Tom Keene, born George Duryea on December 30, 1896, in Rochester, New York, was a darkly handsome cowboy actor who began his career in the late 1920s after studying at Columbia and Carnegie Tech. He made an impact in the silent films The Godless Girl, Marked Money, and Tide of Empire, and continued to lead and second-lead in early talkies such as Honky Tonk and The Dude Wrangler.
In 1930, Keene found a niche as a cowboy hero of RKO "Poverty Row" westerns, adopting the marquee name "Tom Keene." He starred in numerous westerns, including Pardon My Gun, Sundown Trail, Renegades of the West, The Saddle Buster, and Son of the Border, often playing heroes with different names and appearances.
Keene's characters were not typically two-fisted men, and he remained a second-string western star throughout his career. He appeared alongside other western stars, such as Randolph Scott and Buster Crabbe, and went on to star in more "Poverty Row" western vehicles for Crescent Pictures Corporation and Monogram Pictures.
In the 1940s, Keene changed his marquee name to "Richard Powers" and pursued lesser roles in non-westerns and stage work. However, he struggled to break free from the rugged stereotype, and his film career declined. He appeared in films such as Up in Arms, The Great Alaskan Mystery, and Lights of Old Santa Fe, as well as serials and TV shows.
Keene retired in 1958 and went on to work in real estate and insurance. He died of cancer on August 4, 1963, leaving behind his second wife, Florence Ramsey, and a stepson.
