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Harry Davenport is a Actor and Director American born on 18 january 1866 at New York City (USA)

Harry Davenport

Harry Davenport
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Birth name Harold George Bryant Davenport
Nationality USA
Birth 18 january 1866 at New York City (USA)
Death 9 august 1949 (at 83 years) at Los Angeles (USA)

Harold George Bryant "Harry" Davenport (January 19, 1866 – August 9, 1949) was an American film and stage actor who worked in show business from the age of six until his death. After a long and prolific broadway career, he came to Hollywood in the 1930s and appeared in films including Gone with the Wind (1939), where he portrayed Dr. Meade. His specialty was playing grandfathers, judges, doctors, and ministers. Bette Davis called Davenport "without a doubt, (...) the greatest character actor of all time."

Biography

He married Alice Davenport in 1893. They had one daughter, Dorothy Davenport, who also became an actress. After divorcing Alice in 1896, he married actress Phyllis Rankin, that same year. They had three biological children, all actors: Ned Davenport, Ann Davenport, and Kate Davenport, and Harry also adopted Phyllis's son, Arthur Rankin (father of Arthur Rankin, Jr., founder of the Rankin/Bass animation studio). The 10 August 1949 Canton Sunday Telegram obituary noted that the couple were together until her death, contrary to reports that he divorced her and remarried. Through his marriage to Phyllis, he was the brother-in-law of Lionel Barrymore, who was married at the time to Phyllis' sister Doris. Phyllis's father, McKee Rankin, had been the top actor at the Arch Street Theater, which was run by Lionel's grandmother and Sidney's mother, Louisa Lane Drew. He was the grandfather of producer Dirk Wayne Summers, Arthur Rankin Jr. and Wallace Reid Jr. His granddaughter's name is Phyllis Gail Davenport who married Edwin Alton Brooks and had 3 children Caleb Brooks, Anna Brooks and Rachel Brooks. Caleb married Suzanne Marie Via and had 2 sons named Samuel Brooks and Theodore Brooks. Anna Brooks also had two children named Sadie Wood and Grace Ganoung.

After Phyllis's death, Davenport moved to Los Angeles and lived with his now-grown children. He died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 83, one hour after he inquired his agent Walter Herzbrun about a new film role. In the obituary, a newspaper called him the "white-haired character actor" with "the longest acting career in American history".

