Acting
Porter Hall
EN cinema · 75 credits
Born
18 September 1888
Died
6 October 1953 (aged 65)
Birthplace
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Also known as Clifford Porter Hall · Porter Hall · 波特·霍尔
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
Return to Treasure Island
as Maximillian 'Maxie' Harris
Vice Squad
as Jack Hartrampf
Pony Express
as Jim Bridger
Holiday for Sinners
as Louie
The Half-Breed
as Kraemer
Carbine Williams
as Sam Markley
Ace in the Hole
as Jacob Q. Boot
Intruder in the Dust
as Nub Gowrie
Chicken Every Sunday
as Sam Howell
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend
as Judge O'Toole
That Wonderful Urge
as Attorney Ketchell
You Gotta Stay Happy
as Mr. Caslon
Miracle on 34th Street
as Granville Sawyer
Unconquered
as Leach
Singapore
as Mr. Bellows
Blood on the Sun
as Arthur Bickett
Week-End at the Waldorf
as Stevens
Murder, He Says
as Mr. Johnson
Kiss and Tell
as Bill Franklin
Bring on the Girls
as Dr. Efrington
Double Indemnity
as Mr. Jackson
The Great Moment
as President Franklin Pierce
The Mark of the Whistler
as Joe Sorsby
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
as Jacob Woodson, Justice of the Peace
Going My Way
as Mr. Belknap
Standing Room Only
as Hugo Farenhall
A Stranger in Town
as Judge Austin Harkley
The Desperadoes
as Banker Clanton
The Woman of the Town
as Mayor Dog Killey
Butch Minds the Baby
as Brandy Smith
The Remarkable Andrew
as Chief Clerk Art Slocumb
Mr. and Mrs. North
as George Heyler
Sullivan's Travels
as Mr. Hadrian
The Parson of Panamint
as Jonathan Randall
His Girl Friday
as Murphy
Dark Command
as Angus McCloud
Arizona
as Lazarus Ward
Trail of the Vigilantes
as Sheriff Korley
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
as Senator Monroe
They Shall Have Music
as Mr. Flower
Henry Goes Arizona
as Banker Edward G. Walsh (uncredited)
Grand Jury Secrets
as Anthony Pelton
Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police
as Man in Drummond's Dream
Bulldog Drummond's Peril
as Dr. Botulian
Stolen Heaven
as 'Von' Offer
The Arkansas Traveler
as Mayor Daniels
Men with Wings
as Hiram F. Jenkins
Tom Sawyer, Detective
as Uncle Silas Phelps
Dangerous to Know
as Mayor Bradley
Prison Farm
as Chiston R. Bradby
Scandal Street
as James Wilson
King of Alcatraz
as Matthew Talbot
Make Way for Tomorrow
as Harvey Chase
Bulldog Drummond Escapes
as Norman Merridew
This Way Please
as S.J. Crawford
Wells Fargo
as James Oliver
True Confession
as Mr. Hartman
Souls at Sea
as Court Prosecutor
Wild Money
as Bill Court
King of Gamblers
as George Kramer
Satan Met a Lady
as Milton Ames
The Petrified Forest
as Jason Maple
The Story of Louis Pasteur
as Dr. Rossignol
The General Died at Dawn
as Peter Perrie
Too Many Parents
1936
Too Many Parents
as Mrs. Saunders
Snowed Under
as Arthur Layton
The Plainsman
as Jack McCall
And Sudden Death
as District Attorney
Let's Make a Million
as Spencer
The Case of the Lucky Legs
as Col. Bradbury
The Thin Man
as Herbert MacCaulay
Murder in the Private Car
as Alden Murray
The Cheat
as Leslie (uncredited)