dr. Harrison
- Child of Trouble (1957) as Louis Contino
- The Mountain (1956) as C. W. Rivial
- Hidden Guns (1956) as Sheriff Ward Young
- Matinee Theater (1955)
- The 20th Century Fox Hour (1955)
- Blonde Blackmailer (1955) as Tony Pelassier
- Climax! (1954) as Nevers
- The Whistler (1954)
- Devil's Point (1954) as John 'Captain' Martin
- Letter to Loretta (1953) as Christopher Waring
- Sabre Jet (1953) as Gen. Robert E 'Bob' Hale
- This Is Your Life (1952) as Self
- Flaming Feather (1952) as Showdown Calhoun
- Hurricane Smith (1952) as Brundage
- The Blazing Forest (1952) as Joe Morgan
- Silver City (1951) as Charles Storrs
- The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) as Self
- Your Show of Shows (1950)
- Kansas Raiders (1950) as Union Captain
- Grand Canyon (1949) as Mike Adams
- The Return of Wildfire (1948) as Dobe Williams
- When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948) as Harvey Howell
- Speed to Spare (1948) as Cliff Jordan
- Buffalo Bill Rides Again (1947) as Buffalo Bill
- Accomplice (1946) as Simon Lash
- The French Key (1946) as Himself (uncredited)
- Identity Unknown (1945) as Johnny March
- The Phantom Speaks (1945) as Matt Fraser
- The Lady and the Monster (1944) as Dr. Patrick Cory
- Storm Over Lisbon (1944) as John Craig
- The Big Bonanza (1944) as Capt. Jed Kilton
- Timber Queen (1944) as Russell Evans
- That's My Baby! (1944) as Tim Jones
- Aerial Gunner (1943) as Jon Davis
- Minesweeper (1943) as Richard Houston
- Submarine Alert (1943) as Lewis J. 'Lee' Deerhold
- Alaska Highway (1943) as Woody Ormsby
- Soaring Stars (1942) as Himself
- Torpedo Boat (1942) as Skinner Barnes
- A Letter From Bataan (1942) as Pvt. John W. Lewis
- Wrecking Crew (1942) as Matt Carney
- Wildcat (1942) as Johnny Maverick
- Mutiny in the Arctic (1941) as Dick Barclay
- Men of the Timberland (1941) as Dick O'Hara
- Raiders of the Desert (1941) as Dick Manning
- A Dangerous Game (1941) as Dick Williams
- Lucky Devils (1941) as Dick McManus
- Flying Blind (1941) as Jim Clark
- Power Dive (1941) as Brad Farrell
- Forced Landing (1941) as Dan Kendall
- Hot Steel (1940) as Frank Stewart
- Swing with Bing (1940) as Himself
- Danger On Wheels (1940) as "Lucky" Larry Taylor
- The Leather Pushers (1940) as Dick 'Kid' Roberts
- Black Diamonds (1940) as Walter Norton
- The Devil's Pipeline (1940) as Dick Talbot
- Tropic Fury (1939) as Dan Burton
- Missing Daughters (1939) as Wally King
- Mutiny on the Blackhawk (1939) as Capt. Robert Lawrence
- Legion of Lost Flyers (1939) as Gene 'Loop' Gillan
- The Man from Montreal (1939) as Clark Manning
- Straight, Place and Show (1938) as Denny Paine
- No Time to Marry (1938) as Perry Brown
- Call of The Yukon (1938) as Gaston Rogers
- Murder in Greenwich Village (1937) as Steve Havens Jackson Jr.
