Don Porter

Donald Cecil Porter (September 24, 1912 – February 11, 1997) was an American stage, film, and television actor. On television, he played Peter Sands, the boss of Ann Sothern's character on Private Secretary, and Russell Lawrence, the widowed father of 15-year-old Frances "Gidget" Lawrence (Sally Field) in the 1965 ABC sitcom Gidget. Life and career Porter was born in Miami, Oklahoma, and as a youth also lived in Nebraska and Oregon. He joined the Oklahoma National Guard at the age of 14, claiming to be 18, and was commissioned a lieutenant. He served as a combat photographer during World War II and also appeared in training films. Porter's first roles as an actor began when he was 17, playing dramatic parts on the radio. In 1936, he appeared on stage in Portland in Maxwell Anderson's Elizabeth the Queen. He went on to appear in more than 200 plays. His Broadway credits include The Front Page (1968), Plaza Suite (1967), and Any Wednesday (1963).