Best films

Usually with

Cedric Gibbons
Cedric Gibbons
(14 films)
Irving Bacon
Irving Bacon
(13 films)
Bess Flowers
Bess Flowers
(12 films)
Hal B. Wallis
Hal B. Wallis
(12 films)
Irving Rapper
Irving Rapper
(6 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Harry Davenport (105 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Riding High, 1h52
Directed by Frank Capra, George Marshall
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Musical
Themes Films about animals, Sports films, Films about horses, Musical films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère, Horse sports in film, Sport hippique
Actors Bing Crosby, Coleen Gray, Charles Bickford, William Demarest, Frances Gifford, James Gleason
Roles Johnson
Rating61% 3.0975253.0975253.0975253.0975253.097525
Yale grad Dan Brooks is expected to marry wealthy boss J.L. Higgins' daughter Margaret and join the family box-making business. He is far more interested in racing a horse he owns, Broadway Bill.
That Forsyte Woman, 1h53
Directed by Compton Bennett
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Romance
Themes Films about families
Actors Errol Flynn, Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Robert Young, Janet Leigh, Harry Davenport
Roles Old Jolyon Forsyte
Rating65% 3.295873.295873.295873.295873.29587
Irene (Greer Garson) is the wife of Victorian "man of property" Soames Forsyte (Errol Flynn), having married without love but after many proposals. Rebelling against her husband's preoccupation with material possessions, a list in which she is included, Irene falls in love with unconventional architect Philip Bosinney (Robert Young), who is engaged to Soames' niece June (Janet Leigh), one of Irene's closest friends. Soames learns of Irene's affair with Bosinney, and rather than allowing Irene to leave him, he reasserts his physical rights. When Soames and Bosinney discover that Irene has run away, Bosinney rushes out in the foggy London streets after her, only to be run over in an accident. After Irene learns of Bosinney's death she takes refuge with Soames' cousin Young Jolyon (Walter Pidgeon), who is June's estranged father but has sympathy for Irene's plight. Irene and Young Jolyon eventually marry, after Irene spurns Soames' attempts at reconciliation.
Little Women, 2h1
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy-drama, Romance
Themes Films about writers, Films about families, Political films, Children's films
Actors Elizabeth Taylor, June Allyson, Janet Leigh, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Peter Lawford
Roles Dr. Barnes
Rating72% 3.6010453.6010453.6010453.6010453.601045
In the small town of Concord, Massachusetts, during the Civil War, the March sisters — Meg (Janet Leigh), Jo (June Allyson), Amy (Elizabeth Taylor) and Beth (Margaret O'Brien) — live with their mother in a state of genteel poverty, their father having lost the family's fortune to an unscrupulous businessman several years earlier. While Mr. March (Leon Ames) serves in the Union Army, Mrs. March (Mary Astor), affectionately referred to as "Marmee" by her daughters, holds the family together and teaches the girls the importance of giving to those less fortunate than themselves, especially during the upcoming Christmas season. Though the spoiled and vain Amy often bemoans the family's lack of material wealth and social status, Jo, an aspiring writer, keeps everyone entertained with her stories and plays, while the youngest March, the shy and sensitive Beth, accompanies Jo's productions on an out-of-tune piano.
Tell It to the Judge, 1h27
Directed by Norman Foster
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors Rosalind Russell, Robert Cummings, Gig Young, Marie McDonald, Harry Davenport, Fay Baker
Roles Judge MacKenzie Meredith
Rating63% 3.194923.194923.194923.194923.19492
Appointed to be a federal judge, Marsha Meredith (Rosalind Russell) is questioned by a U.S. Senate committee, specifically about her divorce from lawyer Peter Webb (Robert Cummings).
Down to the Sea in Ships, 2h
Directed by Henry Hathaway
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about animals, Seafaring films, Transport films, Cétacé, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un cétacé
Actors Richard Widmark, Lionel Barrymore, Dean Stockwell, Cecil Kellaway, Gene Lockhart, Berry Kroeger
Roles Benjamin Harris
Rating73% 3.688613.688613.688613.688613.68861
Whaling ship captain Bering Joy (Lionel Barrymore) takes his grandson Jed (Dean Stockwell) on a whaling expedition in order to teach the young boy real life values such as honesty, courage, wisdom, fairness and hard work.
For the Love of Mary, 1h30
Directed by Frederick de Cordova
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors Deanna Durbin, Edmond O'Brien, Don Taylor, Jeffrey Lynn, Ray Collins, Hugo Haas
Roles Justice Peabody
Rating65% 3.2894553.2894553.2894553.2894553.289455
Mary Peppertree (Deanna Durbin) starts a new job as a telephone operator at the White House, where her father Timothy has been working as a guard for many years. A former Supreme Court telephone operator, Mary takes her first call from David Paxton (Don Taylor), a fishing expert who insists on speaking to the President about a political issue involving a small Pacific island. After hanging up on him twice, Mary spends the rest of her day fielding calls from various Supreme Court justices who attempt to reconcile her with her former fiancé, Phillip Manning (Jeffrey Lynn), a Justice Department attorney.
That Lady in Ermine, 1h29
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, Otto Preminger
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Children's films
Actors Betty Grable, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Cesar Romero, Walter Abel, Reginald Gardiner, Harry Davenport
Roles Luigi
Rating58% 2.902442.902442.902442.902442.90244
In 1861, Countess Angelina, ruler of Bergamo in southeastern Europe, marries Mario, a baron she has known since childhood. When the castle is threatened by Hungarian hussars led by Colonel Teglash on their wedding night, Mario flees.
