View for person of id: 94294
Don Porter
Born: 24th Sep 1912 Miami, Oklahoma, USA - Died 11th Feb 1997
Dept: Acting
Donald "Don" Porter (September 24, 1912 –February 11, 1997) was an American actor who appeared in a number of films since 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.
[ToDo] Show list of extra photos here.
Film and Tv Credits
Total number of credits listed: 74
Film: 49 (66%)
Television: 25 (34%)
Remaining genres not in graph: Documentary, War, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Family, Soap, Fantasy, History, Adventure
Filmography
Mar 1986 (first aired)
Thrifty, folksy and cantankerous, Matlock charges a premium for his services but is worth every penny: This renowned attorney, always clothed in his t ... view
Character:
Erskine Tate (1 ep.)
Aug 1982 (first aired)
Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty.
Based on Ar ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
1980
Ghosts and a young cadet try to save a military academy from being closed. ... view
Character:
Judge Oliver Haynes
1980
An aspiring singer unwittingly comes into possession of several tapes for which her engineer husband and his partner, in their electronic eavesdroppin ... view
Character:
Philip Brockhurst
1980
William Conrad stars as a retired L.A.P.D. detective who has moved to Hawaii and taken a job as a college security chief and assistant football coach ... view
Character:
Gen. Rocky Jensen
1980
A twentieth century TV journalist conducts an exclusive first century interview with Pontius Pilate thirty years after Christ's death. Go back in time ... view
Character:
Theodore Michael
1979
A male hustler drifts into Key West, where he becomes involved in a series of steamy interludes with disreputable locals intertwined in various politi ... view
Character:
Commodore Phillips
Sep 1978 (first aired)
Vega$ is an American detective television drama series that aired on ABC between 1978 and 1981. It was produced by Aaron Spelling. The series was film ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1978 (first aired)
Critically lauded drama about the life and pressures of a group of students at a prestigious Eastern law school, with a strict and domineering contrac ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Apr 1978 (first aired)
The world's first mega-soap, and one of the most popular ever produced, Dallas had it all. Beautiful women, expensive cars, and men playing Monopoly w ... view
Character:
Matt Devlin (4 ep.)
1978
A government courier is caught in a deadly cover-up after discovering that his murdered sister was not only the mistress of a U.S. president, but also ... view
Character:
Craig
1977
Based on the true story of coal miners who became trapped underground in a cave-in on Christmas Eve, 1951. ... view
Character:
Caufield
Sep 1977 (first aired)
Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard ... view
Character:
Slade Summerhill (1 ep.)
Mar 1977 (first aired)
When two single girls, Janet and Chrissy, need a roommate to share their Santa Monica apartment, they decide to offer a room to Jack, a man they find ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Feb 1976 (first aired)
City of Angels is a 1976 television series created by Stephen J. Cannell and Roy Huggins, who had previously worked together on The Rockford Files. Am ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Jan 1976 (first aired)
After fully recovering from her near fatal bout of bionic rejection, Jaime Sommers, the first female cyborg, is assigned to spy missions of her own. ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (2 ep.)
Sep 1975 (first aired)
Ellery Queen is an American television detective mystery series based on the fictional character Ellery Queen. It aired on NBC during the 1975-76 tele ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1975 (first aired)
Switch is an American action-adventure, tongue-in-cheek detective series starring Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner, who work as private eyes, for a dece ... view
Character:
Paul Lorimer (1 ep.)
Salvensen (1 ep.)
