From movie Hail, Caesar!. Josh Brolin's character says it about an actor who's dumb and who can't play in serious drama.
"Hobie Doyle? He's a dust actor! He hardly knows how to talk!"
The official Russian dub translated "dust actor" as "He only plays in westerns" and I'm not sure if it's correct.
Best Answer
The term "dust actor" in 30's Hollywood parlance signified an "action" player, apposite to the "rug actor" whose strength was love scenes. Producer Joel Silver uses both terms here in a W Magazine article from Feb., 2007.
In an article from the June 13, 1987 issue of the Arizona Republic, Arnold Schwarzenegger is quoted as saying: