[citation needed] Dudley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and was educated at Lake Forest College in Evanston, Illinois and Chicago, where he majored in oral surgery.

Dudley often played characters with a quick temper, including jurors, shopkeepers, ticket agents, court clerks and justices of the peace, as well as an occasional farmer, hobo, or laborer.

[2] His most distinctive and memorable role for Sturges was the Wienie King in 1942's The Palm Beach Story, the rich man with a big hat who spontaneously bankrolls Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea on their escapade.

The 5' 9" Dudley, who was the founder of the Troupers Club of Hollywood, was married to Elaine Anderson, and they had two girls, Jewell and Patricia Lee.

He made his final film As Young as You Feel in 1951 and died on September 15, 1955, in San Clemente, California.