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