Porter Hall

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 typically played villains or comedic incompetent characters.

Early years
Hall was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father, W.A. Hall, headed a cooperage business that ended because of prohibition in the United States. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, Hall worked for the Fleischmann Company while also directing and acting in little theater productions in Cleveland.

Career
Hall's Broadway credits included The Great Gatsby (1926), Naked (1926), Loud Speaker (1927), Night Hostess (1928), It's a Wise Child (1929), Collision (1932), The Warrior's Husband (1932), The Dark Tower (1933), The Red Cat (1934).

Hall made his film debut in the 1931 drama Secrets of a Secretary. His last onscreen appearance was in the 1954 film Return to Treasure Island, which was released after his death. Hall is best remembered for five 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; a train passenger who encounters a man (Fred MacMurray) who has just committed a murder in Double Indemnity; and the title character's lawyer (Herbert MacCaulay) in The Thin Man.

Accolades
Hall appeared in a number of critically acclaimed films, now regarded as classics, and has worked with many high-profile directors including W.S. Van Dyke, William Dieterle, Lewis Milestone, Cecil B. DeMille, Leo McCarey, Henry Hathaway, Frank Lloyd, William A. Wellman, Frank Capra, Howard Hawks, Raoul Walsh, Preston Sturges, Charles Vidor, Billy Wilder, Clarence Brown, William Castle, George Seaton and Richard Thorpe.

He appeared in three films listed on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies, a list of the 100 greatest films in American cinema; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Sullivan's Travels (1941) and Double Indemnity (1944).

Hall also appeared in six films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, including The Thin Man (1934), The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Double Indemnity (1944), Going My Way (the 1944 winner) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947).

He also appeared in ten films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant"; The Thin Man (1934), Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), His Girl Friday (1940), Sullivan's Travels (1941), The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), Double Indemnity (1944), Going My Way (1944), Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and Ace in the Hole (1951).

Personal life
Hall married actress Geraldine Brown in 1927 He served as a deacon at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood for many years.

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.

In popular culture
Director Russ Meyer named one of the characters in the 1970 cult film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls after Hall.