Porter Hall
| Porter Hall | |
|---|---|
 Hall in 1930. | |
| Born |
Clifford Porter Hall September 19, 1888 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died |
October 6, 1953 (aged 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1926–1953 |
| Spouse(s) | Geraldine Hall (1927-1953) 2 children |
Porter Hall (September 19, 1888 – October 6, 1953) was an American character actor known for appearing in a number of films in the 1930s and 1940s. Hall played movie villains or comedic incompetent characters.
Career
Born Clifford Porter Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, he began his career touring as a stage actor with roles in productions of The Great Gatsby and Naked in 1926. Hall made his film debut in the 1931 drama Secrets of a Secretary. He made his last onscreen appearance in the 1954 film Return to Treasure Island, which was released after his death.
He was probably best remembered for three roles: a senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, an atheist in Going My Way, and the nervous, ill-tempered Granville Sawyer, who administers psychological tests to Macy's employees (including Kris Kringle), in Miracle on 34th Street.
Hall also memorably played Mr. Jackson from Medford, Oregon, a train passenger who encounters a man (Fred MacMurray) who has just committed a murder in Double Indemnity.
On October 6, 1953, Hall died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California at the age of 65. His interment was at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery. Hall had two children, David and Sarah Jane.
In popular culture
Director Russ Meyer named one of the characters in the 1970 cult film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls after Hall.
Partial filmography
Films
- The Cheat (1931) (uncredited)
- The Thin Man (1934)
- Murder in the Private Car (1934)
- The Story of Louis Pasteur (1935)
- The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)
- Snowed Under (1936)
- The Princess Comes Across (1936)
- Satan Met a Lady (1936)
- The Petrified Forest (1936)
- The Plainsman (1936)
- The General Died at Dawn (1936)
- This Way Please (1937)
- King of Gamblers (1937)
- Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
- Souls at Sea (1937)
- Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937)
- True Confession (1937)
- Dangerous to Know (1938)
- Men with Wings (1938)
- King of Alcatraz (1938)
- Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938)
- Grand Jury Secrets (1939)
- They Shall Have Music (1939)
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
- Henry Goes Arizona (1939)
- Arizona (1940)
- Dark Command (1940)
- His Girl Friday (1940)
- The Parson of Panamint (1941)
- Sullivan's Travels (1941)
- The Remarkable Andrew (1942)
- Butch Minds the Baby (1942)
- Mr. and Mrs. North (1942)
- A Stranger in Town (1943)
- The Woman of the Town (1943)
- Going My Way (1944)
- Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
- Double Indemnity (1944)
- The Great Moment (1944)
- The Mark of the Whistler (1944)
- Blood on the Sun (1945)
- Murder, He Says (1945)
- Week-End at the Waldorf (1945)
- Kiss and Tell (1945)
- Singapore (1947)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
- Unconquered (1947)
- You Gotta Stay Happy (1948)
- That Wonderful Urge (1948)
- The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949)
- Intruder in the Dust (1949)
- Ace in the Hole (1951)
- Carbine Williams (1952)
- Holiday for Sinners (1952)
- Pony Express (1953)
- Vice Squad (1953)
- Return to Treasure Island (1954)
Television
- The Bigelow Theatre (1950) 1 episode
- The Bigelow Theatre (1952) 1 episode
- Fireside Theatre (1954) 1 episode as Mr. Aiken
External links
- Porter Hall at the Internet Broadway Database
- Porter Hall at the Internet Movie Database
- Porter Hall at the TCM Movie Database
- Porter Hall at Find a Grave