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Billy Bevan
Billy Bevan
	Bevan, 1920s
Born	William Bevan Harris; 29 September 1887; Orange, New South Wales, Australia
Died	26 November 1957 (aged 70); Escondido, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actor; comedian;
Years active	1916–1952
Spouses	Leah Leona Roberts (1918–52), Betsy Rees (1954–his death)
Children	2 daughters

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 more than 250 American films from 1916 to 1952.^{[citation needed]} He died 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: "Bevan" rhyming with "seven".

Career

Bevan was born in the country town of Orange, New South Wales, Australia.^[1]^[2]^[3] He went on the stage at an early age, traveled to Sydney and spent eight years in Australian light opera, performing as Willie Bevan.^[4] He sailed to America with the Pollard’s Lilliputian Opera Company in 1912,^[1]^[5] and later toured Canada.^[5] 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.^[6]

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; he was the first to perform the familiar "oyster" routine—in which a bowl of "fresh oyster stew" shows alarming signs of life and battles the guy trying to eat it—in the Sennett comedy Wandering Willies (1926). The routine was later performed by Curly Howard, Lou Costello, and Huntz Hall.

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. Bevan lost his starring berth when Sennett canceled all contracts to retool his studio for the new talking pictures; Bevan had already completed several silent shorts, which were released gradually through 1929.

The advent of talkies took their toll on the careers of many silent stars, including Billy Bevan. Although he did co-star in a few talkie shorts, including the "Taxi Boys" comedy Thundering Taxis (1932) and the ZaSu Pitts short She Whoops to Conquer (1934), his starring roles had come to an end. He was still a resourceful actor, and in 1929 he began a second career as a character actor and bit player: a bus driver in High Voltage, a hotel employee in the Mae Murray film Peacock Alley, Second Lieutenant Trotter in Journey's End. 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).^[7] He played a friendly bus conductor opposite Greer Garson in one of the opening scenes of Mrs. Miniver.

Billy Bevan died in 1957 in Escondido, California.^[1]

