Porter Hall
Acting
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.
TV Shows(1)
Movies(75)
Return to Treasure Island
Maximillian 'Maxie' Harris
1954
Vice Squad
Jack Hartrampf
1953
Pony Express
Jim Bridger
1953
Holiday for Sinners
Louie
1952
The Half-Breed
Kraemer
1952
Carbine Williams
Sam Markley
1952
Ace in the Hole
Jacob Q. Boot
1951
Intruder in the Dust
Nub Gowrie
1949
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend
Judge O'Toole
1949
Chicken Every Sunday
Sam Howell
1949
That Wonderful Urge
Attorney Ketchell
1948
You Gotta Stay Happy
Mr. Caslon
1948
Unconquered
Leach
1947
Singapore
Mr. Bellows
1947
Miracle on 34th Street
Granville Sawyer
1947
Week-End at the Waldorf
Stevens
1945
Kiss and Tell
Bill Franklin
1945
Murder, He Says
Mr. Johnson
1945
Blood on the Sun
Arthur Bickett
1945
Bring on the Girls
Dr. Efrington
1945
The Mark of the Whistler
Joe Sorsby
1944
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
Jacob Woodson, Justice of the Peace
1944
The Great Moment
President Franklin Pierce
1944
Double Indemnity
Mr. Jackson
1944
Standing Room Only
Hugo Farenhall
1944
Going My Way
Mr. Belknap
1944
The Woman of the Town
Mayor Dog Killey
1943
The Desperadoes
Banker Clanton
1943
A Stranger in Town
Judge Austin Harkley
1943
Butch Minds the Baby
Brandy Smith
1942
The Remarkable Andrew
Chief Clerk Art Slocumb
1942
Mr. and Mrs. North
George Heyler
1942
Sullivan's Travels
Mr. Hadrian
1941
The Parson of Panamint
Jonathan Randall
1941
Arizona
Lazarus Ward
1940
Trail of the Vigilantes
Sheriff Korley
1940
Dark Command
Angus McCloud
1940
His Girl Friday
Murphy
1940
Henry Goes Arizona
Banker Edward G. Walsh (uncredited)
1939
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Senator Monroe
1939
They Shall Have Music
Mr. Flower
1939
Grand Jury Secrets
Anthony Pelton
1939
Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police
Man in Drummond's Dream
1939
Tom Sawyer, Detective
Uncle Silas Phelps
1938
The Arkansas Traveler
Mayor Daniels
1938
King of Alcatraz
Matthew Talbot
1938
Men with Wings
Hiram F. Jenkins
1938
Prison Farm
Chiston R. Bradby
1938
Stolen Heaven
'Von' Offer
1938
Bulldog Drummond's Peril
Dr. Botulian
1938
Dangerous to Know
Mayor Bradley
1938
Scandal Street
James Wilson
1938
Wells Fargo
James Oliver
1937
True Confession
Mr. Hartman
1937
This Way Please
S.J. Crawford
1937
Souls at Sea
Court Prosecutor
1937
Wild Money
Bill Court
1937
Make Way for Tomorrow
Harvey Chase
1937
King of Gamblers
George Kramer
1937
Bulldog Drummond Escapes
Norman Merridew
1937
The General Died at Dawn
Peter Perrie
1936
The Plainsman
Jack McCall
1936
Let's Make a Million
Spencer
1936
Satan Met a Lady
Milton Ames
1936
And Sudden Death
District Attorney
1936
The Princess Comes Across
Darcy
1936
Snowed Under
Arthur Layton
1936
Too Many Parents
Mrs. Saunders
1936
The Story of Louis Pasteur
Dr. Rossignol
1936
The Petrified Forest
Jason Maple
1936
The Case of the Lucky Legs
Col. Bradbury
1935
Murder in the Private Car
Alden Murray
1934
The Thin Man
Herbert MacCaulay
1934
The Cheat
Leslie (uncredited)
1931
Secrets of a Secretary
Drunk
1931