Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Categories: 1913 births | 1978 deaths | American actors | LGBT actors | Vaudeville performers | Best Actor Oscar Nominee
Dan Dailey
Daniel James Dailey Jr. (December 14, 1913 - October 16, 1978) was an American actor. Born in New York City, he appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in Babes in Arms. In 1940 he was signed by MGM to make movies and, although his past career had been in musicals, he was initially cast as a Nazi in The Mortal Storm.
The people at MGM realized their mistake immediately, however, and began casting him in a series of musical films. He served in the United States Army during World War II, then returned to more musicals. His performance in When My Baby Smiles at Me in 1948 garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
As the musical genre began to wane in the mid-1950s, he moved on to various comedic and dramatic roles, and television. His sister is Another World actress Irene Dailey.
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