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IMDbPro

Don Porter(1912-1997)

  • Actor
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Don Porter in Also Rans/Portrait of Solange (1981)
Here's Lucy: Meanwhile, Back At The Office
Play trailer2:04
Meanwhile, Back at the Office (1974)
7 Videos
60 Photos
Don Porter was a familiar face on the stage, in films and television in a career that extended from the early 1930s to 1988.

Porter appeared in various films in the 1940s, including many B's like She-Wolf of London and Night Monster. In the 1970s his credits included The Candidate (1972) with Robert Redford and Mame (1974) with Lucille Ball.

He appeared in more than 200 plays during his career. His Broadway credits include The Front Page(1968), Plaza Suite(1967), and Any Wednesday (1963).

TV viewers in the 1950s knew him as Peter Sands, the boss of Ann Sothern's character on Private Secretary, and in the 1960s as Russell Lawrence, the widowed father of 15-year-old Frances "Gidget" Lawrence (Sally Field) in the 1965 ABC sitcom Gidget.

He later guest-starred on episodes of Barnaby Jones; Green Acres; Hawaii Five-O; Love, American Style; The Mod Squad; The Six Million Dollar Man; Switch and Three's Company (on which he played Jack Tripper's uncle).

He served as a combat photographer during World War II and also appeared in training films. He died February 11, 1997. He was 84.
BornSeptember 24, 1912
DiedFebruary 11, 1997(84)
BornSeptember 24, 1912
DiedFebruary 11, 1997(84)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 nomination total

Photos60

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+ 54
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Known for

Night Monster (1942)
Night Monster
6.1
  • Dick Baldwin
  • 1942
June Lockhart, Lloyd Corrigan, Sara Haden, Don Porter, and Jan Wiley in She-Wolf of London (1946)
She-Wolf of London
5.2
  • Barry Lanfield
  • 1946
Brenda Joyce, Patricia Morison, and Don Porter in Danger Woman (1946)
Danger Woman
5.3
  • Prof. Claude Ruppert
  • 1946
The Candidate (1972)
The Candidate
7.0
  • Senator Crocker Jarmon
  • 1972

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor



  • CBS Summer Playhouse (1987)
    CBS Summer Playhouse
    6.5
    TV Series
    • Charles Porter
    • 1988
  • Andy Griffith in Matlock (1986)
    Matlock
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Prof. Erskine Tate
    • 1986
  • Butterflies in Heat (1986)
    Butterflies in Heat
    4.3
    • Commodore Phillips
    • 1986
  • All Together Now
    5.0
    TV Movie
    • Grandpa Ed Parker
    • 1984
  • Anne Baxter, James Brolin, and Connie Sellecca in Hotel (1983)
    Hotel
    6.4
    TV Series
    • Jonathan Corry
    • 1983
  • Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)
    The Love Boat
    6.3
    TV Series
    • George Cowens
    • Slade Summerhill
    • 1978–1983
  • Ricardo Montalban and Hervé Villechaize in Fantasy Island (1977)
    Fantasy Island
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Emmett Latham
    • 1981
  • Interview with Pontius Pilate
    Short
    • Theodore Michael
    • 1980
  • Walt Disney in The Magical World of Disney (1954)
    The Magical World of Disney
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Judge Oliver Haynes
    • 1980
  • The Ghosts of Buxley Hall (1980)
    The Ghosts of Buxley Hall
    5.6
    TV Movie
    • Judge Oliver Haynes
    • 1980
  • Lynda Carter in The Last Song (1980)
    The Last Song
    6.2
    TV Movie
    • Philip Brockhurst
    • 1980
  • Battles: The Murder That Wouldn't Die (1980)
    Battles: The Murder That Wouldn't Die
    5.4
    TV Movie
    • Gen. Rocky Jensen
    • 1980
  • Victoria Principal, Barbara Bel Geddes, Patrick Duffy, Larry Hagman, Charlene Tilton, Jim Davis, Linda Gray, and Steve Kanaly in Dallas (1978)
    Dallas
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Matt Devlin
    • 1980
  • Turnabout (1979)
    Turnabout
    5.8
    TV Mini Series
    • Ed
    • 1979
  • Sword of Justice (1978)
    Sword of Justice
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Judge Addams
    • 1978

Director



  • Sally Field in Gidget (1965)
    Gidget
    6.9
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1966

Videos7

Official Trailer
Trailer 1:20
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:02
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:02
Official Trailer
Live a Little, Love a Little
Trailer 2:09
Live a Little, Love a Little
The Candidate
Trailer 3:05
The Candidate
The Norliss Tapes
Trailer 2:12
The Norliss Tapes
Gidget
Trailer 1:33
Gidget

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Donald Porter
  • Height
    • 5′ 10½″ (1.79 m)
  • Born
    • September 24, 1912
    • Miami, Oklahoma, USA
  • Died
    • February 11, 1997
    • Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA(Cancer)
  • Spouse
    • Peggy ConverseJune 30, 1943 - February 11, 1997 (his death, 1 child)
  • Children
      Don Cecil Porter Jr.
  • Parents
      Hazel Margaret Wills
  • Other works
    He acted in Neil Simon's play, "Plaza Suite," at the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts with Sheila MacRae in the cast.

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He was combat photographer during World War II.
  • Trademark
      Deep baritone voice

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Don Porter die?
    February 11, 1997
  • How did Don Porter die?
    Cancer
  • How old was Don Porter when he died?
    84 years old
  • Where did Don Porter die?
    Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA
  • When was Don Porter born?
    September 24, 1912

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