Charles Dudley (October 1, 1883 - March 9, 1952) was an American stage
and silent film actor who later had a successful career as a film
studio make-up artist.Charles Dudley Heaslip was born on October 1,
1883, at Fort Grant, Arizona, the son of Irving Heaslip, a career
soldier. His father was from St. Ann’s, Ontario, Canada, and served
over twenty-five years in the U.S. Army, seeing action at the Battle
of Little Big Horn and later in the Philippine War of Independence.
Nothing here is known of Dudley’s mother other than she may have
died young.Before Dudley broke into film at around the age of thirty,
he spent some twelve years performing on stage in comic and grand
operas. His initial film work was under Milton H. Faroney, with
Universal and later with such studios as Monopol, Keystone, Balboa and
Vitagraph. During this period Dudley worked primarily in comedies as a
character actor and later with Vitagraph in a number of movie serials.
During his tenure with Balboa, Dudley played principal comedic roles
under the direction of Bertram Bracken. Dudley was remembered for his
portrayal of the blind father in the 1913 feature film Will o' the
Wisp and for the serials Neal of the Navy, Who Pays, Hidden Danger,
Fighting Fate and Purple Riders.Sometime around 1925 Charles Dudley
gave up acting to work as a studio make-up artist and went on to have
a career that would span some twenty-five years or more, Dudley would
rise to become head make-up artist at Twentieth Century-Fox where he
worked with Shirley Temple for the greater part of her career. He went
on to fill out his career with Warner Brothers until his retirement in
1950.
and silent film actor who later had a successful career as a film
studio make-up artist.Charles Dudley Heaslip was born on October 1,
1883, at Fort Grant, Arizona, the son of Irving Heaslip, a career
soldier. His father was from St. Ann’s, Ontario, Canada, and served
over twenty-five years in the U.S. Army, seeing action at the Battle
of Little Big Horn and later in the Philippine War of Independence.
Nothing here is known of Dudley’s mother other than she may have
died young.Before Dudley broke into film at around the age of thirty,
he spent some twelve years performing on stage in comic and grand
operas. His initial film work was under Milton H. Faroney, with
Universal and later with such studios as Monopol, Keystone, Balboa and
Vitagraph. During this period Dudley worked primarily in comedies as a
character actor and later with Vitagraph in a number of movie serials.
During his tenure with Balboa, Dudley played principal comedic roles
under the direction of Bertram Bracken. Dudley was remembered for his
portrayal of the blind father in the 1913 feature film Will o' the
Wisp and for the serials Neal of the Navy, Who Pays, Hidden Danger,
Fighting Fate and Purple Riders.Sometime around 1925 Charles Dudley
gave up acting to work as a studio make-up artist and went on to have
a career that would span some twenty-five years or more, Dudley would
rise to become head make-up artist at Twentieth Century-Fox where he
worked with Shirley Temple for the greater part of her career. He went
on to fill out his career with Warner Brothers until his retirement in
1950.
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