Benjamin Joseph Hall (March 18, 1899 – May 20, 1985) was an American actor who started performing as a boy and worked for three and a half decades, mainly in small parts.
Biography
Born in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...
as the eldest child of American
stevedore
A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes.
After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the num ...
George E. Hall and his English wife Constance L. Fletcher, Ben Hall began making appearances in films when he was little more than ten years old. After a handful of movies, his family moved to
Weehawken, New Jersey
Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 17,197. , and in 1918 Ben took work as a bank clerk in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
. But by 1920, Ben and his mother had moved to Los Angeles (where they were joined later by his younger brother George Jr.). Hall worked as a property man for the studios for a time,
[United States Census records for 1920, Los Angeles, California, Assembly District 63, District 168, sheet 13A] but eventually began to get small roles and was eking out a living as an actor again by 1926. He became a minor but fairly frequently-used member of the
John Ford Stock Company, and did eight films for
John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
between 1929 and 1946. Most memorable among these bit roles was probably that of the barber who slicks down and perfumes
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which la ...
's hair in ''
My Darling Clementine'' (1946). Hall left acting in 1949, though he lived for another 36 years. He died in
North Hollywood, California in 1985.
Partial filmography
* ''
Kindling'' (1915)
* ''
The Prairie Mystery'' (1922)
* ''
Sally, Irene and Mary'' (1925)
* ''
For Ladies Only'' (1927)
* ''
Down the Stretch'' (1928)
* ''
Hot News'' (1928)
* ''
The Midnight Adventure'' (1928)
* ''
Harold Teen'' (1928)
* ''
In the Headlines
''In the Headlines'' is a 1929 crime drama film directed by John G. Adolfi and starring Grant Withers and Marian Nixon. It was produced and distributed by the Warner Brothers.
Cast
*Grant Withers - Nosey Norton
* Marion Nixon - Anna Lou Anderson ...
'' (1929)
* ''
The Girl from Woolworth's'' (1929)
* ''
Vanity Street'' (1932)
*''
Gorilla Ship
''Gorilla Ship'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Frank Strayer from an original screenplay by George Waggner. Starring Ralph Ince, Vera Reynolds, and Reed Howes, the film was produced by Ralph M. Like, Ltd. and distributed by ...
'' (1932)
* ''
Alias Mary Smith'' (1932)
* ''
Love Past Thirty
''Love Past Thirty'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Vin Moore and starring Aileen Pringle, Theodore von Eltz and Phyllis Barry.Pitts, pg. 158
Synopsis
After she is ditched by her boyfriend for her younger niece, a woman devel ...
'' (1934)
* ''
Smoke Tree Range'' (1937)
* ''
Algiers'' (1938)
* ''
Service de Luxe
''Service de Luxe'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Constance Bennett, Vincent Price (in his film debut) and Charles Ruggles.Kellow p.211
Plot
Helen Murphy, alias Dorothy Madison number 1 (Constance Bennet ...
'' (1938)
* ''
Tillie the Toiler'' (1941)
* ''
My Darling Clementine'' (1946)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Ben
1899 births
1985 deaths
People from Brooklyn
20th-century American male actors