British-born Henry Travers was a veteran of the English stage before emigrating to the U.S. in 1917. He gained more stage experience there on Broadway working with the Theatre Guild, and began his long film career with Reunion in Vienna (1933). Travers' kindly, grandfatherly demeanor became familiar to filmgoers over the next 25 years, especially in films like High Sierra (1941), where he played Joan Leslie's kindly but slyly observant uncle, and the generous Mr. Bogardus in The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), but it's as the somewhat befuddled angel Clarence Oddbody assigned to James Stewart in the classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946) that Travers will forever be known. After a long and successful career, he retired from the screen in 1949, and died in Hollywood in 1965.

Filmography

• 1949The Accused — Blakely - Romley's Assistant (uncredited)
• 1949The Girl from Jones Beach — Judge Bullfinch
• 1948Beyond Glory — Pop Dewing
• 1947The Flame — Dr. Mitchell
• 1946Gallant Journey — Thomas Logan
• 1946It's a Wonderful Life — Clarence
• 1946The Yearling — Mr. Boyles
• 1945The Bells of St. Mary's — Horace P. Bogardus
• 1945The Naughty Nineties — Capt. Sam Jackson
• 1945Thrill of a Romance — Hobart Glenn
• 1944Dragon Seed — Third Cousin
• 1944None Shall Escape — Father Warecki
• 1944The Very Thought of You — Pop Wheeler
• 1943Madame Curie — Eugene Curie
• 1943Shadow of a Doubt — Joseph Newton
• 1943The Moon Is Down — Mayor Orden
• 1942Mrs. Miniver — Mr. Ballard
• 1942Pierre of the Plains — Percival Wellsby
• 1942Random Harvest — Dr. Sims
• 1941A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob — Abel Martin
• 1941Ball of Fire — Prof. Jerome
• 1941High Sierra — Pa
• 1941I'll Wait for You — Mr. Miller
• 1941The Bad Man — Mr. Hardy
• 1940Anne of Windy Poplars — Matey
• 1940Edison, the Man — Ben Els
• 1940Primrose Path — Gramp
• 1940Wyoming — Sheriff
• 1939Dark Victory — Dr. Parsons
• 1939Dodge City — Dr. Irving
• 1939On Borrowed Time — Dr. Evans
• 1939Remember? — Judge Milliken
• 1939Stanley and Livingstone — John Kingsley
• 1939The Rains Came — Rev. Homer Smiley
• 1939You Can't Get Away with Murder — Pop
• 1938The Sisters — Ned Elliott
• 1936Too Many Parents — Wilkins
• 1935After Office Hours — Cap
• 1935Captain Hurricane — Capt. Ben
• 1935Escapade — Concierge
• 1935Four Hours to Kill! — Mac Mason
• 1935Maybe It's Love — Mr. Halevy
• 1935Pursuit — Tom Reynolds
• 1935Seven Keys to Baldpate — Lem Peters
• 1934Born to Be Bad — Fuzzy
• 1934Death Takes a Holiday — Baron Cesarea
• 1934Ready for Love — Judge Pickett
• 1934The Party's Over — Theodore
• 1933Another Language — Pop Hallam
• 1933My Weakness — Ellery Gregory
• 1933Reunion in Vienna — Father Krug
• 1933The Invisible Man — Dr. Cranley

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 1987James Stewart: A Wonderful Life — Self (archive footage)