Dwight Frye

[Danny62]

An extremely versatile character actor, originator of several memorable characterizations in the horror film genre. Dwight Frye had a notable theatrical career in the 1920's, moving from juvenile parts to leads before entering film. A favorite actor of Broadway theatrical producer-director Brock Pemberton, he originated the part of "the Son" in his hit 1922 production of of Luigi Pirandello's "Six Characters in Search of an Author." Pemberton would continue to frequently cast him in Broadway productions throughout the decade. Cast with Bela Lugosi in a 1926 production of "The Devil and the Cheese, " he ultimately appeared in at least two Lugosi films. Despite (or perhaps because of) his memorable, impassioned portrayals of real estate agent-cum-madman Renfield in Tod Browning's 1931 film Dracula (1931) and Fritz the sadistic hunchbacked lab assistant in James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) the Industry seemed determined to typecast him. The Crime of Dr. Crespi (1935) offered him billing second only to that of villain Erich von Stroheim but too soon he was consigned to playing a lackluster array of lunatics, spies, red herrings, grasping heirs, and bit parts. He occasionally returned to the stage in comedies, musicals, and thrillers such as "Night Must Fall" and a stage version of "Dracula." In the early 1940's he worked nights (between films and local theatre productions) as a tool designer for the Lockheed Aircraft Company. An uncanny physical resemblance to then-Secretary of War Newton D. Baker led to being signed to a substantial role in a film called "Wilson", based on the life of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, but Frye succumbed to a heart attack on a bus a few days later.

[Reecy]

Great actor. I just loved him as Renfield. Especially on the ship when they open the lower level and he laughs hysterically. He should've won an Oscar.

[Kathyf]

God I loved him! my friend and I watched that over and over laughing. Almost got kicked out of the play.

[Danny62]

Yes he was way underrated as an actor. I would say he almost stole the show from Lugosi in Dracula!!!

My favorite scene is in the castle when they first meet! I love the way the scene was written!!

And if I recall the line I love Lugosi's face when he says:

"I have chartered a ship to take us to Endland, we will be leaving tomorrow eveeeeening."

Classic Lugosi

[Amberlights]

He was great. Fly eater Renfield. "Yes master". LOL.

[rj9748]

Alice cooper sings a song about him. It is called the Ballet of Dwight Fry. He is in a straigh jacket when he sings it in concert. The song goes, "See my lonely life unfold. I see it every day. See my lonely mind explode, when I go insane". Alice Cooper does a great job when he performs this.

[endsleigh03]

Alice cooper sings a song about him. It is called the Ballet of Dwight Fry. He is in a straigh jacket when he sings it in concert. The song goes, "See my lonely life unfold. I see it every day. See my lonely mind explode, when I go insane". Alice Cooper does a great job when he performs this.

Thats an excellent song, maybe my fav by them.

[Danny62]

Alice cooper sings a song about him. It is called the Ballet of Dwight Fry. He is in a straigh jacket when he sings it in concert. The song goes, "See my lonely life unfold. I see it every day. See my lonely mind explode, when I go insane". Alice Cooper does a great job when he performs this.

Actually when they were recording it in the studio when Alice kept screaming "I got to get out of here" He crawled inside a tiny box or something to that effect to give the words more meaning!!


Pretty cool!!!

[juleebella]

Somebody beat me to the punch on mentioning that song. That was a great one.

[theotherlondon]

An extremely versatile character actor, originator of several memorable characterizations in the horror film genre. Dwight Frye had a notable theatrical career in the 1920's, moving from juvenile parts to leads before entering film. A favorite actor of Broadway theatrical producer-director Brock Pemberton, he originated the part of "the Son" in his hit 1922 production of of Luigi Pirandello's "Six Characters in Search of an Author." Pemberton would continue to frequently cast him in Broadway productions throughout the decade. Cast with Bela Lugosi in a 1926 production of "The Devil and the Cheese, " he ultimately appeared in at least two Lugosi films. Despite (or perhaps because of) his memorable, impassioned portrayals of real estate agent-cum-madman Renfield in Tod Browning's 1931 film Dracula (1931) and Fritz the sadistic hunchbacked lab assistant in James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) the Industry seemed determined to typecast him. The Crime of Dr. Crespi (1935) offered him billing second only to that of villain Erich von Stroheim but too soon he was consigned to playing a lackluster array of lunatics, spies, red herrings, grasping heirs, and bit parts. He occasionally returned to the stage in comedies, musicals, and thrillers such as "Night Must Fall" and a stage version of "Dracula." In the early 1940's he worked nights (between films and local theatre productions) as a tool designer for the Lockheed Aircraft Company. An uncanny physical resemblance to then-Secretary of War Newton D. Baker led to being signed to a substantial role in a film called "Wilson", based on the life of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, but Frye succumbed to a heart attack on a bus a few days later.

Oh a heart attack I always thought it was from a bus crash he died in.

[Danny62]

Oh a heart attack I always thought it was from a bus crash he died in.

I guess they were going to see a movie and they were on the bus and he dropped dead in the isle of the bus of a heart attack!!

[Earthbound Misfit]

Dwight Frye often got the pivotal supporting roles - without whom there could be no story. In Dracula, he brings the Count to an unsuspecting London. In Frankenstein, he bungles the theft of a normal brain and settles for stealing the "Abnormal" brain which is then inserted into the monster (and hilarity ensues). Besides merely the inspiration for an Alice Cooper song, I believe Alice owes a significant debt to Dwight Frye's voice. Listen to "The Black Widow" for example. I don't hear Alice Cooper, I hear Dwight Frye. A while back, I recorded a little tribute to him called "Now, Now Renfield" - should anyone be interested: http://www.davisvilleproductions.com...portfolio=Wray

[Danny62]

I read alot of footage or Dwight Frye in the monster movies ended up on the cutting room floor. That bites.

