1903-03-16 Newark, New Jersey, USA
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.
Dick Tracy Special: Tracy Zooms In | Dick Tracy (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2023-02-10 | |
The Truth About Murder | Lester Ashton | 1946-04-01 | |
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball | Dick Tracy | 1946-11-22 | |
Vacation in Reno | Joe | 1946-12-10 | |
Badman's Territory | Captain William 'Bill' Hampton | 1946-05-04 | |
Dick Tracy | Dick Tracy | 1945-12-01 | |
Tornado | Gary Linden | 1943-08-09 | |
Canyon City | Craig Morgan | 1943-11-24 | |
Jack London | Richard Harding Davis | 1943-12-24 | |
Bells of Capistrano | Stag Johnson | 1942-09-15 | |
A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen | Ray Stafford | 1942-05-07 | |
Brother Orchid | Philadelphia Powell | 1940-06-07 | |
Florian | Kingston | 1940-06-05 | |
Millionaires in Prison | James Brent | 1940-07-12 | |
The Saint Takes Over | Sam Reese | 1940-06-07 | |
A Fugitive from Justice | 'Julie' Alexander | 1940-06-15 | |
North of Shanghai | Bob Laird | 1939-01-24 | |
Private Detective | Nat Flavin | 1939-12-09 | |
Grand Jury Secrets | Thomas Reedy | 1939-06-23 | |
Charlie Chan in Reno | George Bentley | 1939-06-16 | |
Blackwell's Island | Steve Cardigan | 1939-01-24 | |
Off the Record | Lou Baronette | 1939-01-21 | |
Wings of the Navy | Tommy - Duty Officer | 1939-02-11 | |
Sued for Libel | Albert Pomeroy | 1939-10-27 | |
The Spellbinder | Mr. Carrington | 1939-07-28 | |
Television Spy | Carl Venner | 1939-10-20 | |
Secret Service of the Air | Henchman Ed Powell | 1939-03-04 | |
Crime Ring | Ray Taylor | 1938-07-08 | |
The Nurse from Brooklyn | Inspector Donohue | 1938-04-29 | |
Illegal Traffic | State's Attorney Ryan | 1938-11-02 | |
Sinners in Paradise | Harrison Brand | 1938-05-19 | |
Happy Landing | Frank Harland | 1934-09-01 | |
Looking for Trouble | Dan Sutter | 1934-03-28 |