A minor "B" leading man of 1940s and early 1950s films who moved easily
to 60s TV when film offers dried up, blue-eyed, brown-haired actor
Stephen Dunne was born Francis Michael Dunne and raised in his hometown
of Northampton, Massachusetts in 1918. His interest in acting occurred
following high school and, after a brief job for an electric company,
decided to study drama and journalism at the University of Alabama. He
also earned experience at the time as a radio deejay at a nearby
station. The radio gig paid off as he moved into full time announcing
work for station WOR in New York City.
Dunne's good looks, smooth voice and affable demeanor caught the
attention of Hollywood. Signed by Fox in 1945 and billed as "Michael
Dunne", the actor started out billed third in his very first film, the
congenial comedy Junior Miss (1945)
although overshadowed in the film by
Peggy Ann Garner,
Allyn Joslyn,
Mona Freeman and
Barbara Whiting. Unfortunately
instead of up he moved down the billing line in the musical
Doll Face (1945) again showcasing
others like Perry Como and
Carmen Miranda, as a doctor in
the Vincent Price starrer
Shock (1946), billed 12th in the charming
Charles Coburn comedy
Colonel Effingham's Raid (1946)
and was fairly nondescript in the Grable musical
Die reizendsten Eltern der Welt (1947).
In 1947 a disillusioned Michael was picked up by Columbia, where they
changed his name to "Stephen Dunne" and moved him back up again in
billing. But, as expected perhaps, his leading roles in such "B"
pictures as
The Son of Rusty (1947),
The Woman from Tangier (1948),
Rusty Saves a Life (1949),
Kazan (1949),
Law of the Barbary Coast (1949)
did little to advance his film career. When a more important movie did
come out, he was usually in service of the star, such as
Glenn Ford,
Lucille Ball or
William Holden, finding himself
down in the credit list once again.
Again, radio saved the day for the smooth-voiced actor during the
leaner times with numerous programs including the popular "Danger, Dr.
Danfield" (1946) and "Richard Diamond, Private Eye" (1949) to his
credit. He replaced Howard Duff at
one point in "The New Adventures of Sam Spade" in 1950 but Duff was
missed and the show canceled quickly. Throughout the 1950s, Dunne
worked for KTSL-TV in Los Angeles. His film roles in independents
continued on with such programmer fare as
The Crime Doctor's Diary (1949),
Der Gangsterboss von Rocket-City (1950),
The WAC from Walla Walla (1952)
and Die letzte Entscheidung (1952)
filling his resume.
Focusing on TV acting in the mid 1950s through the early 1970s, guest
appearances included roles in "Private Secretary," "The Gale Storm
Show," "How to Marry a Millionaire," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents,"
"Petticoat Junction," "Batman," "Love, American Style," "The Brady
Bunch" and "The Bold Ones," among others. He also appeared regularly on
the musical program
The Bob Crosby Show (1953),
as a psychologist on the short-lived sitcom
Professional Father (1955),
and in the crime drama
The Brothers Brannagan (1960).
Steve's voice and personality was ideally suited for quiz show duties,
and he wound up hosting such game programs as
You're on Your Own (1956),
Truth or Consequences (1950)
(during the 1956-57 season) and
Double Exposure (1961).
Despite an avid self-promoter during his film and especially his
radio/TV career, he could not muster past his benign, clean-cut
personality. Still, he soldiered on and managed to keep busy throughout
his over three-decade career. His moneymaker was his voice and his best
success remained on radio.
Retired in the early 1970s after a support role in the Disney film
Papa ist der Größte (1973) as a (naturally) TV
moderator, Steve died a few years later, relatively young at the age of
59 of undisclosed causes in Los Angeles. He was survived by his wife of
37 years, Vivian Bellveau, and their two children, Stephen and
Christina.
