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IMDbPro

Richard Travis(1913-1989)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
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Richard Travis
Escaped cons stowaway on a flight to the moon and discover alien women ruled by a sadistic queen. Restored and in Color!
Play trailer1:41
Missile to the Moon (1958)
6 Videos
43 Photos
Richard Travis was born William Benton Justice in Carlsbad, New Mexico on April 17, 1913. He started off unbilled in daredevil cliffhangers and proceeded to war-era Warner Bros. features. He changed his stage moniker from "William Justice" to "William Travis" before finally settling on "Richard (or Dick) Travis" for the remainder of his career.

Lacking somewhat lacking the requisite star-power attraction, the tall (6'2"), lanky blond made his biggest impression early in the game with the all-star The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942). As "Bert Jefferson", he played the love interest to Bette Davis's "Maggie Cutler" character in the screwball comedy classic. While he did earn a few prime Warner roles in its aftermath, such as third-billing in The Big Shot (1942), with Humphrey Bogart, a lead in Escape from Crime (1942) and a featured part in the stalwart war picture Mission to Moscow (1943) starring Walter Huston, Richard was eventually relegated to headlining such "Poverty Row" programmers as The Postman Didn't Ring (1942), Busses Roar (1942), Spy Train (1943), Truck Busters (1943) and The Last Ride (1944).

In the post-war years, he maintained in films with such dubious titles as Jewels of Brandenburg (1947), Alaska Patrol (1949) and Sky Liner (1949), among his lead offerings. He did, however, play an unbilled role as Lou Gehrig in the The Babe Ruth Story (1948), starring William Bendix.

In the 1950s, Richard appeared in several films but also found steady work in rugged TV westerns. He was the rugged star of the modern western detective TV series, Code 3 (1957), which ran for one season. He also appeared on Cowboy G-Men (1952), Fury (1955), The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955), The Texan (1958) and The Legend of Jesse James (1965), one of his last TV roles.

Richard eventually retired and reverted to his original name of "William Justice." Thereafter, he found a lucrative career as a real estate entrepreneur in Southern California. Richard died at his Pacific Palisades home in 1989 at age 76.
BornApril 17, 1913
DiedJuly 11, 1989(76)
BornApril 17, 1913
DiedJuly 11, 1989(76)
IMDbProStarmeter
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Photos43

Richard Travis in The Last Ride (1944)
Charles Lang, Eleanor Parker, and Richard Travis in The Last Ride (1944)
Cy Kendall, Charles Lang, and Richard Travis in The Last Ride (1944)
Wade Boteler, Cy Kendall, and Richard Travis in The Last Ride (1944)
Kem Dibbs, Hugh O'Brian, and Richard Travis in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955)
Richard Travis in The Lone Ranger (1949)
Pamela Blake, Rochelle Hudson, and Richard Travis in Sky Liner (1949)
Richard Travis in Sky Liner (1949)
Hugh Beaumont and Richard Travis in Roaring City (1951)
Ann Gillis, Phillip Reed, and Richard Travis in Big Town After Dark (1947)
Catherine Craig, Dick Rush, Fred 'Snowflake' Toones, Richard Travis, and Thelma White in Spy Train (1943)
Cathy Downs and Richard Travis in Missile to the Moon (1958)

Known for

Bette Davis, Jimmy Durante, Ann Sheridan, and Monty Woolley in The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
The Man Who Came to Dinner
7.5
  • Bert Jefferson
  • 1942
Micheline Cheirel and Richard Travis in Jewels of Brandenburg (1947)
Jewels of Brandenburg
5.6
  • Johnny Vickers
  • 1947
Missile to the Moon (1958)
Missile to the Moon
4.0
  • Steve Dayton
  • 1958
Alaska Patrol (1949)
Alaska Patrol
6.3
  • Tom Norman
  • Rattick
  • 1949

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Cyborg 2087 (1966)
    Cyborg 2087
  • Jon Provost, Tommy Rettig, Lassie the Dog, and Lassie in Lassie (1954)
    Lassie
  • The Legend of Jesse James (1965)
    The Legend of Jesse James
  • Thriller (1960)
    Thriller
  • Grand Jury (1959)
    Grand Jury
  • Rory Calhoun in The Texan (1958)
    The Texan
  • Men Into Space (1959)
    Men Into Space
  • Frank McHugh and Marvin Miller in The Millionaire (1955)
    The Millionaire
  • George Montgomery in Cimarron City (1958)
    Cimarron City
  • Missile to the Moon (1958)
    Missile to the Moon
  • Rex Allen in Frontier Doctor (1956)
    Frontier Doctor
  • Tales of Wells Fargo (1957)
    Tales of Wells Fargo
  • Official Detective (1957)
    Official Detective
  • Code 3 (1957)
    Code 3
  • Panic! (1957)
    Panic!

Soundtrack

  • Songs of the Range
    • (uncredited)

Videos6

Trailer
Trailer 2:36
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:41
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:57
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:05
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:18
Official Trailer
The Man Who Came To Dinner
Trailer 3:15
The Man Who Came To Dinner

Personal details

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    • April 17, 1913
    • Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA
    • July 11, 1989
    • Pacific Palisades, California, USA(undisclosed)
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Although a tall, athletic type with good looks, he never achieved any measurable success as an actor, his career consisting mainly of roles in "B" (or lower) westerns and action thrillers. However, after he left the movie business he had an extremely successful career in the Southern California real-estate market.

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