Filmography

Salome vs. Shenandoah (1919)
Distilled Love (1920, Short)
Married Life (1920) - Hospital Staff / Janitor (uncredited)
Love, Honor and Behave (1920) - A Fake Lawyer
A Small Town Idol (1921) - Director
Home Talent (1921) - Minor Role (uncredited)
On Patrol (1922) - star policeman then convict
The Crossroads of New York (1922) - Press Agent
The Extra Girl (1923) - Comedian
The White Sin (1924) - Travers Dale
One Spooky Night (1924) - Man in the Haunted House
Flirty Four-Flushers (1926, Short) - Jerry Connors / Archibald De Shyster
Easy Pickings (1927) - The Detective
The Golf Nut (1927) - Billy Divott
The Girl from Everywhere (1927) - Messenger
Riley the Cop (1928) - Paris Cabman (uncredited)
High Voltage (1929) - Gus (The Driver)
Weak But Willing (1929) - George Downing
The Trespasser (1929) - Reporter (uncredited)
The Sky Hawk (1929) - Tom Berry
Peacock Alley (1930) - Walter - Bell Captain
Journey's End (1930) - 2nd Lt. Trotter
Temptation (1930) - Sam
For the Defense (1930) - Drunk (uncredited)
Monte Carlo (1930) - Train Conductor (uncredited)
For the Love o' Lil (1930) - Edward O. Walker
Born to Love (1931) - Departing British Soldier (uncredited)
The Spy (1931) - Minor Role (uncredited)
Chances (1931)
Transatlantic (1931) - Hodgkins
Waterloo Bridge (1931) - Soldier on the Make (uncredited)
The Silent Witness (1932) - Horace Ward
Sky Devils (1932) - The Colonel
Vanity Fair (1932) - Joseph Sedley
Payment Deferred (1932) - Hammond
Me and My Gal (1932) - Ashley (uncredited)
Cavalcade (1933) - George Grainger
Luxury Liner (1933) - Schultz
Looking Forward (1933) - Mr. Barker, Night Watchman
A Study in Scarlet (1933) - Will Swallow
Peg o' My Heart (1933) - Detective #2 (uncredited)
Midnight Club (1933) - Detective (uncredited)
Too Much Harmony (1933) - Stage Director
The Way to Love (1933) - M. Prial
Alice in Wonderland (1933) - Two of Spades (uncredited)
Caravan (1934) - Police Sergeant
The Lost Patrol (1934) - Hale
Stingaree (1934) - Mac
Shock (1934) - Meadows
One More River (1934) - Cloakroom Attendant
Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1934) - Man in Hotel Room (uncredited)
The Painted Veil (1934) - Bridegroom (scenes deleted)
Limehouse Blues (1934) - Herb
Mystery Woman (1935) - Jepson
Vanessa: Her Love Story (1935) - Horse Auctioneer (uncredited)
Black Sheep (1935) - Alfred
Dressed to Thrill (1935) - Canadian Soldier (uncredited)
The Last Outpost (1935) - Private Foster
A Tale of Two Cities (1935) - Jerry Cruncher
The Widow from Monte Carlo (1935) - Police Officer Watkins (uncredited)
Song and Dance Man (1936) - Curtis
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) - Cabby (uncredited)
Champagne Charlie (1936) - Mr. Boswick - Ship Bartender (uncredited)
Dracula's Daughter (1936) - Albert
Private Number (1936) - Frederick
Piccadilly Jim (1936) - Taxi Driver
Lloyd's of London (1936) - Innkeeper
God's Country and the Woman (1937) - Plug Hat
Personal Property (1937) - Frank the Waiter (uncredited)
Slave Ship (1937) - Atkins
Another Dawn (1937) - Pvt. Hawkins
The Sheik Steps Out (1937) - Munson
The Wrong Road (1937) - McLean
Bringing Up Baby (1938) - Johe - Bartender (uncredited)
The Girl of the Golden West (1938) - Nick
Blond Cheat (1938) - The Bartender (uncredited)
The Young in Heart (1938) - Kennel Man (uncredited)
Meet the Girls (1938) - Bartender (uncredited)
Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938) - Customs Official (uncredited)
Shadows Over Shanghai (1938) - Gallicuddy
Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1938) - Aquarium Guard (uncredited)
Up the River (1938) - Bartender (uncredited)
A Christmas Carol (1938) - Street Watch Leader (uncredited)
Let Freedom Ring (1939) - Cockney (uncredited)
Captain Fury (1939) - Duffy
Grand Jury Secrets (1939) - Masseur (uncredited)
Pack Up Your Troubles (1939) - British Sergeant (uncredited)
We Are Not Alone (1939) - Mr. Jones
The Earl of Chicago (1940) - Guide
The Invisible Man Returns (1940) - Jim (uncredited)
Rebecca (1940) - Policeman (uncredited)
The Long Voyage Home (1940) - Joe - Limehouse Barman (uncredited)
Tin Pan Alley (1940) - Stage Doorman
Scotland Yard (1941) - Porter (uncredited)
Penny Serenade (1941) - McDougal (uncredited)
One Night in Lisbon (1941) - Lord Fitzleigh's Aide (uncredited)
Shining Victory (1941) - Chivers
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) - Mr. Weller
Suspicion (1941) - Ticket Taker (uncredited)
Confirm or Deny (1941) - Mr. Bindle
The Man Who Wouldn't Die (1942) - Phillips - the Butler
This Above All (1942) - Farmer (uncredited)
Mrs. Miniver (1942) - Bus Conductor (uncredited)
Hi, Neighbor (1942) - Guest (uncredited)
Counter-Espionage (1942) - George Barrow
A Yank at Eton (1942) - Tour Guide (uncredited)
I Married a Witch (1942) - Puritan Vendor (uncredited)
London Blackout Murders (1943) - Air Raid Warden
Forever and a Day (1943) - Wartime Cabby
Young and Willing (1943) - Phillips
Holy Matrimony (1943) - Cabby (uncredited)
The Return of the Vampire (1943) - Horace - Civil Defense Worker (uncredited)
Jane Eyre (1943) - Bookie (uncredited)
The Lodger (1944) - Bartender (uncredited)
Once Upon a Time (1944) - Patrol Cop-Driver (uncredited)
The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944) - Sergeant
The Pearl of Death (1944) - Constable (uncredited)
National Velvet (1944) - Constable (uncredited)
Tonight and Every Night (1945) - Cabbie (uncredited)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) - Malvolio Jones - Chairman
Scotland Yard Investigator (1945) - Porter (uncredited)
Terror by Night (1946) - Train Attendant
Devotion (1946) - Mr. Ames (uncredited)
Cluny Brown (1946) - Uncle Arn Porritt (uncredited)
Moss Rose (1947) - White Horse Cabby (uncredited)
Love from a Stranger (1947) - Taxi Driver (uncredited)
It Had to Be You (1947) - Evans - the Butler
The Swordsman (1948) - Old Andrew
The Black Arrow (1948) - Dungeon Keeper
Let's Live a Little (1948) - Morton (uncredited)
The Secret Garden (1949) - Barney
The Secret of St. Ives (1949) - Douglas (uncredited)
That Forsyte Woman (1949) - Porter (uncredited)
Tell It to the Judge (1949) - Winston - Kitty's Butler (uncredited)
Fortunes of Captain Blood (1950) - Billy Bragg
Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950) - Will Scarlet
Three Secrets (1950) - Ed Jackson (uncredited)
Hans Christian Andersen (1952) - Town Councilman (uncredited)

Gallery

Billy Bevan and Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties, 1920s
Scene from Oh! Daddy!, featuring Billy Bevan (bottom) and Mildred June (not shown), 1922

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Billy Bevan, Retired Movie Actor and Rancher, Dies". Times-Advocate. Escondido, California. 29 November 1957. p. 1.
^ "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZVN-XR2 : 24 August 2019), William Bevan, 1917-1918.
^ "United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V48R-RCB : 8 November 2017), William Bevan, 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
^ "Christmas Entertainments". Healesville And Yarra Glen Guardian. Victoria, Australia. 29 December 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 22 December 2016 – via Trove.
^ ^a ^b "Theatrical Gazette". The Referee. New South Wales, Australia. 8 January 1913. p. 15. Retrieved 22 December 2016 – via Trove.
^ "Billy Bevan Has New Wind Machine For Use On His Local Citrus Grove". Times-Advocate. Escondido, California. 12 November 1937. p. 14.
^ Anthony Slide (2012), Hollywood Unknowns: A History of Extras, Bit Players, and Stand-Ins P.162, University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1617034749. Slide also notes this of Clyde Cook