Billy Bevan
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Sep 29, 1887
- Died
- Nov 26, 1957 (aged 70)
- Place of birth
- Orange, New South Wales, Australia
- Credits
- 203
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.
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.)
Known for
Rebecca
1940Movie
Policeman (uncredited)
Bringing Up Baby
1938Movie
Joe (uncredited)
Suspicion
1941Movie
Ticket Taker (uncredited)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936Movie
Cabby (uncredited)
The Picture of Dorian Gray
1945Movie
Malvolio Jones
Mrs. Miniver
1942Movie
Bus Conductor (uncredited)
Filmography
30 Years of Fun
1963Movie
(archive footage)
The Golden Age of Comedy
1957Movie
archive footage
Hans Christian Andersen
1952Movie
Town Councilman (uncredited)
The Slappiest Days of Our Lives
1951Movie
(archive footage)
Three Secrets
1950Movie
Ed Jackson (uncredited)
Rogues of Sherwood Forest
1950Movie
Will Scarlet
Fortunes of Captain Blood
1950Movie
Billy Bragg
Tell It to the Judge
1949Movie
Winston, Kitty's Butler (uncredited)
The Secret Of St. Ives
1949Movie
Douglas (uncredited)
The Secret Garden
1949Movie
Barney
Let's Live a Little
1948Movie
Morton
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948TV
Self
The Black Arrow
1948Movie
Dungeon Keeper
The Swordsman
1948Movie
Old Andrew
It Had to Be You
1947Movie
Evans
Moss Rose
1947Movie
Harry, Cab Driver (uncredited)
Cluny Brown
1946Movie
Uncle Arn Porritt
Devotion
1946Movie
Mr. Ames (uncredited)
Terror by Night
1946Movie
Conductor Taking Tickets
The Picture of Dorian Gray
1945Movie
Malvolio Jones
National Velvet
1945Movie
Constable (uncredited)
Tonight and Every Night
1945Movie
Cabbie (uncredited)
The Pearl of Death
1944Movie
Constable With Food Tray (uncredited)
The Invisible Man's Revenge
1944Movie
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
The Lodger
1944Movie
Jane Eyre
1943Movie
Bookie (uncredited)
The Return of the Vampire
1943Movie
Horace (uncredited)
Forever and a Day
1943Movie
Wartime Cabby
London Blackout Murders
1943Movie
Air Raid Warden
Happy Times and Jolly Moments
1943Movie
(archive footage)
I Married a Witch
1942Movie
Puritan Vendor (uncredited)
Counter-Espionage
1942Movie
George Barrow
Mrs. Miniver
1942Movie
Bus Conductor (uncredited)
This Above All
1942Movie
Farmer
The Man Who Wouldn't Die
1942Movie
Phillips
Confirm or Deny
1941Movie
Mr. Bindle
Suspicion
1941Movie
Ticket Taker (uncredited)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1941Movie
Mr. Weller
Shining Victory
1941Movie
Chivers
Penny Serenade
1941Movie
McDougal (uncredited)
Tin Pan Alley
1940Movie
Stage Doorman
The Long Voyage Home
1940Movie
Joe
Rebecca
1940Movie
Policeman (uncredited)
The Invisible Man Returns
1940Movie
Jim (uncredited)
The Earl of Chicago
1940Movie
Castle Guide
We Are Not Alone
1939Movie
Mr. Jones
Pack Up Your Troubles
1939Movie
British Sergeant
Captain Fury
1939Movie
Duffy
Let Freedom Ring
1939Movie
Cockney (uncredited)
A Christmas Carol
1938Movie
Street Watch Leader
Arrest Bulldog Drummond
1938Movie
Aquarium Guard
Shadows Over Shanghai
1938Movie
Gallicuddy
Mysterious Mr. Moto
1938Movie
Customs Official
The Young in Heart
1938Movie
Kennel Man (uncredited)
Blond Cheat
1938Movie
Bartender (uncredited)
The Girl of the Golden West
1938Movie
Nick
Bringing Up Baby
1938Movie
Joe (uncredited)
The Wrong Road
1937Movie
McLean
The Sheik Steps Out
1937Movie
Munson
