Tom Keene was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 known mostly for his roles in B

B movie

A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....

 Westerns

Western (genre)

The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...

.

Early life and career

Born as George Duryea (no relation to fellow actor Dan Duryea

Dan Duryea

Dan Duryea was an American actor, known for roles in film, stage and television.-Early life:Born and raised in White Plains, New York, Duryea graduated from White Plains Senior High School in 1924 and Cornell University in 1928. While at Cornell, Duryea was elected into the Sphinx Head Society...

) in Rochester, New York

Rochester, New York

Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

, Keene studied at Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 and Carnegie Tech before embarking on an acting career. He made his film debut in the 1923 short film The Just a Little Late Club. Keene followed with roles in The Godless Girl

The Godless Girl

The Godless Girl is a drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shown for years as his last completely silent film.-Production background:...

(1929) directed by Cecil B. DeMille

Cecil B. DeMille

Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...

, Tide of Empire

Tide of Empire

Tide of Empire is an American western film directed by Allan Dwan. The film stars Renee Adoree and Tom Keene. The film was originally slated to star Joan Crawford in the female lead, but the final filming had Renee Adoree instead of Crawford...

(1929) with Renee Adoree

Renée Adorée

Renée Adorée was a French actress who had appeared in Hollywood silent movies during the 1920s.-Early life:...

, Thunder

Thunder (film)

Thunder is a melodrama film released by MGM, starring Lon Chaney.Directed by William Nigh, it is noteworthy for several reasons. First, it was Chaney's penultimate film appearance and his last silent film, as well as one of the very last films of the silent era...

with Lon Chaney, Sr.

Lon Chaney, Sr.

Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...

, Tol'able David (1930), Sundown Trail (1931). In 1934 King Vidor

King Vidor

King Wallis Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades...

 cast him in the socially conscious Depression oriented classic Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread (1934 film)

Our Daily Bread is a 1934 film directed by King Vidor and starring Karen Morley, Tom Keene, and John Qualen. Vidor tried to interest Irving Thalberg of MGM in the project, but Thalberg rejected the idea...

 with Karen Morley

Karen Morley

-Life and career:Born Mildred Linton in Ottumwa, Iowa, Morley lived there until she was thirteen years old. When she came to Hollywood, she attended Hollywood High School, and she later graduated from UCLA....

.

During the 1940s, Keene appeared in the film serial The Great Alaskan Mystery

The Great Alaskan Mystery

The Great Alaskan Mystery is a 1944 Universal film serial about government agents trying to stop Nazi spies from getting their hands on futuristic weapons.-Cast:* Milburn Stone as Jim Hudson* Marjorie Weaver as Ruth Miller...

and two Dick Tracy

Dick Tracy

Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...

 films Dick Tracy's Dilemma

Dick Tracy's Dilemma

Dick Tracy's Dilemma is a 1947 film starring Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy. It is the third part of the Dick Tracy quadrilogy.-Plot summary:...

and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome is a 1947 thriller film starring Ralph Byrd, Anne Gwynne, and Boris Karloff. It is the fourth and last movie in the Dick Tracy series.-Synopsis:A gang of criminals discover a nerve gas, which freezes people and can make them appear dead...

(1947). In the 1950s, he moved on to television with guest roles on The Range Rider

The Range Rider

The Range Rider is an American Western television series that aired in syndication from 1951-1953. A single lost episode was first shown in 1959...

, Buffalo Bill, Jr., Fury

Fury (TV series)

Fury is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1955–1960, starring Peter Graves as Jim Newton , Bobby Diamond as Jim's adopted son, Joey Clark Newton, and William Fawcett as ranch hand Pete Wilkey...

, Judge Roy Bean

Judge Roy Bean (TV series)

Judge Roy Bean is a syndicated American Western series starring Edgar Buchanan as the legendary Kentucky-born Judge Roy Bean, a justice of the peace known as "The law west of the Pecos".-Synopsis:...

, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is an American sitcom, airing on ABC from October 3, 1952 to September 3, 1966, starring the real life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television where it continued its success, running on both radio and TV for a couple of years...

. Keene's last film role was in the Ed Wood-directed cult film

Cult film

A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...

 Plan 9 from Outer Space

Plan 9 from Outer Space

Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...

(1959). He retired soon after this and focused on real estate and the insurance business.

Death

Keene died of cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 on August 4, 1963, aged 66. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California

Glendale, California

Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...

