While mostly used as an assistant or second unit director, he had the opportunity to direct a few silent films.
Dugan's career was cut short when he died in 1937 due to heart disease.
Born on May 19, 1898, in Los Angeles, California, Dugan would enter the film industry at the age of 23, assisting the prolific director/actor Jerome Storm on the 1921 silent film, Her Social Value.
[1] In 1935, although he had worked with her on several films, Dugan would remove himself as assistant director on Mae West's film, Klondike Annie, citing differences with the actress.
[2] In the midst a career in which he was continuously working, Dugan would die on August 5, 1937, from heart disease, mere months after the release of the final film he worked on, A Family Affair.