Don Beddoe

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American actor (1903–1991)

title: "Don Beddoe" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1903-births", "1991-deaths", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-stage-actors", "american-male-television-actors", "american-people-of-welsh-descent", "male-actors-from-los-angeles", "male-actors-from-pittsburgh", "military-personnel-from-pennsylvania", "military-personnel-from-pittsburgh", "male-western-(genre)-film-actors", "united-states-army-air-forces-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "united-states-army-air-forces-soldiers", "university-of-cincinnati-alumni"] description: "American actor (1903–1991)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Beddoe" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actor (1903–1991) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameDon Beddoe
imageDon Beddoe in Cyrano de Bergerac.jpg
captionBeddoe in Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
birth_nameDonald Theophilus Beddoe
birth_date
birth_placePittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
death_date
death_placeLaguna Hills, California, U.S
occupationFilm, television and stage actor
years_active1929–1984
spouse{{plainlist
* {{marriageEvelyn Beddoe
fatherDan Beddoe
::

| name = Don Beddoe | image = Don Beddoe in Cyrano de Bergerac.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Beddoe in Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) | birth_name = Donald Theophilus Beddoe | birth_date = | birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | othername = | death_date = | death_place = Laguna Hills, California, U.S | occupation = Film, television and stage actor | years_active = 1929–1984 | spouse = {{plainlist|

| father = Dan Beddoe | homepage =

Donald Theophilus Beddoe (July 1, 1903 – January 19, 1991) was an American character actor.

Early years

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Beddoe was the son of Dan Beddoe, a Welsh classical singer, and his wife Mary. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with bachelor's and master's degrees and taught English for three years.

Stage

Beddoe gained much theatrical experience playing in stock theater in Boston, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His other Broadway credits include Penny Arcade (1930), The Greeks Had a Word for It (1930), Sing High, Sing Low (1931), The Warrior's Husband (1932), Man Bites Dog (1933), The Blue Widow (1933), Birthright (1933), The Sky's the Limit (1934), Nowhere Bound (1935), First Lady (1935), Father Malachy's Miracle (1937), and Winged Victory (1943).

Film

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Don_Beddoe_in_Behind_Green_Lights.jpg" caption="Beddoe in ''[[Behind Green Lights]]'' (1946)"] ::

After a decade of stage work and bit parts in films, Beddoe began more prominent film roles in the late 1930s. He was usually cast as fast-talking reporters and the like. His commercial acting career was put on hold when he served in World War II in the United States Army Air Forces, in which he performed in the Air Force play, Winged Victory.

Beddoe subsequently returned to films playing small character roles. He occasionally appeared in comedy shorts playing comic foils, such as in the Three Stooges shorts Three Sappy People and You Nazty Spy!

Beddoe appeared in more than 250 films.

Television

Beddoe portrayed Mr. Tolliver in the ABC comedy The Second Hundred Years, and he was in the cast of Life with Father on CBS.

He also was seen in dozens of television programs. In the 1950s and 1960s, he made four appearances on Father Knows Best Have Gun – Will Travel, three on Lawman, three on Maverick, three on Laramie, three on Lassie, one on Mr. Adams and Eve, and three on Perry Mason including in the 1958 episode 'The Case of the Buried Clock'. He also appeared on the Western aviation series, Sky King, on The Alaskans, on the adventure series, Straightaway, and on the western series, The Tall Man. He appeared too on the sitcoms Pete and Gladys and The Tom Ewell Show, and on the drama series, Going My Way. He guest starred on the crime drama, Richard Diamond, Private Detective and appeared on The Lone Ranger in the 1950s.

Beddoe played the outlaw Black Bart in the 1954 episode "Black Bart The PO8" of the western anthology series Death Valley Days.

In 1965, Beddoe appeared on Gunsmoke as "Mr. Halligan" in the episode "Deputy Festus" (S10E17). He also appeared that year on "Wagon Train" (S8 E23) "The Katy Piper Story" as the Judge opposite Frances Reid in the title role.

During the 1970–1971 season of ABC's Nanny and the Professor, Beddoe made four appearances, three as Mr. Thatcher. In 1984, he made his final television appearance as Kris in NBC's Highway to Heaven starring Michael Landon and Victor French.

Radio

Beddoe played Pat Grady in the soap opera John's Other Wife.

Other activities

In 1968, Beddoe proposed construction of a "high-rise trailer park" to be built in Capistrano Beach, California. His plan called for making "more efficient use of land in areas where acreage is too expensive for a trailer park" by building an eight-story structure of concrete and steel and using a crane to lift trailers and insert them into their respective spaces.

Personal life

He married Joyce Rose, who had been a showgirl.

Death

Beddoe died of natural causes on January 19, 1991, at age 87.

Selected filmography

References

References

  1. (March 12, 1932). "Meet the Actors". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
  2. (December 31, 1942). "Veteran Screen Actor Now in the Army Here". The Evening Independent.
  3. He made his Broadway acting debut in 1929, receiving top billing (over a young [[Spencer Tracy]]) in ''Nigger Rich''.[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=10927 ibdb.com]
  4. "Don Beddoe".
  5. Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN. 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 940.
  6. (November 30, 1953). "Life with Father". Broadcasting.
  7. (July 1938). "What Do You Want to Know". Radio Mirror.
  8. (March 11, 1968). "High Rise Trailer Park Is Proposed". The Spokesman-Review.
  9. (March 24, 1988). "The Stars Shine in Irvine to Aid American Cinema Awards Foundation Cause". Los Angeles Times.

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1903-births1991-deaths20th-century-american-male-actorsamerican-male-film-actorsamerican-male-stage-actorsamerican-male-television-actorsamerican-people-of-welsh-descentmale-actors-from-los-angelesmale-actors-from-pittsburghmilitary-personnel-from-pennsylvaniamilitary-personnel-from-pittsburghmale-western-(genre)-film-actorsunited-states-army-air-forces-personnel-of-world-war-iiunited-states-army-air-forces-soldiersuniversity-of-cincinnati-alumni