Billy Bevan
201 movies
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Sep 29, 1887
- Died
- Nov 26, 1957 (age 70)
- Place of birth
- Orange, New South Wales, Australia
- Also known as
- William Bevan · Bill Bevans · Billy Bevin · Bill Bivin
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Billy Bevan (born William Bevan Harris, 29 September 1887 – 26 November 1957) was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became an American film actor. He appeared in 254 American films between 1916 and 1950.
Read the full biography
Bevan was born in the country town of Orange, New South Wales, Australia. He went on the stage at an early age, traveled to Sydney and spent eight years in Australian light opera, performing as Willie Bevan. He sailed to America with the Pollard’s Lilliputian Opera Company in 1912 and later toured Canada. Bevan broke into films with the Sigmund Lubin studio in 1916. When the company disbanded, Bevan became a supporting actor in Mack Sennett movie comedies. An expressive pantomimist, Bevan's quiet scene-stealing attracted attention, and by 1922 Bevan was a Sennett star. He supplemented his income, however, by establishing a citrus and avocado farm at Escondido, California.
Usually filmed wearing a derby hat and a drooping mustache, Bevan may not have possessed an indelible screen character like Charlie Chaplin but he had a friendly, funny presence in the frantic Sennett comedies. Much of the comedy depended on Bevan's skilled timing and reactions; the famous "oyster" routine performed on film by Curly Howard, Lou Costello, and Huntz Hall—in which a bowl of "fresh oyster stew" shows alarming signs of life and battles the guy trying to eat it—was originated on film decades earlier by Bevan in the short film Wandering Willies.
By the mid-1920s Bevan was often teamed with Andy Clyde; Clyde soon graduated to his own starring series. The late 1920s found Bevan playing in wild marital farces for Sennett.
The advent of talking pictures took their toll on the careers of many silent stars, including Billy Bevan. Bevan began a second career in "talkies" as a character actor and bit player in roles such as that of a bus driver in the 1929 film High Voltage, a hotel employee in the Mae Murray film Peacock Alley, and the supporting role of Second Lieutenant Trotter in Journey's End in 1930. His starring roles had come to an end, however, and for the next 20 years he often would play rowdy Cockneys (as in Pack Up Your Troubles with The Ritz Brothers), and affable Englishmen (as in Tin Pan Alley and Terror by Night). He played a friendly bus conductor opposite Greer Garson in one of the opening scenes of Mrs. Miniver.
Bevan died in 1957 in Escondido, California, just before new audiences discovered him in Robert Youngson's silent-comedy compilations. (The Youngson films mispronounce his name as "Be-VAN"; Bevan himself offered the proper pronunciation in a Voice of Hollywood reel in 1930.)
Profiles IMDb
Known for
Billy Bevan: movies and TV shows
Acting (201)
- 1963 30 Years of Fun
as (archive footage)
- 1957 The Golden Age of Comedy
as archive footage
- 1952 Hans Christian Andersen
as Town Councilman (uncredited)
- 1951 The Slappiest Days of Our Lives
as (archive footage)
- 1950 Three Secrets
as Ed Jackson (uncredited)
- 1950 Rogues of Sherwood Forest
as Will Scarlet
- 1950 Fortunes of Captain Blood
as Billy Bragg
- 1949 Tell It to the Judge
as Winston, Kitty's Butler (uncredited)
- 1949 The Secret Of St. Ives
as Douglas (uncredited)
- 1949 The Secret Garden
as Barney
- 1948 Let's Live a Little
as Morton
- 1948 The Black Arrow
as Dungeon Keeper
- 1948 The Swordsman
as Old Andrew
- 1947 It Had to Be You
as Evans
- 1947 Moss Rose
as Harry, Cab Driver (uncredited)
- 1946 Cluny Brown
as Uncle Arn Porritt
- 1946 Devotion
as Mr. Ames (uncredited)
- 1946 Terror by Night
as Conductor Taking Tickets
- 1945 The Picture of Dorian Gray
as Malvolio Jones
- 1945 National Velvet
as Constable (uncredited)
- 1945 Tonight and Every Night
as Cabbie (uncredited)
- 1944 The Pearl of Death
as Constable With Food Tray (uncredited)
- 1944 The Invisible Man's Revenge
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
- 1944
- 1943 Jane Eyre
as Bookie (uncredited)
- 1943 The Return of the Vampire
as Horace (uncredited)
- 1943 Forever and a Day
as Wartime Cabby
- 1943 London Blackout Murders
as Air Raid Warden
- 1943 Happy Times and Jolly Moments
as (archive footage)
- 1942 I Married a Witch
as Puritan Vendor (uncredited)
- 1942 Counter-Espionage
as George Barrow