Another Dawn
1937Movie
Pvt. Hawkins
Slave Ship
1937Movie
Atkins
Personal Property
1937Movie
Frank (uncredited)
God's Country and the Woman
1937Movie
Plug Hat
Lloyd's of London
1936Movie
Innkeeper
Piccadilly Jim
1936Movie
Taxi Driver
Private Number
1936Movie
Frederick
Dracula's Daughter
1936Movie
Albert
Champagne Charlie
1936Movie
Mr. Boswick
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936Movie
Cabby (uncredited)
Song and Dance Man
1936Movie
Curtis
A Tale of Two Cities
1935Movie
Jerry Cruncher
The Widow from Monte Carlo
1935Movie
Officer Watkins
The Last Outpost
1935Movie
Private Foster
Black Sheep
1935Movie
Alfred
Vanessa: Her Love Story
1935Movie
Horse Auctioneer
Mystery Woman
1935Movie
Jepson
Caravan
1934Movie
Police Sergeant
Limehouse Blues
1934Movie
Herb
Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back
1934Movie
Man in Hotel Room
One More River
1934Movie
Cloakroom Attendant
Shock
1934Movie
Meadows
Stingaree
1934Movie
Mac
The Lost Patrol
1934Movie
Hale
Pop's Pal
1933Movie
Grandpa
Alice in Wonderland
1933Movie
Two of Spades (uncredited)
The Way to Love
1933Movie
M. Prial
Too Much Harmony
1933Movie
Stage Director
The Big Squeal
1933Movie
Jake Burke
Thundering Taxis
1933Movie
One of the Taxi Boys
Peg o' My Heart
1933Movie
Detective #2 (uncredited)
A Study in Scarlet
1933Movie
Will Swallow
Uncle Jake
1933Movie
Uncle Jake
Looking Forward
1933Movie
Mr. Barker
Techno-Crazy
1933Movie
Mary's Father - the Mayor
Cavalcade
1933Movie
George Grainger
Luxury Liner
1933Movie
Schultz
She Whoops To Conquer
1933Movie
Me and My Gal
1932Movie
Ashley, Arguing Drunk (uncredited)
Payment Deferred
1932Movie
Charlie Hammond
Honeymoon Beach
1932Movie
Billy Bevan
The Spot on the Rug
1932Movie
Gerald J. Fitzgerald
Vanity Fair
1932Movie
Joseph Sedley
Sky Devils
1932Movie
Colonel
The Silent Witness
1932Movie
Horace Ward
Who's Who in the Zoo
1931Movie
Father
Waterloo Bridge
1931Movie
Soldier on the Make (uncredited)
Transatlantic
1931Movie
Hodgkins
Chances
1931Movie
Cuthbert (uncredited)
Born to Love
1931Movie
Departing British Soldier (uncredited)
For the Love o' Lil
1930Movie
Edward O. Walker
Monte Carlo
1930Movie
Train Conductor (uncredited)
Temptation
1930Movie
Sam
Journey's End
1930Movie
Trotter
Scotch
1930Movie
Gilbert - Addie's Brother
Peacock Alley
1930Movie
Walter
Weak But Willing
1929Movie
George Downing
The Trespasser
1929Movie
Reporter (uncredited)
High Voltage
1929Movie
Gus Jones
Don't Get Jealous
1929Movie
Billy Blake
Pink Pajamas
1929Movie
Billy Brooks
Calling Hubby's Bluff
1929Movie
Billy Barton
The Sky Hawk
1929Movie
Tom Berry
His New Stenographer
1928Movie
Billy Brooks
The Lion's Roar
1928Movie
Jake Higgs - Katie's Brother
Riley the Cop
1928Movie
Paris Cabman
Hubby's Weekend Trip
1928Movie
Bill Blake
Motorboat Mamas
1928Movie
Billy Bender
His Unlucky Night
1928Movie
Billy Trotter
The Girl from Nowhere
1928Movie
Constable Billy Barnes
The Bicycle Flirt
1928Movie
Doty Bassett - The Bicycle Flirt
The Best Man
1928Movie
Best Man
The Beach Club
1928Movie
Billy Doolittle
The Girl from Everywhere
1927Movie
Messenger
The Bull Fighter
1927Movie
Pete De Tour
Gold Digger of Weepah
1927Movie
The Barber
The Golf Nut
1927Movie
Billy Divott
Cured in the Excitement
1927Movie
Professor Brawn
A Small Town Princess
1927Movie
Joe Whiffet
Peaches and Plumbers
1927Movie
Bill the Plumber
Easy Pickings
1927Movie
The Detective
Should Sleepwalkers Marry?