1975
Irascible and domineering millionaire Walter McCoy marries the beautiful, but shady and duplicitous Karen Petrie. Walter's son Steve automatically bec ... view
Character:
Barney
1975
An independent trucker with a pregnant wife fights cargo crooks and the big shot they work for. ... view
Character:
Cutler
1975
An ex-cop, now a private detective, investigating a gambler's murder finds that there may be a connection between that crime and the jewel robbery at ... view
Character:
Mr. Pace
1975
A dramatization of the famous 1893 Massachusetts trial of the woman accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an ax. ... view
Character:
George Robinson
Jan 1975 (first aired)
Archer is a short-lived American crime drama series starring Brian Keith and John P. Ryan that aired on NBC in 1975. ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
1974
As her 25th anniversary approaches, Norma Michaels realizes that her marriage to her dentist husband Malcolm has become boring. Seeking independence, ... view
Character:
Ed 'Mad Dog' Murphy
1974
An attorney comes out of retirement to defend a prominent doctor, who has been accused of the mercy killing of his wife. ... view
Character:
Henry Balin
1974
The madcap life of eccentric Mame Dennis and her bohemian, intellectual arty clique is disrupted when her deceased brother's 10-year-old son Patrick i ... view
Character:
Mr. Upson
1974
A successful public relations man's refusal to admit his alcoholism jeopardizes his career, his family and his life. ABC Movie of the Week. ... view
Character:
Rudy King
Jan 1974 (first aired)
Follow the adventures of Steve Austin, cybernetically enhanced astronaut turned secret agent, employed by the OSI, under the command of Oscar Goldman ... view
Character:
Dr. Stanley Bacon (1 ep.)
1973
After an overnight fling with a man nearly 20 years her junior while vacationing in Greece, Ann Stanley returns to New York assuming she'll never see ... view
Character:
Mr. Latham
1973
A newspaper publisher listens to the personal tapes of investigative reporter David Norliss, who has disappeared during an investigation. The tapes te ... view
Character:
Sanford T. Evans
Jan 1973 (first aired)
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm ... view
Character:
Jeremy Markham (1 ep.)
Sep 1972 (first aired)
The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It follows the exploits of three rookie police officers working ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
1972
Bill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment. ... view
Character:
Senator Crocker Jarmon
Sep 1969 (first aired)
An anthology comedy series featuring a line up of different celebrity guest stars appearing in anywhere from one, two, three, and four short stories o ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (2 ep.)
1968
Photographer Greg Nolan moonlights in two full-time jobs to pay the rent, but has trouble finding time to do them both without his bosses finding out. ... view
Character:
Mike Lansdown
Sep 1968 (first aired)
The Mod Squad was the enormously successful groundbreaking "hippie" undercover cop show that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973 ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (2 ep.)
Sep 1968 (first aired)
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired ... view
Character:
Jonathan Cavel (1 ep.)
Alex Kelsey (1 ep.)
Sep 1967 (first aired)
High-priced Houston lawyer Clinton Judd and his assistant Ben Caldwell take difficult cases throughout the U.S. ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1965 (first aired)
The F.B.I. is an American television series that was broadcast on ABC from 1965 to 1974. It was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, and the character ... view
Character:
Mason Hammond (1 ep.)
Sep 1965 (first aired)
Green Acres is an American sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a rural country farm. Produced by Fil ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Sep 1965 (first aired)
Gidget is an American sitcom about a surfing, boy-crazy teenager called "Gidget" and her widowed father Russ Lawrence, a UCLA professor. Sally Field s ... view
Character:
Professor Russell Lawrence (32 ep.)
1964
An unknown Kentucky writer comes to New York and pursues fame and women. ... view
Character:
Ferdie Lax
1963
Francis, now 17, is still in love with Moondoggy. She can persuade her parents to allow them a journey to Rome, together with two of her and two of hi ... view
Character:
Russell Lawrence
Jul 1963 (first aired)
The concept of the series was the showing of unaired and unsold television pilots that did not make the television lineup for CBS. The show was succes ... view
Character:
Battersea, The Housekeeper (1 ep.)
1961
A bachelor author of sleazy books moves to a family-oriented subdivision where he becomes an unofficial relationship advisor to unhappy local housewiv ... view
Character:
Thomas W. Jynson
1957
A computer expert tries to prove his electronic brain can replace a television network's research staff. ... view
Character:
Don the Elevator Operator (uncredited)
1956
The big-screen translation of the successful television show of the 1950's. Arden stars as Connie Brooks, wisecracking English teacher at Madison High ... view
Character:
Lawrence Nolan
Feb 1953 (first aired)
Private Secretary is an American sitcom that aired from February 1, 1953 to September 10, 1957 on CBS, alternating with The Jack Benny Program on Sund ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (104 ep.)
