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John Hamilton (actor)
Encyclopedia
John Hamilton was an American
actor
, who appeared in many movies and television
programs. He is probably best remembered for his role as the blustery newspaper editor Perry White
on the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman
.
to John M. Hamilton and his wife Cornelia J. (Hollar) Hamilton. Hamilton was the youngest of four children, and his mother died eight days after his birth. His father remarried and Rosa, his stepmother, was the only mother the young Hamilton knew. Hamilton grew up in neighboring Southampton Township Pennsylvania, where his father worked as a store clerk.
Hamilton's father was also appointed Shippensburg's trustee for the State Superintendent of Public Education, so it was a foregone conclusion that Hamilton would receive extensive schooling. Unlike most others of his generation and background (Southampton being a farming community), Hamilton went beyond high school, attending Dickinson College
and Pennsylvania State Teacher's College, but opted to forego teaching for a stage career.
After becoming an actor, he worked on Broadway
and in touring theatrical companies for many years prior to his 1930 film debut. He was in the original Broadway company of the 1922 play Seventh Heaven and would appear in the film remake (Seventh Heaven
) in 1937. He starred with Donald Meek
in a series of short mysteries based on S.S. Van Dine stories for Warner Bros.
He was often typecast in the role of an authority figure; to wit, prison warden, judge, politician or police chief, but played various types of characters, appearing in over three hundred films, movie serial
s or television programs from the 1930s through the 1950s. He became much more widely known when he was cast as the irascible Daily Planet
newspaper editor Perry White in the 1950s TV classic The Adventures Of Superman
(1952). After that, he appeared in television commercials for a line of bifocals
called "Inviso No-Line Glasses." (The idea was to render invisible the seam between the lenses "that tells the world you're over forty.")
Hamilton is often confused with John F. Hamilton, a British
actor who made a few films in the United States during the same period, and with several other actors of the same name.
of a heart attack at the age of 71. He was survived by a son. His interment was located in Hollywood Forever Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, who appeared in many movies and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programs. He is probably best remembered for his role as the blustery newspaper editor Perry White
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
.
Biography
Burly, stentorian-voiced John Hamilton was born John Rummel Hamilton in Shippensburg, PennsylvaniaShippensburg, Pennsylvania
Shippensburg is a borough in Cumberland and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Settled in 1730, Shippensburg lies in the Cumberland Valley, 41 miles west-southwest of Harrisburg, and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1900, 3,228 people...
to John M. Hamilton and his wife Cornelia J. (Hollar) Hamilton. Hamilton was the youngest of four children, and his mother died eight days after his birth. His father remarried and Rosa, his stepmother, was the only mother the young Hamilton knew. Hamilton grew up in neighboring Southampton Township Pennsylvania, where his father worked as a store clerk.
Hamilton's father was also appointed Shippensburg's trustee for the State Superintendent of Public Education, so it was a foregone conclusion that Hamilton would receive extensive schooling. Unlike most others of his generation and background (Southampton being a farming community), Hamilton went beyond high school, attending Dickinson College
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
and Pennsylvania State Teacher's College, but opted to forego teaching for a stage career.
After becoming an actor, he worked on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and in touring theatrical companies for many years prior to his 1930 film debut. He was in the original Broadway company of the 1922 play Seventh Heaven and would appear in the film remake (Seventh Heaven
Seventh Heaven (1937 film)
Seventh Heaven is an American romantic drama film released in 1937 by 20th Century Fox and directed by Henry King. The movie stars Simone Simon and James Stewart....
) in 1937. He starred with Donald Meek
Donald Meek
Donald Meek was a Scottish-born American character actor. He first worked as a stage actor and later became a film actor, starring in several movies including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Miss Broadway, and State Fair. Before becoming an actor, he fought in the Spanish-American War and...
in a series of short mysteries based on S.S. Van Dine stories for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
He was often typecast in the role of an authority figure; to wit, prison warden, judge, politician or police chief, but played various types of characters, appearing in over three hundred films, movie serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
s or television programs from the 1930s through the 1950s. He became much more widely known when he was cast as the irascible Daily Planet
Daily Planet
The Daily Planet is a fictional broadsheet newspaper in the , appearing mostly in the stories of Superman. The building's original features were based upon the AT&T Huron Road Building in Cleveland, Ohio...
newspaper editor Perry White in the 1950s TV classic The Adventures Of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
(1952). After that, he appeared in television commercials for a line of bifocals
Bifocals
Bifocals are eyeglasses with two distinct optical powers. Bifocals are most commonly prescribed to people with presbyopia who also require a correction for myopia, hyperopia, and/or astigmatism.-History:...
called "Inviso No-Line Glasses." (The idea was to render invisible the seam between the lenses "that tells the world you're over forty.")
Hamilton is often confused with John F. Hamilton, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor who made a few films in the United States during the same period, and with several other actors of the same name.
Death
John Hamilton died on 15 October 1958 in Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
of a heart attack at the age of 71. He was survived by a son. His interment was located in Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
.