The rise and fall of Karl Dane is nearly unparalleled in the history of film stars. In 1925, a virtual unknown, he shot to the heights of stardom by appearing in King Vidor's classic The Big Parade. Just nine years later, after plummeting to the depths of poverty because of the unsuitability of his voice in sound films, he ended his own life with a gunshot to the head. Sadly, most knowledge of Dane's life is limited to the sensationalistic accounts of his downfall found in Hollywood scandal books. They report, for instance, how he was reduced to operating a hot dog stand right outside the gates of the studio where he received accolades just a few years before. To compound the sadness of his suicide in a shabby LA apartment, no one came forward to claim his body. Until M-G-M stepped forward to give him a proper burial, it looked as if he would be buried in a pauper's grave.

In light of the fact that his death was so shocking, it is no wonder that most of the focus is on Dane's last days. Inevitably, though, one wonders how it came to all this. How could someone who received so much adulation, and made so much money, be reduced to such dire straits so quickly? In researching his life, it becomes obvious that there was much more to Dane than the depressing circumstances of his death. It also becomes apparent that there are many myths and misconceptions that need to be dispelled.

It is my sincere hope that this website, and the biography that I am currently researching on Dane, will help to dispell some of those myths and misconceptions and show the world that Dane managed to achieve so much in his short 47 years. He lived his dream, and made big money, but always remained in spirit the same simple carpenter from Van Nuys. For this reason, he still intrigues us seventy years after his death--and deserves a deeper look.