Alan Dinehart

Born Harold Alan Dinehart on October 3, 1889, in St. Paul, Minnesota, he later had his name legally changed to Mason Alan Dinehart in 1936. An actor, director, writer, and stage manager, Dinehart built a career that spanned vaudeville, Broadway, and Hollywood film before his death from heart disease on July 18, 1944, at the age of 54.

Dinehart's early path toward the priesthood gave way to a pursuit of theater, with his first acting experience taking place at Missoula University in Montana. He subsequently left school to perform with a repertory company and went on to work extensively in vaudeville before transitioning to other areas of entertainment. He appeared in more than twenty Broadway productions over a career on the New York stage that stretched from 1918 to 1940, with credits including Alley Cat, Behind Red Lights, and The Ninth Guest, among others.

His most prominent Broadway achievement was Separate Rooms, which he co-wrote and in which he starred. The production opened on March 23, 1940, at the Maxine Elliott Theatre and ran for 613 performances. In addition to his work as a performer, Dinehart contributed to the production as a book writer, demonstrating his range across multiple theatrical disciplines.

Having had no prior screen experience, Dinehart signed a contract with Fox in May 1931 and went on to appear as a character actor and supporting player in at least eighty-eight films between 1931 and 1944. His likeness was rendered in caricature by Alex Gard for Sardi's, the well-known New York theater district restaurant, and that caricature is now held in the collection of the New York Public Library.

The name change Dinehart undertook in 1936 was motivated in part by family considerations; his wife noted that it would allow their son to be legally named Alan Dinehart III. His second son, Mason Alan Dinehart, later appeared in several television series during the 1950s, including a role as a young Bat Masterson in the ABC/Desilu Studios western The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, which starred Hugh O'Brian in the title role.