Three Daring Daughters, 1h55
Directed by Fred M. Wilcox
Origin USA
Genres Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Jeanette MacDonald, José Iturbi, Jane Powell, Edward Arnold, Harry Davenport, Ann E. Todd
Roles Dr. Cannon
Rating61% 3.097563.097563.097563.097563.09756
It's Tess' graduation day from "Miss Drakes School for Girls". During the choir's performance at the ceremony, Tess notices that her beautiful, divorcee mother, Louise Rayton Morgan isn't there. Louise, an editor for Modern Design Publication, is lying in Dr. Cannon's office from fainting due to being over-worked and stressed-out. At home after the graduation ceremony, Dr. Cannon has a talk with Louise's three daughters, Tess, Ilka and Alix. He tells them that their mother needs a vacation badly, but the only way she can relax is if she goes without the girls. The girls agree, but Louise is reluctant; however, the girls convince her to go. The girls see their mother off on her one month Cuban cruise. When the girls get home they discuss their mother, and believe if they bring their father back home it will make their mom happy and healthy again. In reality, Louise has kept the truth about their father from them. Their father was actually a very uncaring man, who left them and left Louise to raise the girls on her own. The girls go to see their father's boss, Robert Nelson to locate their father and bring him home. Meanwhile on Louise's Cuban cruise, she meets famed pianist and conductor, Jose Iturbi. Jose is immediately taken by Louise, but she plays hard to get, while having the time of her life. When Louise finally returns home, she has a secret to tell the girls, but, the girls have a secret too.
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, 1h35
Directed by Dore Schary, Irving Reis
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Shirley Temple, Rudy Vallée, Harry Davenport, Ray Collins
Roles Judge Thaddeus Turner
Rating71% 3.597573.597573.597573.597573.59757
Margaret Turner (Myrna Loy) and Susan Turner (Shirley Temple) are sisters who live together. Susan is an intelligent 17-year-old high-school student with a habit of forming short-lived interests after hearing the regular guest lectures at the school. Margaret is a judge, and Susan's guardian.
Keeper of the Bees, 1h8
Directed by John Sturges
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Actors Gloria Henry, Harry Davenport, Jane Darwell, J. Farrell MacDonald, Will Wright, Olin Howland
Roles Michael Worthington
Rating64% 3.2083253.2083253.2083253.2083253.208325
An aging apiary owner (bee-keeper) Michael Worthington meets a young ex-painter, Jamie McFarlane, on the road one day and in the process of conversation, attempts to persuade him to end his nomadic lifestyle.
Stallion Road, 1h37
Directed by Raoul Walsh, James V. Kern
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Western
Actors Ronald Reagan, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, Peggy Knudsen, Harry Davenport, Frank Puglia
Roles Dr. Stevens
Rating59% 2.9531052.9531052.9531052.9531052.953105
Based on the novel and screenplay by Stephen Longstreet, this film depicts the romance which flowers between a breezy young veterinarian (Ronald Reagan), and a lady who runs a breeding farm (Alexis Smith). The two horse-loving characters appear to be bound for an inevitable love story. And a friend of the vet (Zachary Scott), who also fancies the lady, quite obviously hasn't a chance.
That Hagen Girl, 1h23
Directed by Peter Godfrey, Peter Godfrey
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Actors Shirley Temple, Rory Calhoun, Ronald Reagan, Lois Maxwell, Conrad Janis, Dorothy Peterson
Roles Judge Merrivale
Rating61% 3.098133.098133.098133.098133.09813
Mary Hagen is believed by town gossips to be the illegitimate daughter of Tom Bates, a former resident and lawyer. She is often treated badly. Bates moves back into town and begins a friendship with Hagen's favorite teacher Julia Kane (Maxwell). There are hints that Bates is the real father of Hagen, though it is later revealed that she was an orphan adopted by the Hagens. When the teacher leaves town, she suggests to Bates that he stop playing Hagen's father, as it has become clear that he is in love with her. The movie ends with Bates and Hagen boarding a train, presumably to get married.
The Farmer's Daughter, 1h37
Directed by H. C. Potter
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Themes Théâtre, Political films, Films based on plays
Actors Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Charles Bickford, Rose Hobart, Rhys Williams
Roles Dr. Matthew Sulven
Rating71% 3.5953553.5953553.5953553.5953553.595355
Katie Holstrom (Loretta Young), a Swedish-American, leaves the family farm to go to nursing school in Capitol City. Barn painter Adolph Petree (Rhys Williams), who had completed a job for Katie's father, offers her a ride, but robs her of her money. Katie, refusing to ask her family for help, goes to work as a maid in the home of political power broker Agatha Morley (Ethel Barrymore) and her son, U.S. Representative Glenn Morley (Joseph Cotten). Soon, she impresses Agatha and her loyal majordomo Joseph Clancey (Charles Bickford) with her refreshing, down-to-earth common sense and Glenn with her other charms.
The Thin Man Goes Home, 1h40
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Comedy thriller
Actors William Powell, Myrna Loy, Lucile Watson, Gloria DeHaven, Anne Revere, Harry Davenport
Roles Dr. Bertram Charles
Rating72% 3.6470953.6470953.6470953.6470953.647095
Nick and Nora visit Nick's parents (Lucile Watson and Harry Davenport) in Nick's hometown, Sycamore Springs, in New England. The residents are convinced that Nick is in town on an investigation, despite Nick's repeated denials. However, when aircraft factory employee Peter Berton (Ralph Brooks) seeks out Nick and is shot dead before he can reveal anything, Nick is on the case.