Don Porter

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Don Porter
Don Porter as Russell Lawrence in the 1965 television series GidgetBorn September 24, 1912(1912-09-24)
Miami, Oklahoma, USADied February 11, 1997(aged 84)
Beverly Hills, California, USAOther name(s) Donald Porter Spouse(s) Peggy Converse (1906-2001)

Don Porter (September 24, 1912 — February 11, 1997) was an American actor who appeared in a number of films in the 1940s, including Top Sergeant and Eagle Squadron, but is perhaps best known for his role as Russell Lawrence, the widowed father of 15 year old Frances "Gidget" Lawrence (Sally Field) in the 1965 ABC television series, Gidget.

He played Peter Sands, the operator of "International Artists," a New York talent agency, as the boss of Susan Camille MacNamara (Ann Sothern), his "private secretary[citation needed] on the 1950s situation comedy television series of the same name. A retooled version of the series appeared later, titled The Ann Sothern Show. It featured many of the same actors, including Porter, in the venue of a fashionable New York City hotel.

Porter also made numerous television appearances, performing in TV films such as Gidget Goes to Rome, The Legend of Lizzie Borden, The President's Mistress, and The Last Song. He was married to the actress Peggy Converse.

He also appeared in the 1974 film adaptation of Mame with Lucille Ball and Bea Arthur

Porter died on February 11, 1997, in Beverly Hills, California. He was 84.