Tommy Dix
{{Short description|American baritone singer and actor (1923–2025)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Tommy Dix
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name = Bobby Paine Brittain Navard
| birth_date = {{birth date|1923|12|6}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2025|1|15|1923|12|6}}
| death_place = Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.
| occupation = Singer, actor
| years_active =
}}
Tommy Dix (born Bobby Paine Brittain Navard; December 6, 1923 – January 15, 2025) was an American baritone singer and actor. He started performing at the age of 11 in 1935.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/626874766|title=He 'retired' from show biz fame at 24|publisher=Sunday News|date=June 27, 1975|page=128|access-date=February 8, 2023}} He attended Juilliard School at the age of 15.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/272128568|title=Tommy Dix, 'Winsocki' Man, Is Happy In New Career|publisher=Fort Lauderdale News|date=June 30, 1943|page=40|access-date=February 8, 2023}}
Career
Dix appeared in the Broadway play The Corn Is Green, which ran from 1941 to 1942.{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Emlyn |author-link=Emlyn Williams |year=1941 |orig-year=1938 |title=The Corn Is Green |url=https://archive.org/stream/corningreen011151mbp#page/n10/mode/1up |location=New York |publisher=Random House |oclc=699598}} He had the male lead in the musical film, Best Foot Forward, where he played the young cadet, Bud Hooper, opposite Lucille Ball.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/435566248|title='Best Foot Forward' Snappy Musical Film|work=Daily News|date=June 30, 1943|page=40|access-date=February 8, 2023}} He had previously played Chuck Green in the 1941 Broadway musical of the same name.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/560246945|title='New musical and mystery hit Broadway|publisher=Sunday News|date=October 5, 1941|page=16f|access-date=February 8, 2023}} He sang regularly at various clubs, including the Stage Door Canteen.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bAwEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Colette&pg=PT55|title=AMERICAN THEATRE WING|magazine=Billboard|volume= 56|issue=6|date=February 5, 1944|page= 5}} He decided to retire from show business in the late 1940s to attend the University of Alabama, majoring in architectural engineering. He later worked in real estate and construction.
Personal life and death
Dix was married to Margaret Ann Grayson in Alabama. They later divorced. He served in the Army during World War II.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/574436852|title=Tommy Dix to sing in star studded cotton show here|publisher=The Birmingham News|date=March 26, 1951|page=6|access-date=February 8, 2023}}
Dix turned 100 in December 2023, and died in his sleep in Williamsburg, Virginia, on January 15, 2025, at the age of 101.{{cite web |title=Tommy Dix |url=https://www.bucktroutfuneralhome.net/obituaries/Tommy-Dix?obId=34541068 |website=Bucktrout of Williamsburg |access-date=22 February 2025}}{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Mike |title=Tommy Dix, ‘Best Foot Forward’ Actor and Singer, Dies at 101 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tommy-dix-dead-best-foot-forward-1236144641/ |access-date=24 February 2025 |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |date=23 February 2025}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
- {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20160315225306/http://tommydix.com/index.html}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dix, Tommy}}
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male singers