Porter Hall
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- September 18, 1888
- Died
- October 6, 1953
- Birthplace
- 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
Return to Treasure Island 1954
as Maximillian 'Maxie' Harris
Vice Squad 1953
as Jack Hartrampf
Pony Express 1953
as Jim Bridger
Holiday for Sinners 1952
as Louie
The Half-Breed 1952
as Kraemer
Carbine Williams 1952
as Sam Markley
Ace in the Hole 1951
as Jacob Q. Boot
Intruder in the Dust 1949
as Nub Gowrie
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend 1949
as Judge O'Toole
Chicken Every Sunday 1949
as Sam Howell
That Wonderful Urge 1948
as Attorney Ketchell
You Gotta Stay Happy 1948
as Mr. Caslon
Unconquered 1947
as Leach
Singapore 1947
as Mr. Bellows
Miracle on 34th Street 1947
as Granville Sawyer
Kiss and Tell 1945
as Bill Franklin
Week-End at the Waldorf 1945
as Stevens
Murder, He Says 1945
as Mr. Johnson
Blood on the Sun 1945
as Arthur Bickett
Bring on the Girls 1945
as Dr. Efrington
The Mark of the Whistler 1944
as Joe Sorsby
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek 1944
as Jacob Woodson, Justice of the Peace
The Great Moment 1944
as President Franklin Pierce
Double Indemnity 1944
as Mr. Jackson
Standing Room Only 1944
as Hugo Farenhall
Going My Way 1944
as Mr. Belknap
The Woman of the Town 1943
as Mayor Dog Killey
The Desperadoes 1943
as Banker Clanton
A Stranger in Town 1943
as Judge Austin Harkley
Butch Minds the Baby 1942
as Brandy Smith
The Remarkable Andrew 1942
as Chief Clerk Art Slocumb
Mr. and Mrs. North 1942
as George Heyler
Sullivan's Travels 1941
as Mr. Hadrian
The Parson of Panamint 1941
as Jonathan Randall
Arizona 1940
as Lazarus Ward
Trail of the Vigilantes 1940
as Sheriff Korley
Dark Command 1940
as Angus McCloud
His Girl Friday 1940
as Murphy
Henry Goes Arizona 1939
as Banker Edward G. Walsh (uncredited)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939
as Senator Monroe
They Shall Have Music 1939
as Mr. Flower
Grand Jury Secrets 1939
as Anthony Pelton
Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police 1939
as Man in Drummond's Dream
Tom Sawyer, Detective 1938
as Uncle Silas Phelps
The Arkansas Traveler 1938
as Mayor Daniels
King of Alcatraz 1938
as Matthew Talbot
Men with Wings 1938
as Hiram F. Jenkins
Prison Farm 1938
as Chiston R. Bradby
Stolen Heaven 1938
as 'Von' Offer
Bulldog Drummond's Peril 1938
as Dr. Botulian
Dangerous to Know 1938
as Mayor Bradley
Scandal Street 1938
as James Wilson
Wells Fargo 1937
as James Oliver
True Confession 1937
as Mr. Hartman
This Way Please 1937
as S.J. Crawford
Souls at Sea 1937
as Court Prosecutor
Wild Money 1937
as Bill Court
Make Way for Tomorrow 1937
as Harvey Chase
King of Gamblers 1937
as George Kramer
Bulldog Drummond Escapes 1937
as Norman Merridew
The General Died at Dawn 1936
as Peter Perrie
The Plainsman 1936
as Jack McCall
Let's Make a Million 1936
as Spencer
Satan Met a Lady 1936
as Milton Ames
And Sudden Death 1936
as District Attorney
The Princess Comes Across 1936
as Darcy
Snowed Under 1936
as Arthur Layton
- Too Many Parents
Too Many Parents 1936
as Mrs. Saunders
The Story of Louis Pasteur 1936
as Dr. Rossignol
The Petrified Forest 1936
as Jason Maple
The Case of the Lucky Legs 1935
as Col. Bradbury
Murder in the Private Car 1934
as Alden Murray
The Thin Man 1934
as Herbert MacCaulay
The Cheat 1931
as Leslie (uncredited)
Secrets of a Secretary 1931
as Drunk
Credits from TMDB.