Douglas Fowley

Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley, May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs, He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated movie director Roscoe Dexter in Singin' in the Rain (1952), and for his regular supporting role as Doc Holliday in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. He was the father of rock and roll musician and record producer Kim Fowley. Early years Fowley was born in the Bronx in New York City. He attended Los Angeles City College. Fowley began as a singing waiter and then worked as a copy boy for The New York Times, a runner for a Wall Street broker, a United States Postal Service employee, a barker, a salesman, a professional football player, and finally a professional actor. Military service Fowley enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II, where he served on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. An explosion aboard knocked out his upper front teeth. Later he ended up portraying one of the best-known dentists in American history. "I started playing old character roles by removing my false upper plate, adding a beard, voice and gait to match my interpretation," he explained to Western Clippings in 1994.