DOUGLAS WALTON aka John Douglas Duder -- The Most Comprehensive Biography


Douglas Walton (John Douglas Duder).  Photograph taken during the time when "Mary of Scotland" (1936) was released.  From Getty Images.






Douglas Walton, best known for his small and subtle role of Mary Shelley's husband Percy Bysshe Shelley in the prologue scene of “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935) with Elsa Lanchester and Gavin Gordon.

Douglas Walton (left) as Percy Bysshe Shelley in the prologue scene of “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935) with Elsa Lanchester (center) and Gavin Gordon (right).










He also appeared in “The Count of Monte Cristo” (1934), “Mary of Scotland” (1936), “Murder, My Sweet” (1944), and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1945).

Douglas Walton (left) as Albert  in “The Count of Monte Cristo ” (1934) with Elissa Landi (right).

Douglas Walton (left) as Lord Darnley  in “Mary of Scotland” (1936) with Katharine Hepburn (right).

Douglas Walton as Lindsay Marriott  in “Murder, My Sweet” (1944).

Douglas Walton (left) as Alan Campbell  in “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1945) with Hurd Hatfield (right).





John Douglas Duder before becoming Douglas Walton.

John Douglas Duder was born on October 17, 1909 in Woodstock (Oxford County), Ontario, Canada to British clergyman George Herbert Duder and to Canadian Ethel Edna May Blackwell.  He was primarily raised in the UK (hence that's why he sounded British in almost all of his movie roles, even some where he played American).  Although he studied architecture in England and listed himself as a draughtsman, he intended to become an actor in Hollywood.  So at the age of 19, he left the UK on June 28, 1929, arrived in Canada through the port of Quebec on July 6, and stayed with his aunt (Mrs. Robert Bickcoton) at Woodstock.  However it was not an easy endeavor for him to reach his dreams.  He worked a myriad of odd jobs that include dish washing and had unsuccessful luck on stage plays.  Eventually he made a living as a tea-taster and saved enough money to move to Hollywood a year later.

But even when he arrived at Tinseltown, he knew no one and didn't know how the film industry worked.  He was broke and hungry, but refused to take on the role of an "extra" in films, even if they would generate a livable wage for him.  There was a saying, "Once an Extra, always an Extra."  Coming from all the way from the UK and Canada, he had bigger aspirations than being an extra.  So he held off until the opportunity was right, even though he was literally starving.  Eventually he befriended an extra that knew director Al Santell who was in the works of filming "Body and Soul" (filmed in late 1930, released in 1931).  This was where John Douglas Duder officially stepped into the film world, received a contract, and became Douglas Walton.  He played more roles, albeit tiny uncredited parts (but they were not extras!), often playing as students, boyfriends, or cheeky spectators.

Because of his movie contract, he needed to apply for documents in order to work legally in the United States as an immigrant.  On January 2, 1931 he arrived in the border city of Calexico, California from Mexico and underwent immigration processes.  He also did these procedures in El Paso, Texas.

For a time it was fine and dandy for Douglas Walton, except his contract ended about three movies in and his savings went down to his last quarter.  He briefly went on a roadshow tour that didn't make him a lot of money.  There were times where he did absolutely nothing, had some film parts, and going back to doing nothing.  Basically he was broke and hungry again.  Waiting endlessly for a film role was nerve-racking for Walton, but he refused to become an extra.


Douglas Walton (left) as Leonard Junior  in “The Secret of Madame Blanche ” (1933) with Irene Dunne (right).

But then starting with “The Secret of Madame Blanche” (1933) where he had his first big role AND an actual credit within the cast, he started to receive more prominent parts and even had a few starring ones as well ("I Conquer the Sea!" in 1936 and "Damaged Goods" in 1937).  The mid 1930's were his golden years of film making.  The 1940s...not so much...but he became affluent by this time, renting a swanky mansion and bought a luxurious car that didn't even fit inside the house's garage.  He also had time to put his architectural knowledge to use in 1936 when he was constructing a house that was "chiefly windows, with just enough wall in between to hold them together" in Hollywood Hills (info provided by Marcos D. Jimenez). Overall he made about 60 film appearances (but did not appear in all of them!), with roles both larger than others and smaller than others.  He never reached stardom as he would've wanted to, BUT he did shared the silver screen with some of the top Hollywood stars of all time.  This includes CLARK GABLE, JOHN WAYNE, LUCILLE BALL, KATHARINE HEPBURN, FRED ASTAIRE, BORIS KARLOFF, ELSA LANCHESTER, SPENCER TRACY, BETTE DAVIS, OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND, RONALD REAGAN, LLOYD BRIDGES, BASIL RATHBONE, YVONNE DE CARLO, LILLI PALMER, GARY COOPER, EDDIE BRACKEN, CHARLES LAUGHTON, LIONEL BARRYMORE, IRENE DUNNE, HURD HATFIELD (my favorite) and many other stars.  Notable directors he had worked with include JAMES WHALE, FRITZ LANG, and JOHN FORD (three times with Ford...I wonder if they were good friends?  I don't know!).  Also to note, he played alongside with FREDRIC MARCH three times, ELISSA LANDI at least two, VICTOR MCLAGLEN twice, LIONEL ATWILL two times, CHESTER MORRIS twice, DAVID NIVEN at least two, and was directed by Rowland V. Lee twice, George Sherman two times, and Lew Landers three times.  Film companies that he often worked under were MGM, RKO, Fox, Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros.  To see a list of his NOTEWORTHY film roles, click here!