[MagnusDippytack]

Here's Dwight Frye with........Stan Laurel! From the 1918 film HUSTLING FOR HEALTH.

[hell0kitty]

A happy ending of sorts occurred shortly after filming Dracula when the Fryes celebrated the birth of their son, Dwight David Frye the day after Christmas 1930. Years later his son, Dwight D. Frye, would see a renewed appreciation for his father’s work. The younger Frye, in fact, attended conventions and gatherings such as the annual Monster Bash to share memories. He shared co-author credit on the book Dwight Frye’s Last Laugh with Gregory William Mank and James T. Coughlin. Dwight David Frye died in 2003.
As for Dwight the elder, his career was one of fabulous highs and lamentable lows. He still has a place among the immortals of horror cinema. To many he was, and quite simply remains…part of the team.

[Chunga]

These lyrics seem to fit the paranoia of Frye's Renfield character

I wanna get out of here
I wanna, I wanna get out of here
I gotta get out of here
I gotta get out of here
IgottagetoutahereIgottagetoutahereIgottagetoutahere
Ya gotta let me out of here
Let me outta here
I gotta get outta here
Let me outta here
I gotta get outta here
Let me outta here
I gotta get outta here
I grabbed my hat and I got my coat, and I ran into the street. I saw a man that was choking there. I guess he couldn't breath. Said to myself this is very strange. I'm glad it wasn't me. But now I hear those sirens calling. And so I am not free. I didn't wanna be...I didn't wanna be...

Great. Just great stuff by Alice.

Notice uncensored album cover.

[hell0kitty]

woo hooooo! lmaoooo

[SenorMuerto]

I always considered him to be one of the standout character actors in film history.

And to think he worked nights at Lockheed and died riding a public bus.

Showbiz is crazy.

[Danny62]

I always considered him to be one of the standout character actors in film history.

And to think he worked nights at Lockheed and died riding a public bus.

Showbiz is crazy.

I read the stress of working so much coupled with trying to make movies during the day may have contributed to his early death?

[hell0kitty]

i read somewhere that he actually was the first person to do a special method of acting, been trying to find the article!

[steve6]

Thanks to Netflix, I've been revisiting those old Universal horror flicks ...
"Frankenstein," "The Invisible Man" and so forth.

We watched "Dracula" tonight (which is exceedingly boring after the first portion in the castle). Lugosi, sure, but another unforgettable star is Dwight Frye, a professional crazy man who had a very short life:

Dwight Frye

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Dwight FryeBornDwight Iliff Fry
February 22, 1899(1899-02-22)
Salina, Kansas, U.S.DiedNovember 7, 1943 (aged 44)
Hollywood, CA, U.S.Years active1930-1943Spouse(s)Laura Mae BullivantDwight Iliff Frye (February 22, 1899 – November 7, 1943) was an American stage and screen actor, noted for his appearances in the classic horror films Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man.
Frye was born in Salina, Kansas. Nicknamed "The Man with the Thousand-Watt Stare," and "The Man of a Thousand Deaths," he specialized in the portrayal of mentally unbalanced characters, including his signature role, the madman Renfield in Tod Browning's 1931 version of Dracula. Later that same year he also played the hunchbacked assistant in the film Frankenstein. (This character, named Fritz, is often mistakenly referred to as Ygor, a character originated by Bela Lugosi in the later film Son of Frankenstein.)
Frye had a prominent role in the 1933 horror film The Vampire Bat, starring Lionel Atwill, Melvyn Douglas, and Fay Wray, in which he played Herman, a half-wit suspected of being a killer. He also had a memorable role in the classic Bride of Frankenstein, in which he played Karl. The part of Karl was originally much longer and many extra scenes of Frye were shot as a sub plot but were edited out of the final version to shorten the running time as well as to appease the censor boards. The most memorable of these "cut scenes" was that of Karl killing the burgermeister portrayed by E. E. Clive. No full copies of these recorded scenes survive today, but many photographs of the scene similar to current storyboarding show the edited plot of the scene and are included in the recent Universal DVD release of the film.
During the early 1940s, Frye alternated between film roles and appearing on stage in a variety of productions ranging from comedies to musicals, as well as appearing in a stage version of Dracula. There was a Dwight Frye Fan Club at one time, [1] but it is currently dormant. He also made a contribution to the war effort by working nights as a tool designer for Lockheed Aircraft. Frye's strong resemblance to former Secretary of War Newton D. Baker helped land him what would have been a substantial role in the biographical film Wilson, based on the life of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, but he died of a heart attack while riding on a bus in Hollywood a few days before filming was to have begun.
Frye was interred in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

[ShockDoc]

Ratssssss!! Yes, Frye was very creepy and also quite traditional and sedate when called for. Many people remember the Renfield character from Dracula, but forget he played not only Fritz, Dr. Frankenstein's assistant in the first film as stated above, but also had a small part in Bride. One residence was on Blue Canyon off Ventura blvd in Studio City.

[theotherlondon]

I love the old Alice Cooper song: The Ballad of Dwight Fry(e)

Someone spelled his last name wrong on the album.

[pwem]

Dwight Frye= Steve Buscemi's grandad! LOL!

Love the man!