Porter Hall
Acting
Born September 18, 1888, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Clifford 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. Hall was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and 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 four roles: a senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, an atheist in Going My Way, the nervous, ill-tempered Granville Sawyer, who administers a psychological test to Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street, and 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.
Filmography
- 1954Return to Treasure Island — Maximillian 'Maxie' Harris
- 1953Pony Express — Jim Bridger
- 1953Vice Squad — Jack Hartrampf
- 1952Carbine Williams — Sam Markley
- Four Star Playhouse — J. R. Martin
- 1952Holiday for Sinners — Louie
- 1952The Half-Breed — Kraemer
- 1951Ace in the Hole — Jacob Q. Boot
- 1949Chicken Every Sunday — Sam Howell
- 1949Intruder in the Dust — Nub Gowrie
- 1949The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend — Judge O'Toole
- 1948That Wonderful Urge — Attorney Ketchell
- 1948You Gotta Stay Happy — Mr. Caslon
- 1947Miracle on 34th Street — Granville Sawyer
- 1947Singapore — Mr. Bellows
- 1947Unconquered — Leach
- 1945Blood on the Sun — Arthur Bickett
- 1945Bring on the Girls — Dr. Efrington
- 1945Kiss and Tell — Bill Franklin
- 1945Murder, He Says — Mr. Johnson
- 1945Week-End at the Waldorf — Stevens
- 1944Double Indemnity — Mr. Jackson
- 1944Going My Way — Mr. Belknap
- 1944Standing Room Only — Hugo Farenhall
- 1944The Great Moment — President Franklin Pierce
- 1944The Mark of the Whistler — Joe Sorsby
- 1944The Miracle of Morgan's Creek — Jacob Woodson, Justice of the Peace
- 1943A Stranger in Town — Judge Austin Harkley
- 1943The Desperadoes — Banker Clanton
- 1943The Woman of the Town — Mayor Dog Killey
- 1942Butch Minds the Baby — Brandy Smith
- 1942Mr. and Mrs. North — George Heyler
- 1942The Remarkable Andrew — Chief Clerk Art Slocumb
- 1941Sullivan's Travels — Mr. Hadrian
- 1941The Parson of Panamint — Jonathan Randall
- 1940Arizona — Lazarus Ward
- 1940Dark Command — Angus McCloud
- 1940His Girl Friday — Murphy
- 1940Trail of the Vigilantes — Sheriff Korley
- 1939Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police — Man in Drummond's Dream
- 1939Grand Jury Secrets — Anthony Pelton
- 1939Henry Goes Arizona — Banker Edward G. Walsh (uncredited)
- 1939Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — Senator Monroe
- 1939They Shall Have Music — Mr. Flower
- 1938Bulldog Drummond's Peril — Dr. Botulian
- 1938Dangerous to Know — Mayor Bradley
- 1938King of Alcatraz — Matthew Talbot
- 1938Men with Wings — Hiram F. Jenkins
- 1938Prison Farm — Chiston R. Bradby
- 1938Scandal Street — James Wilson
- 1938Stolen Heaven — 'Von' Offer
- 1938The Arkansas Traveler — Mayor Daniels
- 1938Tom Sawyer, Detective — Uncle Silas Phelps
- 1937Bulldog Drummond Escapes — Norman Merridew
- 1937King of Gamblers — George Kramer
- 1937Make Way for Tomorrow — Harvey Chase
- 1937Souls at Sea — Court Prosecutor
- 1937This Way Please — S.J. Crawford
- 1937True Confession — Mr. Hartman
- 1937Wells Fargo — James Oliver
- 1937Wild Money — Bill Court
- 1936And Sudden Death — District Attorney
- 1936Let's Make a Million — Spencer
- 1936Satan Met a Lady — Milton Ames
- 1936Snowed Under — Arthur Layton
- 1936The General Died at Dawn — Peter Perrie
- 1936The Petrified Forest — Jason Maple
- 1936The Plainsman — Jack McCall
- 1936The Princess Comes Across — Darcy
- 1936The Story of Louis Pasteur — Dr. Rossignol
- 1936Too Many Parents — Mrs. Saunders
- 1935The Case of the Lucky Legs — Col. Bradbury
- 1934Murder in the Private Car — Alden Murray
- 1934The Thin Man — Herbert MacCaulay
- 1931Secrets of a Secretary — Drunk
- 1931The Cheat — Leslie (uncredited)