1927Movie
Charley Carter
Flirty Four-Flushers
1926Movie
Jerry Connors / Archibald De Shyster
Masked Mamas
1926Movie
Casey McCorkle
Should Husbands Marry?
1926Movie
The Cop
Hoboken to Hollywood
1926Movie
Billy Judkins
Hubby’s Quiet Little Game
1926Movie
Billy Foote
A Sea Dog's Tale
1926Movie
Wilbur Watts
Ice Cold Cocos
1926Movie
Gus Gander
Musclebound Music
1926Movie
Billy Hornby
Fight Night
1926Movie
Walter Moore
Hayfoot, Strawfoot?
1926Movie
Pete
Wandering Willies
1926Movie
Percy Nudge
Circus Today
1926Movie
Gus Barnum
Trimmed in Gold
1926Movie
Otto Stropp
Whispering Whiskers
1926Movie
The Drifter
From Rags to Britches
1925Movie
Joe Bush
Over Thereabouts
1925Movie
Joe Dobell
Butter Fingers
1925Movie
Nick
The Iron Nag
1925Movie
Joe Gobb
Sneezing Beezers
1925Movie
Joe Honck - Taxi Driver
Super-Hooper-Dyne Lizzies
1925Movie
Hiram Case
The Lion's Whiskers
1925Movie
Otto Klutch
Giddap!
1925Movie
Gaspard De Brie
Honeymoon Hardships
1925Movie
Farmer
Off His Trolley
1924Movie
The Traffic Cop
The Cannon Ball Express
1924Movie
Adam Fargo - Baggage Master
Galloping Bungalows
1924Movie
John Syrup Soother
Wandering Waistlines
1924Movie
Sandy Hook - Sailor
Little Robinson Corkscrew
1924Movie
The Sheriff
Three Foolish Weeks
1924Movie
King of Anchovia
Lizzies of the Field
1924Movie
Bud Gasket
East of the Water Plug
1924Movie
The Sheriff
Wall Street Blues
1924Movie
The Janitor
The Hollywood Kid
1924Movie
Studio Organist
The White Sin
1924Movie
Travers Dale
One Spooky Night
1924Movie
A.J. Bird Jr.
Inbad the Sailor
1923Movie
Jake aka Inbad the Sailor
One Cylinder Love
1923Movie
The Bachelor's Butler / Chauffeur / Footman
The Extra Girl
1923Movie
Comedian
Pitfalls of a Big City
1923Movie
Barfly (uncredited)
Nip and Tuck
1923Movie
Sailor
When Summer Comes
1922Movie
Lyons - the Tenderfoot
The Crossroads of New York
1922Movie
Press Agent
Gymnasium Jim
1922Movie
Jim
On Patrol
1922Movie
The Amateur Cop
The Duck Hunter
1922Movie
The Sportsman
Around the Town: British Film Stars and Studios
1921Movie
Himself
Bright Eyes
1921Movie
The Nosey Butler
Be Reasonable
1921Movie
A Rolling Stone
Love and Doughnuts
1921Movie
The Burglar
Astray from the Steerage
1921Movie
A steerage passenger
A Small Town Idol
1921Movie
Director
Love, Honor and Behave
1920Movie
A Fake Lawyer
The Quack Doctor
1920Movie
The Hired Lady's Sweetheart
Married Life
1920Movie
Hospital Staff / Janitor (uncredited)
Distilled Love
1920Movie
Cupid In Quarantine
1918Movie
The Father
Her Rustic Romeo
1918Movie
Are Married Policemen Safe?
1918Movie
Somebody's Widow
1918Movie
Secretary
Bombs and Bandits
1917Movie
The Chief of Police
Pirates of the Air
1916Movie
The Bartender
Gertie's Gasoline Glide
1916Movie
The Minister