Arthur Gould-Porter

Arthur Gould-Porter (4 January 1905 – 2 January 1987) was an English actor who appeared in films and on television and stage. His film and TV career spanned from 1942 to 1977, and although mainly a character actor he is remembered for his part as Captain Greer in Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and for his reoccurring role as Ravenswood the butler in The Beverley Hillbillies. He was sometimes credited as Arthur E. Gould-Porter and A. E. Gould-Porter. Early life Gould-Porter was born in Penzance, Cornwall, in 1905 to Archibald Gould-Porter and his wife, Mabel Amor. By the early 1930s Gould-Porter had moved to the United States and in 1931 he appeared at the Palm Beach Playhouse in A.A. Milne's Mr. Pim Passes By, to good reviews. Career In February 1932 he appeared at the Forrest Theatre on Broadway in the comedy play New York to Cherbourg. He returned to Broadway in 1935 to start an 18-month run at the Broadhurst Theatre in Laurence Housman's play Victoria Regina. Other Broadway appearances included Bachelor Born (1938-39) and Oscar Wilde (1938-39). By 1942 Gould-Porter was branching into film roles, with uncredited roles in Eagle Squadron, The Black Swan and Random Harvest. He also received his first credited role in 1942 when he appeared as Freddie in the American thriller Nightmare. Gould-Porter continued to find work throughout the 1940s, appearing in minor parts in a string of Hollywood films, including roles in Jane Eyre (1943), National Velvet (1944) and A Double Life (1947). He took a break from film in 1948 and returned to the stage, appearing at the Booth Theatre in Keith Winter's The Rats of Norway. The play lasted just three days before closing, and in 1951 he was again finding roles in film, appearing as a chauffeur in Kind Lady.