DP
Don Porter
Actor, Director
Born September 24, 1912Died February 11, 1997 (84 years)
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.
Known For
Filmography
| 1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse (TV Series) · as Charles Porter |
| 1986 | Matlock (TV Series) |
| 1986 | Butterflies in Heat · as Commodore Phillips |
| 1983 | Hotel (TV Series) |
| 1980 | The Ghosts of Buxley Hall · as Judge Oliver Haynes |
| 1980 | The Last Song · as Philip Brockhurst |
| 1978 | Sword of Justice (TV Series) · as Judge Addams |
| 1978 | The Paper Chase (TV Series) |
| 1978 | Vega$ (TV Series) |
| 1978 | Dallas (TV Series) · as Matt Devlin |
| 1978 | The President's Mistress · as Craig |
| 1977 | Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A. · as Caufield |
| 1977 | The Love Boat (TV Series) · as Slade Summerhill |
| 1977 | Fantasy Island (TV Series) · as Emmett Latham |
| 1976 | Three's Company (TV Series) |
| 1976 | City of Angels (1976) (TV Series) |
| 1976 | The Bionic Woman (TV Series) |
| 1975 | Phyllis (TV Series) · as Jack |
| 1975 | A Woman for All Men · as Barney |
| 1975 | White Line Fever · as Cutler |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen (TV Series) |
| 1975 | Switch (TV Series) · as Paul Lorimer |
| 1975 | The Legend of Lizzie Borden · as George Robinson |
| 1975 | Archer (TV Series) |
| 1974 | Happy Anniversary and Goodbye · as Ed 'mad Dog' Murphy |
| 1974 | Mame · as Mr. Upson |
| 1974 | The Morning After · as Rudy King |
| 1974 | The Six Million Dollar Man (TV Series) · as Dr. Stanley Bacon |
| 1973 | 40 Carats · as Mr. Latham |
| 1973 | The New Perry Mason (TV Series) · as Otis Temple |
| 1973 | Chase (TV Series) · as Miller |
| 1973 | The Norliss Tapes · as Sanford T. Evans |
| 1973 | Tenafly (TV Series) · as Miles |
| 1973 | Barnaby Jones (TV Series) · as Jeremy Markham |
| 1972 | The ABC Afternoon Playbreak (TV Series) · as George Owens |
| 1972 | The Candidate · as Senator Crocker Jarmon |
| 1972 | Banacek (TV Series) · as Arnold Leeland |
| 1972 | The Rookies (TV Series) |
| 1971 | Cade's County (TV Series) · as Martin Russell |
| 1971 | McMillan and Wife (TV Series) · as Adrian Danzinger |
| 1969 | Love, American Style (TV Series) |
| 1968 | Live a Little, Love a Little · as Mike Lansdown |
| 1968 | The Mod Squad (TV Series) |
| 1968 | Here's Lucy (TV Series) · as Ken Richards |
| 1968 | Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) · as Jonathan Cavel |
| 1967 | Judd for the Defense (TV Series) |
| 1966 | Love On A Rooftop (TV Series) · as Narrator |
| 1965 | The F.B.I. (TV Series) · as Mason Hammond |
| 1965 | Green Acres (TV Series) |
| 1965 | Gidget (TV Series) · as Professor Russell Lawrence |
| 1964 | Youngblood Hawke · as Ferdie Lax |
| 1963 | Gidget Goes to Rome · as Russell Lawrence |
| 1963 | Vacation Playhouse (TV Series) · as Battersea, The Housekeeper |
| 1961 | Bachelor in Paradise · as Thomas W. Jynson |
| 1960 | Insight (TV Series) · as Jim Hinds |
| 1958 | The Ann Sothern Show (TV Series) · as James Devery |
| 1957 | Desk Set · as Don The Elevator Operator (uncredited) |
| 1956 | Our Miss Brooks · as Lawrence Nolan |
| 1955 | Matinee Theater (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1954 | Disneyland (TV Series) · as Judge Oliver Haynes |
| 1953 | Private Secretary (TV Series) |
| 1952 | The Turning Point · as Joe Silbray |
| 1952 | Because You're Mine · as Captain Burton Nordell Loring |
| 1952 | The Savage · as Running Dog |
| 1952 | Cripple Creek · as Denver Jones |
| 1951 | The Racket · as R. G. Connolly |
| 1950 | Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone · as Myron Brynk |
| 1950 | 711 Ocean Drive · as Larry Mason |
| 1950 | My Friend Irma Goes West · as Mr. Brent |
| 1947 | Buck Privates Come Home · as Capt. Christie |
| 1946 | Cuban Pete · as Roberts |
| 1946 | She-Wolf of London · as Barry Lanfield |
| 1944 | Resisting Enemy Interrogation · as Lt. Frank L. Williams, Jr. - American Co-Pilot |
| 1943 | Keep 'Em Slugging · as Jerry |
| 1942 | Madame Spy · as David Bannister |
| 1942 | Who Done It? · as 'murder At Midnight' Program Manager |
| 1942 | Night Monster · as Dick Baldwin |
| 1942 | Eyes of the Underworld · as Edward Jason |
| 1942 | Eagle Squadron · as Ramsey |
| 1939 | Mystery of the White Room · as Dr. Donald Fox |