In 1939, Douglas Walton made his first (and last) Broadway appearance in the comedy original “Billy Draws a Horse.”  The show took place in the PLAYHOUSE THEATRE on 137 W. 48th Street, New York, New York.  The story of the play started out with a boy named Billy drawing a horse on the family wall that made his father angry, which in turn made his mother angry.  Billy then went to school and the mother went over to the boy's grandparents' place and talked about a myriad of things.  From a review I read for its time, it was not a good play and as much as the actors were good, they could not save a bad and mundane script.  The show only ran for 10 days with a total of 13 performances and then it folded.  Other theatrical plays Walton had played in New York include "Tomorrow We Live" and "The Apple Cart" by Bernard Shaw (date unknown).

Douglas Walton as Tim Shields in "Billy Draws a Horse" (1939) with Hayley Bell.

Douglas Walton as Tim Shields in "Billy Draws a Horse" (1939) with Hayley Bell.
.
As said before, the 1940's were not his best film years as he basically reverted back to bit parts and background characters.  But there is a reason behind this!  In 1941 he joined the US Army and trained in Camp Roberts where he was a member of Company D, 76th Infantry Battalion.  He did very well and gained the rank of Private First Class (PFC) in only 4 months since he enlisted (it usually would take at least a year to get to that point, so he was VERY GOOD).  Surprising, he seemed like a heavy smoker in a lot of movies he was in, but then again smoking was the norm and people didn't realize the health effects of it during those times.  Funnily enough, he even compared Army life with Hollywood, saying, "I've been yelled at by Sergeants, but you should have heard a few of my assistant directors!"  He reached the rank of SECOND LIEUTENANT by the end of his military service during World War II.  I watched Douglas Walton in well over 40 movies and he often played young soldiers or other military types throughout his career.  Knowing that he did served in the Army made it all so fitting.  Also looking at his filmography, there was a one year gap where he didn't make any movies (1943).  He was very busy with army life.  Later he was discharged from the Armed Services due to "eye trouble" in June 1943 (Marcos D. Jimenez provided this info).  During that time he was working on "Farewell, My Lovely" which eventually became "Murder, My Sweet" (1944).  But at least on the very special day of August 4, 1942, he became a US Citizen!  Also after his military service, he dabbled into painting and started teaching art.  This is probably why he only appeared for a few seconds in those movies in the 1940's.

Douglas Walton as Leonard Junior  in “The Secret of Madame Blanche ” (1933).

Douglas Walton as British Pilot  in “Cloak and Dagger” (1946).


Speaking of his artistic talents, he became a full-time painter and art teacher in the 1950's.  Retiring completely from movies and acting, he used his real name of John Douglas Duder as a portrait artist, but still used Douglas Walton in some cases because that was what the public recognized him as.  He still lived very close by to Hollywood, having a studio in Brentwood where he taught art to whom many were part of film industry.  In 1958 he moved to New York and befriended Gordon P. Franklin and Gwen Franklin Randolph of the fashion industry.  His art was exhibited in several galleries, including Long Beach Museum of Art and the Laguna Beach Art Gallery in California, Selected Artists Galleries in NYC, in Arizona at Galleries National in Phoenix and the Art Bank in Scottsdale, and many others.  The news coverage of his painted works were in newspapers and art magazines, so his art had achieved some sort of fame.  One of his students, Sarta Leuw, became a local famous artist in Van Nuys, California in 1964 and even MARLON BRANDO himself bought one of her works!  His painting style had an impressionistic and abstract look to them with bold bright colors and rough edges.  Subject matters are often landscapes and architecture.  To see more of his ART, click here!

Artwork by Douglas Duder, titled "Interieur with Lovers" 




Douglas Duder

On November 15, 1961, Douglas Duder died from a heart attack in his New York apartment.  He was cremated on November 18, 1961 in Ferncliff Crematory, Hartsdale, New York and his cremated remains were returned to his wife, Huguette Boudet, on May 24, 1962.  The funeral ceremony probably took place in Frank E. Campbell Mortuary in NYC.  He was only 52.



Additonal Information 

Nationality:  Born Canadian, Raised British
US Citizenship:  August 4, 1942 in San Luis Obispo, California
Hair Color:  Light Brown to Blonde
Eye Color:  Blue
Complexion:  Light
Height:  5' 11½" (1.82 m)
Weight:  145 to 155 lbs
Best Friend:  David Mackenzie (as of 1941)
Hobby:  Photography (as of 1941)
Military Service: 1941 to 1943
Highest Military Rank:  Second Lieutenant
Party Affiliation:  Democrat in 1950, Republican in 1956 through 1960.



Spouses

  • Florence M Barnett (April 20, 1934 - 1940 or before, divorced)
  • Vee W. Roberts (May 1, 1943 - ??? divorced)
  • Huguette Suzanne Marie Philomene Boudet (June 9, 1950 - November 15, 1961) (his death)

More information about Douglas Walton's Marital life here.
Know more about Douglas Walton's Family Lineage here





CITATIONS

Comments

Unknown said…

Thank you for all the new information on Douglas Walton. He was a damn fine actor.

I always wondered what happened to him after 1950, glad he didn't wind up on skid row!

P Crowley
1/28/2022 5:01 PM
Post a Comment