.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1928	Marked Money	Clyde	Credited as George Duryea
1928	The Godless Girl The Godless Girl The Godless Girl is a drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, shown for years as his last completely silent film.-Production background:...	Bob Hathaway	Credited as George Duryea
1929	Honky Tonk Honky Tonk (1929 film) Honky Tonk is a 1929 American musical film starring Sophie Tucker in her film debut. The film was a flop when released and is now lost, although the soundtrack for the trailer still exists...	Freddie Gilmore	Credited as George Duryea
1930	Beau Bandit	W.S. "Bill" Howard	Credited as George Duryea
1931	Freighters of Destiny	Steve Macey
1932	Come on Danger!	Larry Madden, Texas Ranger
1933	Sunset Pass	Jack Rock/Jim Collins
1934	Our Daily Bread Our Daily Bread (1934 film) Our Daily Bread is a 1934 film directed by King Vidor and starring Karen Morley, Tom Keene, and John Qualen. Vidor tried to interest Irving Thalberg of MGM in the project, but Thalberg rejected the idea...	John Sims	Alternative title: Hell's Crossroads
1935	Hong Kong Nights	Tom Keene
1936	Timothy's Quest	David Masters
1937	Romance of the Rockies	Dr. Tom Foster
1938	The Painted Trail	Tom Gray posing as the Pecos Kid
1941	Riding the Sunset Trail	Tom Sterling
1942	Western Mail Western Mail (1942 film) - Cast :*Tom Keene as Tom Allen*Frank Yaconelli as Lopez Mendoza*LeRoy Mason as Jeff Gordon*Jean Trent as Julia Webster*Fred Kohler Jr. as Lucky Webster*Glenn Strange as Sheriff Big Bill Collins*Gene Alsace as Henchman Rod*James Sheridan as Henchman Cheyenne...	Tom Allen
1944	Port of 40 Thieves	Scott Barton	Credited as Richard Powers
1945	Girls of the Big House	Barton Sturgis	Credited as Richard Powers
1946	San Quentin	Hal Schaeffer, Robbery Detail	Credited as Richard Powers
1947	Thunder Mountain	Johnny Blue	Credited as Richard Powers
1948	Berlin Express Berlin Express Berlin Express is a black-and-white drama film directed by Jacques Tourneur. Thrown together by chance, a group of people search a city for a kidnapped peace activist. Set in Allied-occupied Germany, it was shot on location in post-World War II Frankfurt-am-Main and Berlin...	Major	Credited as Richard Powers
1949	Brothers in the Saddle	Nash Prescott	Credited as Richard Powers
1950	The Milkman	Duzik	Uncredited
1951	Home Town Story Home Town Story Home Town Story is a 1951 American drama film directed by Arthur Pierson and starring Jeffrey Lynn, Donald Crisp, and Alan Hale, Jr.. The film features Marilyn Monroe in a small, early role...	Abbott, Bob's campaign manager	Uncredited
1951	The Stu Erwin Show The Stu Erwin Show The Stu Erwin Show is an American sitcom which aired on ABC for five seasons from 1950 to 1955.-Synopsis:...	Arthur Hale	Episode: "The Big Game"
1952	Red Planet Mars Red Planet Mars Red Planet Mars is a 1952 science fiction film released by United Artists based on a 1932 play Red Planet written by John L. Balderston and John Hoare...	Major General George Burdette	Uncredited
1952	Sky King	Sheriff	2 episodes Credited as Richard Powers
1953	The Abbott and Costello Show The Abbott and Costello Show The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....	Joe	2 episodes Credited as Richard Powers
1953	The Moonlighter	Sheriff	Credited as Richard Powers
1953	General Electric Theater General Electric Theater General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:...	Slocum	Episode: "Woman's World" Credited as Richard Powers
1954	Outlaw's Daughter	Bank Manager	Uncredited
1954	Hopalong Cassidy	Bill Bricker	Episode: "Steel Trails West" Credited as Richard Powers
1955	Dig That Uranium	Frank Loomis	Credited as Richard Powers
1955	The Millionaire	Attorney Marlowe	Episode: "The Uncle Robby Story"
1956	Tension at Table Rock	Man Killed by Sam	Credited as Richard Powers
1958	Casey Jones Casey Jones (TV series) Casey Jones is an American children's Western series that ran during the '58-'59 television season, based around the pioneering western railroads. The series aired in syndication in the United States...	John Patrick	Episode: "The Silk Train" Credited as Richard Powers
1958	Tales of the Texas Rangers Tales of the Texas Rangers Tales of the Texas Rangers, a western adventure old-time radio drama, premiered on July 8, 1950, on the US NBC radio network and remained on the air through September 14, 1952...	Morgan Thorpe	Episode: "Traitor's Gold" Credited as Richard Powers
1959	Death Valley Days Death Valley Days Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...	Charlie Duff	Episode: "Stagecoach Spy" Credited as Richard Powers
1959	Plan 9 From Outer Space Plan 9 from Outer Space Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...	Col. Tom Edwards

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