Fred Duprez made recordings in New York between 1908 and about 1915.br br Later he worked mostly in London.br br "Desperate Desmond" was recorded for Columbia in 1912 and recorded again for Edison in 1915. br br Fred Duprez was born on September 6, 1884, in Detroit, Michigan.br br He died on October 27, 1938, from a heart attack on board a ship going to England. br br Fred was steaming back to England in late 1938 on the U.S.S. Herbert Hoover to look at rushes of his performance in the 1939 British film version of The Four Feathers--on the ship he suffered a fatal heart attack.br br He worked in vaudeville and made recordings. br br He also appeared in some films and worked in radio. br br He was not a big star and is mostly forgotten today. br br He liked to smoke cigars while performing.br br He was the father of the actress June Duprez.br br He performed “Dutch” (German) and “Hebrew” characters--not the type of material that appeals to listeners today.br br Duprez also wrote a popular stage comedy titled The Wife’s Family, which was filmed five times (1931, 1932, 1933, 1941 and 1956). The plot is about husband wanting to surprise his wife with the purchase of a piano; she overhears and mistakenly thinks he’s talking about an illegitimate child.