- 1942 Mrs. Miniver
as Bus Conductor (uncredited)
- 1942 This Above All
as Farmer
- 1942 The Man Who Wouldn't Die
as Phillips
- 1941 Confirm or Deny
as Mr. Bindle
- 1941 Suspicion
as Ticket Taker (uncredited)
- 1941 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
as Mr. Weller
- 1941 Shining Victory
as Chivers
- 1941 Penny Serenade
as McDougal (uncredited)
- 1940 Tin Pan Alley
as Stage Doorman
- 1940 The Long Voyage Home
as Joe
- 1940 Rebecca
as Policeman (uncredited)
- 1940 The Invisible Man Returns
as Jim (uncredited)
- 1940 The Earl of Chicago
as Castle Guide
- 1939 We Are Not Alone
as Mr. Jones
- 1939 Pack Up Your Troubles
as British Sergeant
- 1939 Captain Fury
as Duffy
- 1939 Let Freedom Ring
as Cockney (uncredited)
- 1938 A Christmas Carol
as Street Watch Leader
- 1938 Arrest Bulldog Drummond
as Aquarium Guard
- 1938 Shadows Over Shanghai
as Gallicuddy
- 1938 Mysterious Mr. Moto
as Customs Official
- 1938 The Young in Heart
as Kennel Man (uncredited)
- 1938 Blond Cheat
as Bartender (uncredited)
- 1938 The Girl of the Golden West
as Nick
- 1938 Bringing Up Baby
as Joe (uncredited)
- 1937 The Wrong Road
as McLean
- 1937 The Sheik Steps Out
as Munson
- 1937 Another Dawn
as Pvt. Hawkins
- 1937 Slave Ship
as Atkins
- 1937 Personal Property
as Frank (uncredited)
- 1937 God's Country and the Woman
as Plug Hat
- 1936 Lloyd's of London
as Innkeeper
- 1936 Piccadilly Jim
as Taxi Driver
- 1936 Private Number
as Frederick
- 1936 Dracula's Daughter
as Albert
- 1936 Champagne Charlie
as Mr. Boswick
- 1936 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
as Cabby (uncredited)
- 1936 Song and Dance Man
as Curtis
- 1935 A Tale of Two Cities
as Jerry Cruncher
- 1935 The Widow from Monte Carlo
as Officer Watkins
- 1935 The Last Outpost
as Private Foster
- 1935 Black Sheep
as Alfred
- 1935 Vanessa: Her Love Story
as Horse Auctioneer
- 1935 Mystery Woman
as Jepson
- 1934 Caravan
as Police Sergeant
- 1934 Limehouse Blues
as Herb
- 1934 Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back
as Man in Hotel Room
- 1934 One More River
as Cloakroom Attendant
- 1934 Shock
as Meadows
- 1934 Stingaree
as Mac
- 1934 The Lost Patrol
as Hale
- 1933 Pop's Pal
as Grandpa
- 1933 Alice in Wonderland
as Two of Spades (uncredited)
- 1933 The Way to Love
as M. Prial
- 1933 Too Much Harmony
as Stage Director
- 1933 The Big Squeal
as Jake Burke
- 1933 Thundering Taxis
as One of the Taxi Boys
- 1933 Peg o' My Heart
as Detective #2 (uncredited)
- 1933 A Study in Scarlet
as Will Swallow
- 1933 Uncle Jake
as Uncle Jake
- 1933 Looking Forward
as Mr. Barker
- 1933 Techno-Crazy
as Mary's Father - the Mayor
- 1933 Cavalcade
as George Grainger
- 1933 Luxury Liner
as Schultz
- 1933
- 1932 Me and My Gal
as Ashley, Arguing Drunk (uncredited)
- 1932 Payment Deferred
as Charlie Hammond
- 1932 Honeymoon Beach
as Billy Bevan
- 1932 The Spot on the Rug
as Gerald J. Fitzgerald
- 1932 Vanity Fair
as Joseph Sedley
- 1932 Sky Devils
as Colonel
- 1932 The Silent Witness
as Horace Ward
- 1931 Who's Who in the Zoo
as Father
- 1931 Waterloo Bridge
as Soldier on the Make (uncredited)
- 1931 Transatlantic
as Hodgkins
- 1931 Chances
as Cuthbert (uncredited)
- 1931 Born to Love
as Departing British Soldier (uncredited)
- 1930 For the Love o' Lil
as Edward O. Walker
- 1930 Monte Carlo
as Train Conductor (uncredited)
- 1930 Temptation
as Sam
- 1930 Journey's End
as Trotter
- 1930 Scotch
as Gilbert - Addie's Brother
- 1930 Peacock Alley
as Walter
- 1929 Weak But Willing
as George Downing
- 1929 The Trespasser
as Reporter (uncredited)
- 1929 High Voltage
as Gus Jones
- 1929 Don't Get Jealous
as Billy Blake
- 1929 Pink Pajamas
as Billy Brooks
- 1929 Calling Hubby's Bluff
as Billy Barton
- 1929 The Sky Hawk
as Tom Berry
- 1928 His New Stenographer
as Billy Brooks
- 1928 The Lion's Roar
as Jake Higgs - Katie's Brother
- 1928 Riley the Cop
as Paris Cabman
- 1928 Hubby's Weekend Trip
as Bill Blake
- 1928 Motorboat Mamas
as Billy Bender
- 1928 His Unlucky Night
as Billy Trotter
- 1928 The Girl from Nowhere
as Constable Billy Barnes
- 1928 The Bicycle Flirt
as Doty Bassett - The Bicycle Flirt
- 1928 The Best Man
as Best Man
- 1928 The Beach Club
as Billy Doolittle
- 1927 The Girl from Everywhere
as Messenger
- 1927 The Bull Fighter
as Pete De Tour
- 1927 Gold Digger of Weepah
as The Barber
- 1927 The Golf Nut
as Billy Divott
- 1927 Cured in the Excitement
as Professor Brawn
- 1927 A Small Town Princess
as Joe Whiffet
- 1927 Peaches and Plumbers
as Bill the Plumber
- 1927 Easy Pickings
as The Detective
- 1927 Should Sleepwalkers Marry?
