Which actor played Jeff Bailey in Out of the Past?

Robert Mitchum played Jeff Bailey in the 1947 film noir Out of the Past.

Jeff Bailey is a former private investigator trying to escape his criminal past by running a small-town gas station. His old employer, Whit Sterling, pulls him back into danger, forcing him to confront the betrayal and violence connected to Kathie Moffat, the film’s classic femme fatale.

Directed by Jacques Tourneur, Out of the Past is celebrated for its fatalistic plot, shadowy cinematography, and morally compromised characters. Mitchum’s restrained performance helped establish the brooding, world-weary screen persona that became central to his career.

The film was adapted from Daniel Mainwaring’s novel Build My Gallows High, published under the pseudonym Geoffrey Homes. It was later remade as Against All Odds in 1984, with Jeff Bridges taking the role corresponding to Mitchum’s Jeff Bailey. Dana Andrews, Alan Ladd, and Burt Lancaster were not the actor in the original film.