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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

33

Gender

Male

Birthday

1903-03-16

Day of Death

1981-11-16 (78 years old)

Place of Birth

Newark, New Jersey, USA

Also Known As

Sydney Albert Conway

Morgan Conway

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Morgan Conway (March 16, 1903 in Newark, New Jersey – November 16, 1981 in Livingston, New Jersey) was an American actor, best known for his portrayals of Dick Tracy. Born Sydney Conway, he was educated at Columbia University in New York City. He arrived in Hollywood just in time to get on the ground floor of the industry's burgeoning labor movement. Conway was one of the founding members of the Screen Actors Guild. His first film appearance was in the 1934 film Looking for Trouble. For many years he freelanced, working for various studios in bits or supporting roles. His most familiar appearance from this period is probably in Charlie Chan in Reno (1939). By the mid-1940s he was a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures, and he was chosen to portray Chester Gould's comic-strip detective Dick Tracy in a pair of feature films: Dick Tracy and Dick Tracy vs. Cueball. RKO's earliest publicity photos posed Conway in profile, hoping to emulate Gould's square-jawed caricatures. Although this screen Tracy didn't resemble the print Tracy physically, Conway's dramatic interpretation was faithful; he gave the role an understated, businesslike quality totally in keeping with a police procedural. Morgan Conway is considered by many (including Dick Tracy writer Max Allan Collins) to be the best screen Dick Tracy. Morgan/Sydney Conway left the motion picture industry and returned to New Jersey, where he died of lung cancer at the age of 78.

Known For

Acting

Brother Orchid

1940

Brother Orchid

as

Philadelphia Powell

Charlie Chan in Reno

1939

Charlie Chan in Reno

as

George Bentley

Badman's Territory

1946

Badman's Territory

as

Captain William 'Bill' Hampton

Jack London

1943

Jack London

as

Richard Harding Davis

Dick Tracy vs. Cueball

1946

Dick Tracy vs. Cueball

as

Dick Tracy

Blackwell's Island

1939

Blackwell's Island

as

Steve Cardigan

The Saint Takes Over

1940

The Saint Takes Over

as

Sam Reese

Dick Tracy

1945

Dick Tracy

as

Dick Tracy

Sinners in Paradise

1938

Sinners in Paradise

as

Harrison Brand

Private Detective

1939

Private Detective

as

Nat Flavin

Tornado

1943

Tornado

as

Gary Linden

A Fugitive from Justice

1940

A Fugitive from Justice

as

'Julie' Alexander

Sued for Libel

1939

Sued for Libel

as

Albert Pomeroy

The Truth About Murder

1946

The Truth About Murder

as

Lester Ashton

Happy Landing

1934

Happy Landing

as

Frank Harland

Crime Ring

1938

Crime Ring

as

Ray Taylor

The Spellbinder

1939

The Spellbinder

as

Mr. Carrington

Millionaires in Prison

1940

Millionaires in Prison

as

James Brent

Illegal Traffic

1938

Illegal Traffic

as

State's Attorney Ryan

Television Spy

1939

Television Spy

as

Carl Venner

Looking for Trouble

1934

Looking for Trouble

as

Dan Sutter

The Nurse from Brooklyn

1938

The Nurse from Brooklyn

as

Inspector Donohue

Secret Service of the Air

1939

Secret Service of the Air

as

Henchman Ed Powell

Wings of the Navy

1939

Wings of the Navy

as

Tommy - Duty Officer

Grand Jury Secrets

1939

Grand Jury Secrets

as

Thomas Reedy

Bells of Capistrano

1942

Bells of Capistrano

as

Stag Johnson

North of Shanghai

1939

North of Shanghai

as

Bob Laird

Florian

1940

Florian

as

Kingston

Canyon City

1943

Canyon City

as

Craig Morgan

Off the Record

1939

Off the Record

as

Lou Baronette

Smashing the Spy Ring

1938

Smashing the Spy Ring

as

Professor Leonard (uncredited)

Production

Crew

Directing