Robert Dudley was a renowned dentist turned film character actor, whose illustrious 35-year career spanned over 115 films. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 13, 1869, Dudley's educational background consisted of attending Lake Forest College in Evanston, Illinois, and Chicago, where he majored in oral surgery.
In 1917, Dudley made his film debut in the movie Seven Keys to Baldpate, followed by three more silent films until 1921. After 1922, he worked consistently, appearing in three to four films per year, and transitioned to sound films in 1929 with The Bellamy Trial. Dudley was particularly adept at playing characters with a quick temper, including jurors, shopkeepers, ticket agents, court clerks, justices of the peace, farmers, hobos, and laborers. His performances in these small parts were often uncredited.
In the 1940s, Dudley became part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in six films written and directed by Sturges. His most memorable role for Sturges was the "Wienie King" in the 1942 film The Palm Beach Story, where he played a funny little self-made rich man with a big hat who spontaneously bankrolls Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea on their escapade.
Standing at 5' 9", Dudley was the founder of the "Troupers Club of Hollywood" and was married to Elaine Anderson, with whom he had two daughters, Jewell and Patricia Lee. Dudley's final film, As Young as You Feel, was released in 1951, and he passed away on November 12, 1955, in San Clemente, California.