1952
A famous opera singer falls for his sergeant's sister at boot camp. ... view
Character:
Captain Burton Nordell Loring
1952
The only white survivor of a Crow Indian raid on a wagon train is a young boy. He is rescued by the Sioux, and the Sioux chief raises him as an Indian ... view
Character:
Running Dog
1952
Special prosecutor John Conroy hopes to combat organized crime in his city and appoints his cop father Matt as chief investigator. John doesn't unders ... view
Character:
Joe Silbray
1952
It's 1893 and gold is being smuggled out of the country. Instead of stealing gold bars, the outlaws are stealing high grade ore, having it smelted, an ... view
Character:
Denver Jones
1952
“The Fallbrook Story,” is a 20-minute film of Cold War-era uneasiness in which director Frank Capra rails against what he calls the evils of Big B ... view
Character:
Narrator
1951
The big national crime syndicate has moved into town, partnering up with local crime boss Nick Scanlon. McQuigg, the only honest police captain on the ... view
Character:
R. G. Connolly
1950
Harriet O'Malley tries to solve a murder aboard a train en route to New York. ... view
Character:
Myron Brynk
1950
A telephone repairman in Los Angeles uses his knowledge of electronics to help a bookie set up a betting operation. After the bookie is murdered, the ... view
Character:
Larry Mason
1950
Singer Steve, friend Seymour and fiance Jane, along with her dizzy blonde room mate Irma, have a series of misadventures on a California-bound train a ... view
Character:
Mr. Brent
1947
Two ex-soldiers return from overseas--one of them having smuggled into the country a French orphan girl he has become attached to. They wind up runnin ... view
Character:
Capt. Christie
1946
In this western, a Native American boy and his horse Wild Beauty make friends with a gentle doctor who helps the boy save his beloved steed from the c ... view
Character:
Dr. Dave Morrow
1946
A woman plots to steal secrets from her Atomic-expert husband. ... view
Character:
Professor Claude Ruppert
1946
Unable to complete the deal by telephone, advertising executive Roberts sends his assistant Ann to Cuba to lure a Cuban band, led by Desi Arnaz, on to ... view
Character:
Roberts
1946
A young heiress finds evidence suggesting that at night she acts under the influence of a family curse and has begun committing ghastly murders in a n ... view
Character:
Barry Lanfield
1944
A downed American bomber crew quickly falls prey to the clever interrogation techniques of the Germans in this dramatic WW2 training film. ... view
Character:
Lt. Frank L. Williams, Jr. - American Co-pilot
1944
Documentary feature film depicting the training of young Lieutenant Jim Anthony as a pilot of the B-26 Marauder bomber. Dick, the captain charged with ... view
Character:
Captain Dick
1943
A gang of tough street kids decide to go straight and get jobs in order to free draft-age men for the war effort. However, because of their past tangl ... view
Character:
Jerry
1943
Documentary/training film depicting the duties of a pilot in the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War as he flies reconnaissance missions over enem ... view
Character:
Camera Instructor
1942
Joan Bannister is the wife of globe-trotting war correspondent David Bannister who travels by his side. Returning to the US, Bannister becomes suspici ... view
Character:
David Bannister
1942
Two dumb soda jerks dream of writing radio mysteries. When they try to pitch an idea at a radio station, they end up in the middle of a real murder wh ... view
Character:
'Murder at Midnight' program manager
1942
Kurt Ingston, a rich recluse, invites the doctors who left him a hopeless cripple to his desolate mansion in the swamps as one by one they meet horrib ... view
Character:
Dick Baldwin
1942
Blackmail and murder in a tale of an auto-theft ring. ... view
Character:
Edward Jason
1942
An American joins the British Royal Air Force just before Pearl Harbor is attacked, and falls in love with a beautiful English girl. ... view
Character:
Ramsey
1942
An army sergeant recognises a young recruit as the man responsible for his brother's death, while attempting a robbery. ... view
Character:
Al Bennett
1939
A doctor and nurse solve an operating-room murder. ... view
Character:
Dr. Donald Fox