DENNIS O'KEEFE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Dennis O'Keefe was born on March 29th, 1908 in Fort Madison, Iowa with the birth name Edward Vance Flanagan. His parents were both Irish vaudevillians who worked in the United States. As a young boy, his parents had him join their act and he became interested in pursuing a career as an adult in the entertainment industry.
As O'Keefe grew up he began writing skits for, "Our Gang" comedy shorts and then started working in the film industry as an extra. He used the stage name Bud Flannigan in the 1930's and appeared in numerous films. In total he worked in over 200 films as an extra before getting small parts in larger films.
In 1937 he had a small role in the film, "Saratoga" and from there Clark Gable recommended O'Keefe to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was signed to a contract with MGM and then changed his stage name to Dennis O'Keefe.
As his career progressed, so did the size of roles he was cast in. He worked on the film, "The Bad Man of Brimstone" (1938) and was even cast as the lead in the film, "Burn 'Em Up O'Connor" (1939).
By 1940, O'Keefe decided to leave working with MGM and work as a free lance actor in mostly lower budget films. He mostly worked in light action oriented films and crime dramas. He also got involved in directing and writing mystery stories.
O'Keefe also did some television work such as appearing on NBC's, "Justice" (1954) and "The Ford Show" (1957). Dennis was also the star of his own television show, "The Dennis O'Keefe Show" (1959-1960).
Dennis O'Keefe was married twice throughout his lifetime, first to Louise Stanley for a short time and he then married, Steffi Duna in 1940 and they remained together having one child together, James O'Keefe who is a director and producer. He was a heavy cigarette smoker and sadly, at the age of sixty O'Keefe passed away on August 31st, 1968 in Santa Monica, California from lung cancer.
Filmography
1966 Petticoat Junction
1964 Deadline for Murder
1963 The Red Skelton Hour
1961-1962 Follow the Sun
1961 The Dick Powell Theatre
1961 The Joey Bishop Show
1961 All Hands on Deck
1960 Riverboat
1959-1960 The Dennis O'Keefe Show
1958 Suspicion
1958 Studio 57
1957 El aventurero
1957 Lady of Vengeance
1957 Schlitz Playhouse
1957 Dragoon Wells Massacre
1956 Playhouse 90
1954-1956 Climax!
