Part of his job was to sneak coded messages into his broadcasts for the Allied forces to hear. During World War II, Dudley, who was considered physically unfit for active duty, was a journalist for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). With the help of his well-connected wife, actress Jane Grahame, he found a job as a reporter for the Daily Mail, covering everything from crime and sports to music and society gossip. However, the appeal of the theater began to wane and Dudley changed careers. Changing his name to Ernest Dudley while an actor, he later won roles in plays at the West End and on Broadway. After an unhappy experience with a poorly directed Shakespearean troupe, he found a better group of actors that included the young Rex Harrison. Educated at home as a consequence of his poor health, he decided to take up acting to, according to him, meet women. Born Vivian Ernest Coltman-Allen, he was the son of a physician but was himself a sickly child. Although he had a varied career and wrote books in several genres, Dudley was best remembered for hosting the weekly radio series Armchair Detective and for writing a series of detective tales featuring his character Dr. OBITUARY NOTICE-See index for CA sketch: Born July 23, 1908, in Dudley, Worcestershire, England died February 1, 2006.
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