Person Details

Birthday: 1912-09-24 21:08:45

Death: 1997-02-11 21:08:45

Aliases: Donald Porter

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Miami, Oklahoma, USA

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 32

TV Involvements: 9


Most Famous Work

Biography

Donald "Don" Porter was an American actor who appeared in a number of films in the 1940s, including Top Sergeant and Eagle Squadron. On television, he portrayed the widowed father of 15-year-old Frances "Gidget" Lawrence (Sally Field) in the 1965 ABC sitcom Gidget. Besides his work in film and television, Porter was active on stage, as he acted in more than 200 plays, including The Front Page, Plaza Suite, and Any Wednesday. He appeared in various films in the 1940s before landing the role of Peter Sands, the boss of Susan Camille MacNamara (Ann Sothern), on the 1950s sitcom Private Secretary. A retooled version of the series appeared later, titled The Ann Sothern Show. It featured many of the same actors, including Porter as hotel manager James Devery in the venue of a fashionable New York City hotel. He later guest starred on episodes of Green Acres, Love, American Style, The Mod Squad, Barnaby Jones, The Six Million Dollar Man, Hawaii Five-O, Three's Company (on which he played Jack Tripper's uncle), and Switch.

Most Famous Work

Dallas
Average
7

Dallas

(1978) Matt Devlin
Hawaii Five-O
Average
7

Hawaii Five-O

(1968) Alex Kelsey
The Six Million Dollar Man
Average
7

The Six Million Dollar Man

(1974) Dr. Stanley Bacon
Barnaby Jones
Average
7

Barnaby Jones

(1973) Jeremy Markham
The F.B.I.
Average
5

The F.B.I.

(1965) Mason Hammond
Switch
Average
7

Switch

(1975) Salvensen
White Line Fever
Average
6

White Line Fever

(1975) Cutler
Tropic of Desire
Average
8

Tropic of Desire

(1979) Commodore Phillips

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
1986 N/A
1982 N/A
1980 Judge Oliver Haynes
Philip Brockhurst
Gen. Rocky Jensen
1979 Commodore Phillips
1978 N/A
N/A
Matt Devlin
Craig
1977 Caufield
Slade Summerhill
N/A
1976 N/A
N/A
1975 N/A
Paul Lorimer
Salvensen
Barney
Cutler
Mr. Pace
George Robinson
N/A
1974 Ed 'Mad Dog' Murphy
Henry Balin
Mr. Upson
Rudy King
Dr. Stanley Bacon
1973 Mr. Latham
Sanford T. Evans
Jeremy Markham
1972 N/A
Senator Crocker Jarmon
1968 Mike Lansdown
N/A
N/A
Jonathan Cavel
Alex Kelsey
1967 N/A
1965 Mason Hammond
N/A
Professor Russell Lawrence
1964 Ferdie Lax
1963 Russell Lawrence
Battersea, The Housekeeper
1961 Thomas W. Jynson
1958 James Devery
1957 Don the Elevator Operator (uncredited)
1956 Lawrence Nolan
1953 N/A
1952 Captain Burton Nordell Loring
Running Dog
Joe Silbray
Denver Jones
1951 R. G. Connolly
1950 Myron Brynk
Larry Mason
Mr. Brent
1947 Capt. Christie
1946 Dr. Dave Morrow
Professor Claude Ruppert
Roberts
Barry Lanfield
1944 Lt. Frank L. Williams, Jr. - American Co-pilot
Captain Dick
1943 Jerry
Camera Instructor
1942 David Bannister
'Murder at Midnight' program manager
Dick Baldwin
Edward Jason
Ramsey
Al Bennett
1939 Dr. Donald Fox
Narrator
Year Character Movie/Tv

Directing

Year Role Movie/Tv
1965 Director
Year Role Movie/Tv

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