1951-1956 Lux Video Theatre
1956 Studio One in Hollywood
1956 Kraft Theatre
1956 Screen Directors Playhouse
1956 Inside Detroit
1955 Chicago Syndicate
1955 Las Vegas Shakedown
1955 Producers' Showcase
1954 Angela
1954 Justice
1954 The Diamond Wizard
1954 Drums of Tahiti
1953 Suspense
1953 The Fake
1953 Robert Montgomery Presents
1953 The Lady Wants Mink
1952 Everything I Have Is Yours
1952 The Gulf Playhouse
1952 One Big Affair
1951 Passage West
1951 Follow the Sun
1951 Nash Airflyte Theatre
1951 The Company She Keeps
1950 Woman on the Run
1950 The Eagle and the Hawk
1949 The Great Dan Patch
1949 Abandoned
1949 Cover Up
1949 Siren of Atlantis
1948 Walk a Crooked Mile
1948 Raw Deal
1947 T-Men
1947 Dishonored Lady
1947 Mr. District Attorney
1946 Getting Gertie's Garter
1946 Her Adventurous Night
1945 Doll Face
1945 Brewster's Millions
1945 Earl Carroll Vanities
1945 The Affairs of Susan
1944 Abroad with Two Yanks
1944 Sensations of 1945
1944 The Story of Dr. Wassell
1944 Up in Mabel's Room
1944 The Fighting Seabees
1943 Hi Diddle Diddle
1943 The Leopard Man
1943 Good Morning, Judge
1943 Tahiti Honey
1943 Hangmen Also Die!
1942 Moonlight Masquerade
1942 The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
1941 Weekend for Three
1941 Lady Scarface
1941 Broadway Limited
1941 Mr. District Attorney
1941 Topper Returns
1940 Bowery Boy
1940 You'll Find Out
1940 I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now
1940 Arise, My Love
1940 Girl from Havana
1940 Pop Always Pays
1940 La Conga Nights
1940 Alias the Deacon
1939 That's Right - You're Wrong
1939 Unexpected Father
1939 The Kid from Texas
1939 Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
1938 Vacation from Love
1938 The Chaser
1938 Hold That Kiss
1938 Joy of Living
1938 A Yank at Oxford
1937 The Bad Man of Brimstone
1937 Conquest
1937 Life Begins with Love
1937 Big City
1937 The Firefly
1937 Double or Nothing
1937 Vogues of 1938
1937 Saratoga
1937 Super-Sleuth
1937 Between Two Women
1937 Easy Living
1937 Blazing Barriers
1937 The Great Gambini
1937 Married Before Breakfast
1937 Riding on Air
1937 The Girl from Scotland Yard
1937 Make Way for Tomorrow
1937 Nobody's Baby
1937 A Star Is Born
1937 Top of the Town
1937 Swing High, Swing Low
1937 Parole Racket
1937 History Is Made at Night
1937 When's Your Birthday?
1937 Mama Steps Out
1937 Champagne Waltz
1936 Great Guy
1936 Beloved Enemy
1936 Three Smart Girls
1936 Hats Off
1936 Born to Dance
1936 The Accusing Finger
1936 The Plainsman
1936 Theodora Goes Wild
1936 Legion of Terror
1936 Rose Bowl
1936 Libeled Lady
1936 Sworn Enemy
1936 Swing Time
1936 Piccadilly Jim
1936 Yours for the Asking
1936 Rhythm on the Range
1936 San Francisco
1936 The Return of Sophie Lang
1936 The Last Outlaw
1936 Private Number
1936 Nobody's Fool
1936 Fury
1936 Burning Gold
1936 And So They Were Married
1936 Thirteen Hours by Air
1936 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936 Small Town Girl
1936 Till We Meet Again
1936 The Singing Kid
1936 The Great Ziegfeld
1936 Colleen
1936 Love Before Breakfast
1936 Anything Goes
1936 Strike Me Pink
1935 Broadway Hostess
1935 The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo
1935 Mary Burns, Fugitive
1935 Shipmates Forever
1935 It's in the Air
1935 Personal Maid's Secret
1935 The Girl Friend
1935 Anna Karenina
1935 Top Hat
1935 Here Comes the Band
1935 Every Night at Eight
1935 Dante's Inferno
1935 The Daring Young Man
1935 Doubting Thomas
1935 A Night at the Biltmore Bowl
1935 Let 'em Have It
1935 The Misses Stooge
1935 Baby Face Harrington
1935 Mississippi
1935 Gold Diggers of 1935
1935 The Wedding Night
1935 One New York Night
1935 Devil Dogs of the Air
1935 Rumba
1935 The Gilded Lily
1935 Biography of a Bachelor Girl
1934 365 Nights in Hollywood
1934 Broadway Bill
1934 Imitation of Life
1934 College Rhythm
1934 Kid Millions
1934 Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round
1934 Everything's Ducky (short)
1934 Lady by Choice
1934 Madame Du Barry
1934 A Lost Lady
1934 Young and Beautiful
1934 Death on the Diamond
1934 Desirable
1934 Gift of Gab
1934 The Man with Two Faces
1934 The Girl from Missouri
1934 We're Rich Again
1934 Fog Over Frisco
1934 Smarty
1934 He Was Her Man
1934 Upperworld
1934 Twenty Million Sweethearts
1934 Registered Nurse
1934 Jimmy the Gent
1934 Coming-Out Party
1934 Wonder Bar
1934 All of Me
1934 The Meanest Gal in Town
1933 Lady Killer
1933 The House on 56th Street
1933 Duck Soup
1933 Blood Money
1933 The Prizefighter and the Lady
1933 Broadway Thru a Keyhole
1933 Only Yesterday
1933 Bombshell
1933 I'm No Angel
1933 Too Much Harmony
1933 Torch Singer
1933 Midnight Club
1933 She Had to Say Yes
1933 Ann Carver's Profession
1933 Cocktail Hour
1933 Gold Diggers of 1933
1933 The Eagle and the Hawk
1933 A Bedtime Story
1933 42nd Street
1933 Girl Missing
1933 From Hell to Heaven
1933 Grand Slam
1933 The Woman Accused
1933 Hello, Everybody!
1932 Central Park
1932 Tess of the Storm Country
1932 I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
1932 Night After Night
1932 Hat Check Girl
1932 A Bill of Divorcement
1932 The Cabin in the Cotton
1932 Blonde Venus
1932 Big City Blues
1932 Two Against the World
1932 Crooner
1932 Skyscraper Souls
1932 Hollywood Speaks
1932 The Man from Yesterday
1932 Week Ends Only
1932 Merrily We Go to Hell
1932 Huddle
1932 Scarface
1932 The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood
1932 Devil's Lottery
1932 Love Affair
1931 Under 18
1931 Working Girls
1931 West of Broadway
1931 The Miracle Woman
1931 Cimarron
1930 Reaching for the Moon
1930 The Silver Horde
1930 Check and Double Check
