| Alan Dinehart | |
| Birth Name: | Harold Alan Dinehart |
| Birth Date: | 3 October 1889 |
| Birth Place: | St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting Place: | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
| Other Names: | Allan Dinehart Mason Alan Dinehart |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1931–1944 |
| Spouse: | |
| Children: | 3, including Mason Alan Dinehart |
Mason Alan Dinehart Sr. (born Harold Alan Dinehart; October 3, 1889 - July 18, 1944) was an American actor, director, writer, and stage manager.
Dinehart initially studied to be a priest, but he turned to the theater instead. His first acting experience came at Missoula University in Montana. He was active in Vaudeville before moving into other areas of entertainment.[1]
He left school to appear on stage with a repertory company and had no screen experience when he signed a contract with Fox in May 1931. He became a character actor and supporting player in at least eighty-eight films between 1931 and 1944. Earlier, he appeared in more than twenty Broadway plays.
Dinehart co-wrote and starred in the Broadway play Separate Rooms, which opened on March 23, 1940 at the Maxine Elliott Theatre and ran for 613 performances.[2]
Dinehart's likeness was drawn in caricature by Alex Gard for Sardi's, the New York City theater district restaurant. The picture is now part of the collection of the New York Public Library.[3]
Dinehart's second son, Mason Alan Dinehart, was cast in several 1950s television series, including the role of a young Bat Masterson in the ABC/Desilu Studios western, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, starring Hugh O'Brian in the title role.
In 1936, Dinehart had his name legally changed to Mason Alan Dinehart. He had been baptized Harold Alan Dinehart, but his wife explained that the change would permit their son to be legally named Alan Dinehart III.[4]
Dinehart died of heart disease on July 18, 1944. He was 54 years old.[5]