Ralph Byrd (April 22, 1909 – August 18, 1952) was an American actor who became the definitive live-action embodiment of a beloved comic strip hero, forever immortalized as the square-jawed, crime-fighting detective Dick Tracy.
Byrd first brought the famous detective to life in a series of four wildly popular and action-packed movie serials for Republic Pictures, beginning with Dick Tracy in 1937. His tough, no-nonsense portrayal was so popular that he later reprised the role for two feature films at RKO, Dick Tracy’s Dilemma and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome.
He completed his iconic run by starring in the first Dick Tracy television series from 1950 to 1951, cementing his status as the face of the character for a generation. Though he appeared in numerous other films, often as lawmen or gangsters, his career was so completely defined by his signature role that, for millions of fans, Ralph Byrd simply was Dick Tracy.
