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