Dick Powell

“I wanted to prove I could be an actor, and that's what I did.”

“I'd rather be a first-rate director than a second-rate actor.”

“The most important thing for an actor is to know his limitations.”

“Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.”

“I was never a great actor, but I was a good actor.”

“Playing Philip Marlowe was the best thing that ever happened to my career.”

“I always felt I was a singer who acted, not an actor who sang.”

“I never took myself too seriously. You can't in this business.”

“Directing is about making a thousand decisions a day.”

“The studio system had its flaws, but it also made a lot of us.”

“I made the transition from musicals to noir because I had to. My voice wasn't what it used to be.”

“You have to be a little crazy to be an actor.”

“Musicals are a part of our history, and I'm proud to have been a part of that.”

“A producer's job is to get the money and stay out of the way.”

“Being a star is temporary; being an actor is a profession.”

“I enjoyed the challenge of playing tougher characters. It was a departure from the boy-next-door.”

“The toughest audience is yourself.”