Dayton Lummis

Dayton Lummis was an American actor born on August 8, 1903, in Summit, New Jersey, who worked across theatre, film, and television throughout a career spanning several decades. He died on March 23, 1988, in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 84.

Lummis established his stage career on Broadway between 1944 and 1950, appearing in a range of productions that included As You Like It, Catherine Was Great, Miracle in the Mountains, Edward, My Son, and Antony and Cleopatra, among others.

His film work began in earnest in the early 1950s, during which he accumulated a substantial number of screen credits. Among his most prominent roles was his portrayal of General Douglas MacArthur in the 1955 feature The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell. That same year he appeared in several other productions, including The View from Pompey's Head, Prince of Players, The Prodigal, Sudden Danger, and The Spoilers. His earlier 1950s film appearances included Julius Caesar, in which he played Messala, as well as roles in The Caine Mutiny, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Les Misérables, and How to Marry a Millionaire, the latter three as uncredited players. He also took on the role of Captain Flint in Return to Treasure Island and appeared in The Mississippi Gambler, Man in the Dark, China Venture, and All I Desire, among numerous other titles from that period.

Lummis continued working steadily through the latter half of the 1950s and into the 1960s, with credits including High Society, The First Texan, Showdown at Abilene, The Wrong Man, and Elmer Gantry. He appeared in three episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents across its second and third seasons, playing Tom Ackley in the episode Crack of Doom, Charles Blanchard in Mr. Blanchard's Secret, and Police Sergeant Oliver in Listen, Listen...! He also took roles in large-scale productions such as Spartacus and Compulsion. On television, he portrayed former Major General Lew Wallace, serving as Governor of the Mexico Territory, in the Death Valley Days episode Shadows on the Window, which aired on February 18, 1960. His later film appearances included Jack the Giant Killer, Beauty and the Beast, The Flight That Disappeared, and Moonfire in 1970.