Anthony Dexter
{{Short description|American actor (1913–2001)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Anthony Dexter
|image = Photoplay Anthony Dexter.jpg
|image_size =
|caption = Anthony in Photoplay Magazine, 1951
|other_names = Tony Dexter
Walter Craig
|birth_name = Walter Reinhold Alfred Fleischmann
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1913|1|19}}
|birth_place = Talmage, Nebraska, U.S.
|death_date = {{Death date and age|2001|3|27|1913|1|19}}
|death_place = Greeley, Colorado, U.S.
|resting_place =
|occupation = Actor
|years_active = 1951–1967
|alma_mater = St. Olaf College
University of Iowa (MA)
}}
Anthony John Dexter (born Walter Reinhold Alfred Fleischmann, January 19, 1913 – March 27, 2001) was an American actor known for his striking resemblance to silent film hero Rudolph Valentino, whom he portrayed in the 1951 biopic Valentino. Dexter sometimes used the pseudonym Walter Craig. He was known for portraying many real-life characters such as Captain John Smith, Captain William Kidd, Billy the Kid and Christopher Columbus.
Biography
Born Walter Reinhold Alfred Fleischmann in Nebraska, he earned an athletic scholarship to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and later earned a Master of Arts from the University of Iowa.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-05-me-47223-story.html Los Angeles Times obituary] During World War II he served in the U.S. Army's Special Services in England earning the rank of Sergeant. After the war he performed on Broadway productions of The Three Sisters, Ah, Wilderness and The Barretts of Wimpole Street.
File:Anthony Dexter in Photoplay 1951 03.jpg
When preparing a film biography of Rudolph Valentino, Valentino, producer Edward Small chose Dexter for the lead from over 75,000 applicants and 400 screen tests.Groppa, Carlos G. The Tango in the United States: A History McFarland, p. 164 His incredible likeness to Valentino led to a contract with Columbia Pictures, but hampered him in achieving substantial film roles. When Dexter broke his contract with Edward Small due to the producer wanting to use him exclusively in Valentino-type roles, Dexter soon found that other producers wished him to do the same - for less money. He also made three unsuccessful television pilots, two of them swashbucklers.{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecolumnists.com/miller/miller117.html |title=Anthony Dexter profile |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716055401/http://www.thecolumnists.com/miller/miller117.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |url-status=dead }}
In 1960, guest starred on Gene Barry's TV Western Bat Masterson, playing a large and rare role as the episode long sidekick to Bat Masterson, Allesandro Valin in S2E35's "The Big Gamble".
After his movie career ended, Dexter, now known as Walter Craig, taught high school English, speech, and drama classes at Eagle Rock High School (circa 1968–1978) in the Los Angeles area. When he retired from teaching, Craig moved to Greeley, Colorado, where he lived until his death on March 27, 2001. He had two daughters, Kimberly and Claudia.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gildasattic.com/dexterbio.html|title = The Anthony Dexter Home Page}}
File:Anthony Dexter in Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl 02.jpg
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class = "unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1950
| Radio Clerk | Uncredited |
| 1951
| |
| 1952
| Carlos Delargo / King Lorenzo III | |
| 1953
| Captain John Smith and Pocahontas | |
| rowspan=2|1954
| Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl | Captain William Kidd | |
| The Black Pirates
| Capt. Zargo | |
| rowspan=2|1956
| Luther Blair | |
| He Laughed Last
| Dominic Rodriguez | |
| rowspan=2|1957
| |
| The Story of Mankind
| |
| 1960
| Dr. Luis Vargas | |
| rowspan=2|1961
| Charlie Walsh | |
| The Phantom Planet
| Herron | |
| 1962
| Lech | |
| 1965
| Saturday Night Bath in Apple Valley | | |
| 1967
| Juarez | |
Television
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Rawhide | Chie | S2:E16, "Incident of the Tinker's Dam" |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{find a Grave|35677969}}
- {{IMDb name|0186045|Anthony Dexter}}
- {{IBDB name|name=Walter Craig}}
- [http://www.gildasattic.com/dexter.html Homepage]
- [http://allanellenberger.com/marsha-hunt-on-anthony-dexter/#comment-336748 Marsha Hunt on Anthony Dexter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106034448/http://allanellenberger.com/marsha-hunt-on-anthony-dexter/#comment-336748 |date=November 6, 2016 }}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dexter, Anthony}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:United States Army personnel of World War II
Category:Male actors from Nebraska
Category:St. Olaf College alumni
Category:University of Iowa alumni