Richard Arlen

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

169

Gender

Male

Birthday

1899-08-30

Day of death

1976-03-28 (76 years old)

Place of Birth

Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA

Richard Arlen

Biography

Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore) was an American film and television actor. He served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Flying Corps during World War I. After the war, he went to the oilfields of Texas and Oklahoma and found work as a tool boy. He was thereafter a messenger and sporting editor of a newspaper before going to Los Angeles to act in films, but no producer wanted him. He was a delivery boy for a film laboratory when the motorcycle which he was riding landed him a broken leg outside the Paramount Pictures lot. A sympathetic film director gave him his start as an extra. He appeared at first in silent films before making the transition to talkies. His first important film role was in Vengeance of the Deep. He took time out from his Hollywood career to teach as a United States Army Air Forces flight instructor in World War II. Arlen is best known for his role as a pilot in the Academy Award-winning Wings with Clara Bow, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Gary Cooper, El Brendel, and his second wife, Jobyna Ralston, whom he married in 1927. He was among the more famous residents of the celebrity enclave, Toluca Lake, California. He married New York socialite, Margaret Kinsella, in 1946. In 1939, Universal teamed him with Andy Devine for a series of 14 B-pictures, mostly action-comedies with heavy reliance on stock footage from larger-scale films. They are informally known as the "Aces of Action" series, which is how the stars were billed in the trailers. When Arlen left the studio in 1941, the series continued with Devine teamed with a variety of other actors. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Arlen was active in television, having guest starred in several anthology series, including Playhouse 90, The Loretta Young Show, The 20th Century Fox Hour, and in three episodes of the series about clergymen, Crossroads. In 1960, Arlen was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a motion pictures star at 6755 Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the film industry. In 1968, he appeared on Petticoat Junction playing himself. The episode was called "Wings" and it was in direct reference to the 1927 silent movie Wings. Arlen appeared in westerns, such as Lawman, Branded, Bat Masterson, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Wagon Train, and Yancy Derringer, and in such drama/adventure programs as Ripcord, Whirlybirds, Perry Mason, The New Breed, Coronado 9, and Michael Shayne.

Known For

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • The Colgate Comedy Hour

    The Colgate Comedy Hour

  • Matinee Theater

    Matinee Theater

  • Climax!

    Climax!

