An extremely versatile character actor, originator of several memorable characterizations in the horror film genre. Dwight Frye had a notable theatrical career in the 1920's, moving from juvenile parts to leads before entering film. A favorite actor of Broadway theatrical producer-director Brock Pemberton, he originated the part of "the Son" in his hit 1922 production of of Luigi Pirandello's "Six Characters in Search of an Author." Pemberton would continue to frequently cast him in Broadway productions throughout the decade. Cast with Bela Lugosi in a 1926 production of "The Devil and the Cheese," he ultimately appeared in at least two Lugosi films. Despite (or perhaps because of) his memorable, impassioned portrayals of real estate agent-come-madman Renfield in Tod Browning's 1931 film Dracula (1931) and Fritz the sadistic hunchbacked lab assistant in James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) the industry seemed determined to typecast him and his film career would be marked with frustration. The Crime of Dr. Crespi (1935) offered him billing second only to that of villain Erich von Stroheim but too soon he was consigned to playing a lackluster array of lunatics, spies, red herrings, grasping heirs, and bit parts. He occasionally returned to the stage in comedies, musicals, and thrillers such as "Night Must Fall" and a stage version of "Dracula." Frye was perplexed to find his versatility in the theatre went unnoticed in Hollywood, where he was relegated to lunatic roles and often had his parts severely cut. Indeed, in Son of Frankenstein (1939) his role was deemed as unnecessary when an abrupt switch was made from Technicolor to black and white after his scenes were shot.

Frye, a devout Christian Scientist, had concealed a heart condition from his friends and family. After the outbreak of WWII, unable to enlist, he worked nights (between films and local theatre productions) as a draftsman for the Lockheed Aircraft Company. An uncanny physical resemblance to then-Secretary of War Newton D. Baker led to being signed to a substantial role in a film called "Wilson" to be directed by Henry King, based on the life of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, but Frye succumbed to a heart attack on a crowded bus a few days later. He was returning home from a movie with his son. He was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetary in Glandale, California.