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Don Porter

Cast & creator

Don Porter

1912-09-24 (died at 84) Miami, Oklahoma, USAIMDb

Best known for The Love Boat, The Love Boat, Dallas

Donald "Don" Porter (September 24, 1912 –February 11, 1997) was an American actor who appeared in a number of films since the 1940s, including Top Sergeant and Eagle Squadron. On television, he portrayed the widowed father of 15-year-old Frances "Gidget" Lawrence (Sally Field) in the 1965 ABC sitcom Gidget. Besides his work in film and television, Porter was active on stage, as he acted in more than 200 plays, including The Front Page, Plaza Suite, and Any Wednesday. He appeared in various films in the 1940s before landing the role of Peter Sands, the boss of Susan Camille MacNamara (Ann Sothern), on the 1950s sitcom Private Secretary. A retooled version of the series appeared later, titled The Ann Sothern Show. It featured many of the same actors, including Porter as hotel manager James Devery in the venue of a fashionable New York City hotel. He later guest starred on episodes of Green Acres, Love, American Style, The Mod Squad, Barnaby Jones, The Six Million Dollar Man, Hawaii Five-O, Three's Company (on which he played Jack Tripper's uncle), and Switch.

Also known as: Donald Porter, Donald Cecil Porter

Movies

49

film credits

Series

29

television credits

Career

77

1939–1986 · acting roles

Credit score

6.6

average across scored titles

Signature credits

Known for

Ordered by popularity

The Love Boat

The Love Boat

Slade Summerhill · 1977

The Love Boat

The Love Boat

George Cowens · 1977

Dallas

Dallas

Matt Devlin · 1978

Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O

Jonathan Cavel · 1969

Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O

Alex Kelsey · 1969

Across film & television

Filmography (78)

Search filmography

Showing 78 of 78 credits

The Love Boat

The Love Boat

Slade Summerhill

The Love Boat

The Love Boat

George Cowens

Dallas

Dallas

Matt Devlin

Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O

Jonathan Cavel

Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O

Alex Kelsey

Love, American Style

Love, American Style

Matlock

Matlock

Erskine Tate

The Six Million Dollar Man

The Six Million Dollar Man

Dr. Stanley Bacon

Hotel

Hotel

Jonathan Corry

The F.B.I.

The F.B.I.

Mason Hammond

Three's Company

Three's Company

Barnaby Jones

Barnaby Jones

Jeremy Markham

Here's Lucy

Here's Lucy

Ken Richards

The Rookies

The Rookies

Green Acres

Green Acres

The Bionic Woman

The Bionic Woman

Switch

Switch

Paul Lorimer

Switch

Switch

Salvensen

Vega$

Vega$

Judd, for the Defense

Judd, for the Defense

The Mod Squad

The Mod Squad

Ellery Queen

Ellery Queen

The Paper Chase

The Paper Chase

Vacation Playhouse

Battersea, The Housekeeper

Gidget

Gidget

Professor Russell Lawrence

Gidget

Gidget

Director

Private Secretary

Private Secretary

Tropic of Desire

Tropic of Desire

Commodore Phillips

City of Angels

City of Angels

Archer

Archer

40 Carats

40 Carats

Mr. Latham

Mame

Mame

Mr. Upson

The Candidate

The Candidate

Senator Crocker Jarmon

Buck Privates Come Home

Buck Privates Come Home

Capt. Christie

Live a Little, Love a Little

Live a Little, Love a Little

Mike Lansdown

Bachelor in Paradise

Bachelor in Paradise

Thomas W. Jynson

My Friend Irma Goes West

My Friend Irma Goes West

Mr. Brent

She-Wolf of London

She-Wolf of London

Barry Lanfield

Because You're Mine

Because You're Mine

Captain Burton Nordell Loring

The Racket

The Racket

R. G. Connolly

Desk Set

Desk Set

Don the Elevator Operator (uncredited)

The Legend of Lizzie Borden

The Legend of Lizzie Borden

George Robinson

Gidget Goes to Rome

Gidget Goes to Rome

Russell Lawrence

The Savage

The Savage

Running Dog

A Woman for All Men

A Woman for All Men

Barney

Eyes of the Underworld

Eyes of the Underworld

Edward Jason

The Turning Point

The Turning Point

Joe Silbray

White Line Fever

White Line Fever

Cutler

The Ghosts of Buxley Hall

The Ghosts of Buxley Hall

Judge Oliver Haynes

The Norliss Tapes

The Norliss Tapes

Sanford T. Evans

The President's Mistress

The President's Mistress

Craig

Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone

Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone

Myron Brynk

Cripple Creek

Cripple Creek

Denver Jones

Happy Anniversary and Goodbye

Happy Anniversary and Goodbye

Ed Murphy

Who Done It?

Who Done It?

'Murder at Midnight' program manager

Youngblood Hawke

Youngblood Hawke

Ferdie Lax

Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A.

Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A.

Caufield

Last Hours Before Morning

Last Hours Before Morning

Mr. Pace

The Morning After

The Morning After

Rudy King

Reconnaissance Pilot

Reconnaissance Pilot

Camera Instructor

Our Miss Brooks

Our Miss Brooks

Lawrence Nolan

Murder or Mercy

Murder or Mercy

Henry Balin

Mystery of the White Room

Mystery of the White Room

Dr. Donald Fox

Eagle Squadron

Eagle Squadron

Ramsey

The Murder That Wouldn't Die

The Murder That Wouldn't Die

Gen. Rocky Jensen

Night Monster

Night Monster

Dick Baldwin

The Last Song

The Last Song

Philip Brockhurst

Danger Woman

Danger Woman

Professor Claude Ruppert

Madame Spy

Madame Spy

David Bannister

Interview with Pontius Pilate

Theodore Michael

How to Fly the B-26 Airplane

How to Fly the B-26 Airplane

Captain Dick

711 Ocean Drive

711 Ocean Drive

Larry Mason

Resisting Enemy Interrogation

Resisting Enemy Interrogation

Lt. Frank L. Williams, Jr. - American Co-pilot

Keep 'Em Slugging

Keep 'Em Slugging

Jerry

Top Sergeant

Top Sergeant

Al Bennett

Cuban Pete

Cuban Pete

Roberts

Wild Beauty

Wild Beauty

Dr. Dave Morrow

The Fallbrook Story

The Fallbrook Story

Narrator