  • The Lucy Show

    The Lucy Show

  • Petticoat Junction

    Petticoat Junction

  • Wanted: Dead or Alive

    Wanted: Dead or Alive

  • This Is Your Life

    This Is Your Life

  • Bat Masterson

    Bat Masterson

  • Bat Masterson

    Bat Masterson

  • The 20th Century Fox Hour

    The 20th Century Fox Hour

  • Branded

    Branded

  • Your Show of Shows

    Your Show of Shows

  • Lock-Up

    Lock-Up

  • The New Breed

    The New Breed

  • Yancy Derringer

    Yancy Derringer

  • Apache Uprising

    Apache Uprising

  • Legion of Lost Flyers

    Legion of Lost Flyers

  • Raymie

    Raymie

  • The Santa Fe Trail

    The Santa Fe Trail

  • The Coast of Folly

    The Coast of Folly

  • Mutiny in the Arctic

    Mutiny in the Arctic

  • Coronado 9

    Coronado 9

  • Island of Lost Souls

    Island of Lost Souls

  • A Whale of a Tale

    A Whale of a Tale

  • Flying Blind

    Flying Blind

  • The Whistler

    The Whistler

  • The Crawling Hand

    The Crawling Hand

  • Missing Daughters

    Missing Daughters

  • Secret Valley

    Secret Valley

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • The Virginian

    The Virginian

  • Red Tomahawk

    Red Tomahawk

  • Town Tamer

    Town Tamer

  • Hollywood

    Hollywood

  • Hurricane Smith

    Hurricane Smith

  • The Secret Call

    The Secret Call

  • The Phantom Speaks

    The Phantom Speaks

  • The Return of Wildfire

    The Return of Wildfire

  • Golden Harvest

    Golden Harvest

  • Manhattan Cocktail

    Manhattan Cocktail

  • Paramount on Parade

    Paramount on Parade

  • The Enchanted Hill

    The Enchanted Hill

  • The Four Feathers

    The Four Feathers

  • Hollywood on Parade No. A-6

    Hollywood on Parade No. A-6

  • The Man from Montreal

    The Man from Montreal

  • The Border Legion

    The Border Legion

  • The Mountain

    The Mountain

  • Flaming Feather

    Flaming Feather

  • Wings

    Wings

  • Dangerous Paradise

    Dangerous Paradise

  • Child of Trouble

    Child of Trouble

  • Dangerous Curves

    Dangerous Curves

  • The French Key

    The French Key

  • The Young and the Brave

    The Young and the Brave

  • The Bounty Killer

    The Bounty Killer

  • Warlock

    Warlock

  • Hostile Guns

    Hostile Guns

  • Old Ironsides

    Old Ironsides

  • The Day of the Trumpet

    The Day of the Trumpet

  • Three Cornered Moon

    Three Cornered Moon

  • Fort Utah

    Fort Utah

  • The Horror Show

    The Horror Show

  • The Lady and the Monster

    The Lady and the Monster

  • Kansas Raiders

    Kansas Raiders

  • The Mine with the Iron Door

    The Mine with the Iron Door

  • Artists & Models

    Artists & Models

  • Under the Tonto Rim

    Under the Tonto Rim

  • Johnny Reno

    Johnny Reno

  • Tiger Shark

    Tiger Shark

  • Padlocked

    Padlocked

  • Hidden Guns

    Hidden Guns

  • Figures Don't Lie

    Figures Don't Lie

  • Identity Unknown

    Identity Unknown

  • Young Fury

    Young Fury

  • Wrecking Crew

    Wrecking Crew

  • Waco

    Waco

  • Wildcat

    Wildcat

  • Black Diamonds

    Black Diamonds

  • Submarine Alert

    Submarine Alert

  • Storm Over Lisbon

    Storm Over Lisbon

  • Ready for Love

    Ready for Love

  • The Sky's the Limit

    The Sky's the Limit

  • Silver City

    Silver City

  • The Leather Pushers

    The Leather Pushers

  • Burning Up

    Burning Up

  • The Devil's Pipeline

    The Devil's Pipeline

  • In the Name of Love

    In the Name of Love

  • Forced Landing

    Forced Landing

  • Feel My Pulse

    Feel My Pulse

  • Touchdown!

    Touchdown!

  • Timber Queen

    Timber Queen

  • Song of the Eagle

    Song of the Eagle

  • Come On, Marines!

    Come On, Marines!

  • The Blazing Forest

    The Blazing Forest

  • Black Spurs

    Black Spurs

  • Beggars of Life

    Beggars of Life

  • The Man I Love

    The Man I Love

  • Tropic Fury

    Tropic Fury

  • Alice in Wonderland

    Alice in Wonderland

  • Three Live Ghosts

    Three Live Ghosts

  • Behind the Front

    Behind the Front

  • She's a Sheik

    She's a Sheik

  • The Light of Western Stars

    The Light of Western Stars

  • Grand Canyon

    Grand Canyon

  • The Best Man

    The Best Man

  • A Dangerous Game

    A Dangerous Game

  • Law of the Lawless

    Law of the Lawless

  • Speed to Spare

    Speed to Spare

  • When My Baby Smiles at Me

    When My Baby Smiles at Me

  • Power Dive

    Power Dive

  • The All-American

    The All-American

  • Sky Bride

    Sky Bride

  • Accomplice

    Accomplice

  • The Blood Ship

    The Blood Ship

  • Devil's Point

    Devil's Point

  • The Calling of Dan Matthews

    The Calling of Dan Matthews

  • Sally in Our Alley

    Sally in Our Alley

  • Straight, Place and Show

    Straight, Place and Show

  • Wayward

    Wayward

  • Helldorado

    Helldorado

  • Soaring Stars

    Soaring Stars

  • Sabre Jet

    Sabre Jet

  • Minesweeper

    Minesweeper

  • A Letter From Bataan

    A Letter From Bataan

  • Danger On Wheels

    Danger On Wheels

  • Lucky Devils

    Lucky Devils

  • The Human Duplicators

    The Human Duplicators

  • Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

    Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

  • You'd Be Surprised

    You'd Be Surprised

  • Torpedo Boat

    Torpedo Boat

  • Swing with Bing

    Swing with Bing

  • Guilty as Hell

    Guilty as Hell

  • College Humor

    College Humor

  • That's My Baby!

    That's My Baby!

  • Murder in Greenwich Village

    Murder in Greenwich Village

  • Hollywood on Parade No. A-4

    Hollywood on Parade No. A-4

  • She Made Her Bed

    She Made Her Bed

  • Hot Steel

    Hot Steel

  • Rolled Stockings

    Rolled Stockings

  • To the Shores of Hell

    To the Shores of Hell

  • The Last Time I Saw Archie

    The Last Time I Saw Archie

  • The Big Bonanza

    The Big Bonanza

  • Rogue's Gallery

    Rogue's Gallery

  • Clara Bow: Hollywood's Lost Screen Goddess

    Clara Bow: Hollywood's Lost Screen Goddess

  • Buckskin

    Buckskin

  • The Sea God

    The Sea God

  • Caught

    Caught

  • Gun Smoke

    Gun Smoke

  • The Lawyer's Secret

    The Lawyer's Secret

  • Thunderbolt

    Thunderbolt

  • How to Break 90 #4: Downswing

    How to Break 90 #4: Downswing

  • Let 'em Have It

    Let 'em Have It

  • Alaska Highway

    Alaska Highway

  • No Time to Marry

    No Time to Marry

  • Call of The Yukon

    Call of The Yukon

  • Hollywood Hobbies

    Hollywood Hobbies

  • Buffalo Bill Rides Again

    Buffalo Bill Rides Again

  • Aerial Gunner

    Aerial Gunner

  • Mutiny on the Blackhawk

    Mutiny on the Blackhawk

  • Blonde Blackmailer

    Blonde Blackmailer

  • Only Saps Work

    Only Saps Work

  • Raiders of the Desert

    Raiders of the Desert

  • The Great Barrier

    The Great Barrier

  • Hell and High Water

    Hell and High Water

  • Sex and the College Girl

    Sex and the College Girl

  • The Conquering Horde

    The Conquering Horde

  • Ladies of the Mob

    Ladies of the Mob

  • Men of the Timberland

    Men of the Timberland