Billy Bevan
Acting
🎂 1887-09-29
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.)
Cast credits(199)
Self
1948
Will Swallow
1933
Policeman (uncredited)
1940
Joe (uncredited)
1938
Ticket Taker (uncredited)
1941
Bookie (uncredited)
1943
Malvolio Jones
1945
Cabby (uncredited)
1936
Town Councilman (uncredited)
1952
Street Watch Leader
1938
Mac
1934
George Grainger
1933
Albert
1936
1944
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
1944
Bus Conductor (uncredited)
1942
Mr. Weller
1941
Horace (uncredited)
1943
Conductor Taking Tickets
1946
Jerry Cruncher
1935
Constable (uncredited)
1945
Barney
1949
Hale
1934
Wartime Cabby
1943
McDougal (uncredited)
1941
Constable With Food Tray (uncredited)
1944
Two of Spades (uncredited)
1933
Jim (uncredited)
1940
Uncle Arn Porritt
1946
Puritan Vendor (uncredited)
1942
Joe
1940
Farmer
1942
Air Raid Warden
1943
Stage Doorman
1940
Phillips
1942
Ed Jackson (uncredited)
1950
archive footage
1957
Cabbie (uncredited)
1945
Reporter (uncredited)
1929
Customs Official
1938
Mr. Ames (uncredited)
1946
Dungeon Keeper
1948
Gus Gander
1926
Mr. Jones
1939
Kennel Man (uncredited)
1938
Winston, Kitty's Butler (uncredited)
1949
Bartender (uncredited)
1938
Billy Bragg
1950
Soldier on the Make (uncredited)
1931
Man in Hotel Room
1934
Walter
1930
Charlie Hammond
1932
Douglas (uncredited)
1949
Mr. Boswick
1936
McLean
1937
Detective #2 (uncredited)
1933
Billy Judkins
1926
Frederick
1936
Harry, Cab Driver (uncredited)
1947
Police Sergeant
1934
Taxi Driver
1936
Pvt. Hawkins
1937
(archive footage)
1951
Aquarium Guard
1938
Ashley, Arguing Drunk (uncredited)
1932
Meadows
1934
Evans
1947
Plug Hat
1937
Cockney (uncredited)
1939
Innkeeper
1936
Hodgkins
1931
Billy Trotter
1928
Train Conductor (uncredited)
1930
Gallicuddy
1938
King of Anchovia
1924
Gus Jones
1929
Press Agent
1922
Frank (uncredited)
1937
Castle Guide
1940
Duffy
1939
Travers Dale
1924
Old Andrew
1948
Hiram Case
1925
Trotter
1930
Tom Berry
1929
Cloakroom Attendant
1934
Morton
1948
The Detective
1927
Alfred
1935
Joseph Sedley
1932
M. Prial
1933
George Barrow
1942
Officer Watkins
1935
Private Foster
1935
Nick
1938
Will Scarlet
1950
Departing British Soldier (uncredited)
1931
Doty Bassett - the Bicycle Flirt
1928
Cuthbert (uncredited)
1931
Mr. Barker
1933
The Burglar
1921
Sandy Hook - Sailor
1924
Schultz
1933
George Downing
1929
Munson
1937
Billy Hornby
1926
Otto Stropp
1926
Atkins
1937
British Sergeant
1939
Best Man
1928
Himself
1921
Horse Auctioneer
1935
Billy Brooks
1928
Gilbert - Addie's Brother
1930
Chivers
1941
The Father
1918
(archive footage)
1943
Father
1931
A Rolling Stone
1921
Pete De Tour
1927
Otto Klutch
1925
Billy Foote
1926
The Drifter
1926
Stage Director
1933
Bud Gasket
1924
Joe Bush
1925
The Hired Lady's Sweetheart
1920
Paris Cabman
1928
Colonel
1932
Joe Gobb
1925
Curtis
1936
Billy Divott
1927
Joe Dobell
1925
Wilbur Watts
1926
Bill the Plumber
1927
Barfly (uncredited)
1923
The Janitor
1924
Messenger
1927
Mr. Bindle
1941
Comedian
1923
Jim
1922
Mary's Father - the Mayor
1933
Joe Whiffet
1927
The Minister
1916
(archive footage)
1963
Studio Organist
1924
Farmer
1925
Horace Ward
1932
Herb
1934
Gus Barnum
1926
Jepson
1935
Constable Billy Barnes
1928
Casey McCorkle
1926
Walter Moore
1926
Jerry Connors / Archibald De Shyster
1926
Nick
1925
The Bachelor's Butler / Chauffeur / Footman
1923
Billy Brooks
1929
John Syrup Soother
1924
1920
Director
1921
Adam Fargo - Baggage Master
1924
Bill Blake
1928
Charley Carter
1927
The Chief of Police
1917
The Barber
1927
Joe Honck - Taxi Driver
1925
Billy Bender
1928
A steerage passenger
1921
Gaspard De Brie
1925
Percy Nudge
1926
Uncle Jake
1933
Professor Brawn
1927
One of the Taxi Boys
1933
Edward O. Walker
1930
Sailor
1923
The Sportsman
1922
Billy Bevan
1932
The Traffic Cop
1924
Jake aka Inbad the Sailor
1923
Lyons - the Tenderfoot
1922
1918
1928
Grandpa
1933
Billy Barton
1929
The Nosey Butler
1921
Billy Blake
1929
The Cop
1926
Jake Burke
1933
The Sheriff
1924
The Bartender
1916
A.J. Bird Jr.
1924
The Sheriff
1924
Pete
1926
1918
The Amateur Cop
1922
1933
Sam
1930
Secretary
1918