as Charley Carter
- 1926 Flirty Four-Flushers
as Jerry Connors / Archibald De Shyster
- 1926 Masked Mamas
as Casey McCorkle
- 1926 Should Husbands Marry?
as The Cop
- 1926 Hoboken to Hollywood
as Billy Judkins
- 1926 Hubby’s Quiet Little Game
as Billy Foote
- 1926 A Sea Dog's Tale
as Wilbur Watts
- 1926 Ice Cold Cocos
as Gus Gander
- 1926 Musclebound Music
as Billy Hornby
- 1926 Fight Night
as Walter Moore
- 1926 Hayfoot, Strawfoot?
as Pete
- 1926 Wandering Willies
as Percy Nudge
- 1926 Circus Today
as Gus Barnum
- 1926 Trimmed in Gold
as Otto Stropp
- 1926 Whispering Whiskers
as The Drifter
- 1925 From Rags to Britches
as Joe Bush
- 1925 Over Thereabouts
as Joe Dobell
- 1925 Butter Fingers
as Nick
- 1925 The Iron Nag
as Joe Gobb
- 1925 Sneezing Beezers
as Joe Honck - Taxi Driver
- 1925 Super-Hooper-Dyne Lizzies
as Hiram Case
- 1925 The Lion's Whiskers
as Otto Klutch
- 1925 Giddap!
as Gaspard De Brie
- 1925 Honeymoon Hardships
as Farmer
- 1924 Off His Trolley
as The Traffic Cop
- 1924 The Cannon Ball Express
as Adam Fargo - Baggage Master
- 1924 Galloping Bungalows
as John Syrup Soother
- 1924 Wandering Waistlines
as Sandy Hook - Sailor
- 1924 Little Robinson Corkscrew
as The Sheriff
- 1924 Three Foolish Weeks
as King of Anchovia
- 1924 Lizzies of the Field
as Bud Gasket
- 1924 East of the Water Plug
as The Sheriff
- 1924 Wall Street Blues
as The Janitor
- 1924 The Hollywood Kid
as Studio Organist
- 1924 The White Sin
as Travers Dale
- 1924 One Spooky Night
as A.J. Bird Jr.
- 1923 Inbad the Sailor
as Jake aka Inbad the Sailor
- 1923 One Cylinder Love
as The Bachelor's Butler / Chauffeur / Footman
- 1923 The Extra Girl
as Comedian
- 1923 Pitfalls of a Big City
as Barfly (uncredited)
- 1923 Nip and Tuck
as Sailor
- 1922 When Summer Comes
as Lyons - the Tenderfoot
- 1922 The Crossroads of New York
as Press Agent
- 1922 Gymnasium Jim
as Jim
- 1922 On Patrol
as The Amateur Cop
- 1922 The Duck Hunter
as The Sportsman
- 1921 Bright Eyes
as The Nosey Butler
- 1921 Be Reasonable
as A Rolling Stone
- 1921 Love and Doughnuts
as The Burglar
- 1921 Astray from the Steerage
as A steerage passenger
- 1921 A Small Town Idol
as Director
- 1920 Love, Honor and Behave
as A Fake Lawyer
- 1920 The Quack Doctor
as The Hired Lady's Sweetheart
- 1920 Married Life
as Hospital Staff / Janitor (uncredited)
- 1920
- 1918 Cupid In Quarantine
as The Father
- 1918
- 1918
- 1918 Somebody's Widow
as Secretary
- 1917 Bombs and Bandits
as The Chief of Police
- 1916 Pirates of the Air
as The Bartender
+ 1 more credits
Behind the camera (1)
- 1920 The Quack Doctor
Director
Talk shows and appearances (2)
- 1948 The Ed Sullivan Show
1 episode
- 1921