Dwight Iliff Frye

 Dwight Iliff Frye (February 22, 1899 – November 7, 1943)

Frye was best known for his neurotic, murderous villains in several classic Universal horror films, such as Renfield in Dracula (1931) and as Fritz in Frankenstein (1931). While he had a few minor roles in silent pictures, with the coming of sound he soon became known for playing villains. Nicknamed "The Man with the Thousand-Watt Stare" and "The Man of a Thousand Deaths", he specialized in the portrayal of mentally unbalanced characters, including his signature role, the madman Renfield in Tod Browning's 1931 version of Dracula. Later that same year, he played the hunchbacked assistant Fritz in Frankenstein. Also in 1931, Frye portrayed Wilmer Cook (the "gunsel") in the first film version of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon. He had a featured role in the horror film The Vampire Bat (1933) in which he played Herman, a half-wit suspected of being a killer. He had memorable roles in The Invisible Man (1933) as a reporter, and in The Crime of Dr. Crespi (1935). In Bride of Frankenstein (1935), he played Karl. He played similar characters in The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943); another appearance in Son of Frankenstein (1939) was deleted prior to release. During the early 1940s, Frye alternated between film roles and appearing on stage in a variety of productions ranging from comedies to musicals, as well as appearing in a stage version of Dracula. During World War II, he made a contribution to the war effort by working nights as a tool designer for Lockheed Aircraft. On November 7, 1943, Frye died of a heart attack while travelling by bus in Hollywood. He was 44 years old. Frye is buried at Forest Lawn-Glendale.