- The Great Barrier (1937) as Hickey
- Artists & Models (1937) as Alan Townsend
- Secret Valley (1937) as Lee Rogers
- Three Live Ghosts (1936) as William 'Bill' Jones, an alias of William Foster
- The Mine with the Iron Door (1936) as Bob Harvey
- Hollywood Hobbies (1935) as Himself
- Let 'em Have It (1935) as Mal Stevens
- The Calling of Dan Matthews (1935) as Dan Matthews
- Helldorado (1935) as Art Ryan
- Hollywood on Parade No. B-10 (1934) as Self
- She Made Her Bed (1934) as Wild Bill Smith
- Come On, Marines! (1934) as Lucky Davis
- Ready for Love (1934) as Julian Barrow
- Alice in Wonderland (1933) as Cheshire Cat
- Hell and High Water (1933) as Capt J.J. Jericho
- College Humor (1933) as Mondrake
- Golden Harvest (1933) as Walt Martin
- Three Cornered Moon (1933) as Dr. Alan Stevens
- Song of the Eagle (1933) as Bill Hoffman
- Hollywood on Parade No. A-6 (1933) as Self / Arlen the Great
- How to Break 90 #4: Downswing (1933)
- Island of Lost Souls (1932) as Edward Parker
- Wayward (1932) as David Frost
- The All-American (1932) as Gary King
- Tiger Shark (1932) as Pipes Boley
- Sky Bride (1932) as Bert 'Speed' Condon
- Guilty as Hell (1932) as Frank C. Marsh
- Hollywood on Parade No. A-4 (1932) as Self (uncredited)
- The Lawyer's Secret (1931) as Joe Hart
- Gun Smoke (1931) as Brad Farley
- The Secret Call (1931) as Tom Blake
- Touchdown! (1931) as Dan Curtis
- Caught (1931) as Lt. Tom Colton
- The Conquering Horde (1931) as Dan McMasters
- Paramount on Parade (1930) as Hunter (Dream Girl)
- Dangerous Paradise (1930) as Heyst
- The Sea God (1930) as Phillip 'Pink' Barker
- Only Saps Work (1930) as Larry Payne
- The Light of Western Stars (1930) as Dick Bailey
- The Santa Fe Trail (1930) as Stan Hollister
- Burning Up (1930) as Lou Larrigan
- The Border Legion (1930) as Jim Cleve
- Thunderbolt (1929) as Bob Moran
- The Virginian (1929) as Steven 'Steve'
- The Man I Love (1929) as Joe "Dum-Dum" Brooks
- The Four Feathers (1929) as Lt. Harry Faversham
- Dangerous Curves (1929) as Larry Lee
- Beggars of Life (1928) as The Boy (Jim)
- Ladies of the Mob (1928) as Red
- Manhattan Cocktail (1928) as Fred Tilden
- Feel My Pulse (1928) as Her Problem
- Under the Tonto Rim (1928) as Edd Denmeade
- Wings (1927) as David Armstrong
- Rolled Stockings (1927) as Ralph Treadway
- Sally in Our Alley (1927) as Jimmie Adams
- The Blood Ship (1927) as John Shreve
- Figures Don't Lie (1927) as Bob Blewe
- She's a Sheik (1927) as Capt. Colton
- You'd Be Surprised (1926) as Reporter (uncredited)
- Behind the Front (1926) as Percy Brown
- Old Ironsides (1926) as Seaman (uncredited)
- Padlocked (1926) as 'Tubby' Clark
- The Enchanted Hill (1926) as Link Halliwell
- In the Name of Love (1925) as Dumas Dufrayne
- The Coast of Folly (1925) as Bather
- Hollywood (1923) as Richard Arlen
- Quicksands (1923)
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Richard Arlen best known for?
Richard Arlen is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), First Love (2022), Johnny Reno (1966), Heartburn (1986).
When and where was Richard Arlen born?
Richard Arlen was born on August 30, 1899 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. They passed away on March 28, 1976.
How many credits does Richard Arlen have?
Richard Arlen has accumulated over 173 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1923 to 2012.
What is Richard Arlen's background in cinema and television?
Richard Arlen was an American film and television actor born as Sylvanus Richard Mattimore in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Flying Corps during World War I. Following the war, he worked in the oilfields of Texas and Oklahoma as a tool boy, and later served as a newspaper messenger an...
Richard Arlen by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- The New Breed (1961) as Willits — aged about 61
- Perry Mason (1957) as Dr. Harrison — aged about 57
- The Best Man (1964) as Sen. Oscar Anderson — aged about 64
- Your Show of Shows (1950) — aged about 50
- Wings (1927) as David Armstrong — aged about 27
- The Lucy Show (1962) as Richard — aged about 62
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