Porter Hall
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- 18 September 1888 · Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Died
- 6 October 1953
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.
Known for
Acting 75
- 1954Return to Treasure Island as Maximillian 'Maxie' Harris
- 1953Vice Squad as Jack Hartrampf
- 1953Pony Express as Jim Bridger
- 1952Holiday for Sinners as Louie
- 1952The Half-Breed as Kraemer
- 1952Carbine Williams as Sam Markley
- 1951Ace in the Hole as Jacob Q. Boot
- 1949Intruder in the Dust as Nub Gowrie
- 1949The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend as Judge O'Toole
- 1949Chicken Every Sunday as Sam Howell
- 1948That Wonderful Urge as Attorney Ketchell
- 1948You Gotta Stay Happy as Mr. Caslon
- 1947Unconquered as Leach
- 1947Singapore as Mr. Bellows
- 1947Miracle on 34th Street as Granville Sawyer
- 1945Kiss and Tell as Bill Franklin
- 1945Week-End at the Waldorf as Stevens
- 1945Murder, He Says as Mr. Johnson
- 1945Blood on the Sun as Arthur Bickett
- 1945Bring on the Girls as Dr. Efrington
- 1944The Mark of the Whistler as Joe Sorsby
- 1944The Miracle of Morgan's Creek as Jacob Woodson, Justice of the Peace
- 1944The Great Moment as President Franklin Pierce
- 1944Double Indemnity as Mr. Jackson
- 1944Standing Room Only as Hugo Farenhall
- 1944Going My Way as Mr. Belknap
- 1943The Woman of the Town as Mayor Dog Killey
- 1943The Desperadoes as Banker Clanton
- 1943A Stranger in Town as Judge Austin Harkley
- 1942Butch Minds the Baby as Brandy Smith
- 1942The Remarkable Andrew as Chief Clerk Art Slocumb
- 1942Mr. and Mrs. North as George Heyler
- 1941Sullivan's Travels as Mr. Hadrian
- 1941The Parson of Panamint as Jonathan Randall
- 1940Arizona as Lazarus Ward
- 1940Trail of the Vigilantes as Sheriff Korley
- 1940Dark Command as Angus McCloud
- 1940His Girl Friday as Murphy
- 1939Henry Goes Arizona as Banker Edward G. Walsh (uncredited)
- 1939Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as Senator Monroe
- 1939They Shall Have Music as Mr. Flower
- 1939Grand Jury Secrets as Anthony Pelton
- 1939Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police as Man in Drummond's Dream
- 1938Tom Sawyer, Detective as Uncle Silas Phelps
- 1938The Arkansas Traveler as Mayor Daniels
- 1938King of Alcatraz as Matthew Talbot
- 1938Men with Wings as Hiram F. Jenkins
- 1938Prison Farm as Chiston R. Bradby
- 1938Stolen Heaven as 'Von' Offer
- 1938Bulldog Drummond's Peril as Dr. Botulian
- 1938Dangerous to Know as Mayor Bradley
- 1938Scandal Street as James Wilson
- 1937Wells Fargo as James Oliver
- 1937True Confession as Mr. Hartman
- 1937This Way Please as S.J. Crawford
- 1937Souls at Sea as Court Prosecutor
- 1937Wild Money as Bill Court
- 1937Make Way for Tomorrow as Harvey Chase
- 1937King of Gamblers as George Kramer
- 1937Bulldog Drummond Escapes as Norman Merridew
- 1936The General Died at Dawn as Peter Perrie
- 1936The Plainsman as Jack McCall
- 1936Let's Make a Million as Spencer
- 1936Satan Met a Lady as Milton Ames
- 1936And Sudden Death as District Attorney
- 1936The Princess Comes Across as Darcy
- 1936Snowed Under as Arthur Layton
- 1936Too Many Parents as Mrs. Saunders
- 1936The Story of Louis Pasteur as Dr. Rossignol
- 1936The Petrified Forest as Jason Maple
- 1935The Case of the Lucky Legs as Col. Bradbury
- 1934Murder in the Private Car as Alden Murray
- 1934The Thin Man as Herbert MacCaulay
- 1931The Cheat as Leslie (uncredited)
- 1931Secrets of a Secretary as Drunk