Harry Davenport ( actor ) - wikipedia Harry Davenport ( actor ) Harry Davenport Harry Davenport ( 1930s ) Harold George Bryant Davenport ( 1866 - 01 - 19 ) January 19, 1866 Canton, Pennsylvania, U.S. August 9, 1949 ( 1949 - 08 - 09 ) ( aged 83 ) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Occupation Actor Years active 1871 -- 1949 Spouse ( s ) Alice Davenport ( 1893 -- 1896 ; divorced ) Phyllis Rankin ( 1896 -- 1934 ; her death ) Parent ( s ) Edward Loomis Davenport ( Father ), Fanny Vining Davenport ( Mother ) Harold George Bryant Davenport ( January 19, 1866 -- August 9, 1949 ) was an American film and stage actor who worked in show business from the age of six until his death. After a long and prolific Broadway career, he came to Hollywood in the 1930s and appeared in films, including Gone with the Wind ( 1939 ), in which he played Dr. Meade. His specialty was playing grandfathers, judges, doctors, and ministers. Bette Davis called Davenport `` without a doubt (... ) the greatest character actor of all time. '' Contents 1 Early life 2 Film career 3 Actors ' Equity Association 4 Personal life 5 Later years / death 6 Partial filmography 7 References 8 External links Early Life Harry Davenport ( ca. 1895 ) This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2017 ) Harry Davenport was born in Canton, Pennsylvania, where his family lived during the holidays. He also grew up in Philadelphia. Harry came from a long line of stage actors ; his father was the famed thespian Edward Loomis Davenport and his mother, Fanny Vining Davenport, was an English actress descendant of the renowned 18th century Irish stage actor, Jack Johnson. His sister was actress Fanny Davenport. He made his stage debut at the age of five in the play Damon and Pythias. Davenport made his Broadway debut in 1894 and appeared there in numerous plays. Film career Harry Davenport was one of the best - known and busiest `` old men '' in Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s. He started his film career at the age of 48. His film debut came in 1914 with silent film Too Many Husbands, in which he played a man trying to keep his love - struck nephew away from a young woman he had raised as his daughter. Later that same year, he starred in Fogg 's Millions co-starring Rose Tapley. The film would go on to become the first in a series of silent comedy shorts. In addition, he also directed eleven silent features during the pre-World War I era, including many of the films in the Mr. and Mrs. Jarr series. Harry Davenport appeared in three films which subsequently won the Academy Award for `` Best Picture '' : William Dieterles film biography The Life of Emile Zola ( 1937 ), Frank Capras You Ca n't Take it With You ( 1938 ) starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and as Dr. Meade in Gone with the Wind ( 1939 ). Some of his other film roles are a lone resident in a ghost town in The Bride Came C.O.D. ( 1942 ), filmed on location in Death Valley, and the aged Louis XI of France in The Hunchback of Notre Dame ( 1939 ) with Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara and Cedric Hardwicke. He also had supporting roles in Alfred Hitchcock 's thriller Foreign Correspondent ( 1940 ), William A. Wellman 's western The Ox - Bow Incident ( 1942 ) and in Kings Row ( 1943 ) with Ronald Reagan. Davenport also played the grandfather of Judy Garland in Vincente Minnelli 's classic Meet Me in St. Louis ( 1944 ) and the great - uncle of Myrna Loy and Shirley Temple in The Bachelor and the Bobby - Soxer ( 1947 ). His last film, Frank Capra 's Riding High ( 1950 ), was released after his death. Harry Davenport appeared until his death in over 160 films. Asked why he made so many films at his age, he replied : `` I hate to see men of my age sit down as if their lives were ended and accept a dole. An old man must show that he knows his job and is no loafer. If he can do that, they can take their pension money and buy daisies with it. '' Actors ' Equity association This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2017 ) In 1913, he co-founded, along with actor Eddie Foy, the Actors ' Equity Association, an American labor union for actors. The original organization, known as the White Rats, was spearheaded by Davenport. After a nine - month stretch, the actors ' group united in defiance of the appalling treatment of actors by theater owners such as the Shubert family and David Belasco, among others, by refusing to appear on stage by striking. The actions of the association caused the closure of all the theatres on Broadway, the only exception being theaters owned by George M. Cohan 's company. Personal Life This section relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. ( June 2017 ) He and his wife Alice wed in 1893. They had one daughter, Dorothy Davenport, who also became an actress. After divorcing Alice in 1896, he married actress Phyllis Rankin, that same year. They had three biological children : Ned, Ann, and Kate, who all became actors. Harry also adopted Phyllis 's son, Arthur Rankin ( actor father of Arthur Rankin, Jr., founder of the Rankin / Bass animation studio ). Actress Anne Seymour ( born Anne Seymour Eckert ) and her brother, radio personality Bill Seymour, were Harry Davenport 's great - niece and great - nephew by their mother, May Davenport. Harry Davenport 's August 10, 1949 Canton Sunday Telegram obituary noted that the couple were together until her death, contrary to reports that he divorced her and remarried. Through his marriage to Phyllis, he was the brother - in - law of Lionel Barrymore, who was married at the time to Phyllis ' sister Doris. Phyllis 's father, McKee Rankin, had been the top actor at the Arch Street Theater, which was run by Lionel 's grandmother and Sidney 's mother, Louisa Lane Drew. He was the grandfather of producer Dirk Wayne Summers, Arthur Rankin Jr., Wallace Reid Jr. and granddaughter Phyllis Gail Davenport. Later years / death After Phyllis 's death, Davenport moved to Los Angeles and lived with his now - grown children. He died of a sudden heart attack at age 83, one hour after he asked his agent Walter Herzbrun about a new film role. In the obituary, a newspaper called him the `` white - haired character actor '' with `` the longest acting career in American history ''. Partial filmography Damon and Pythias ( 1914 ) as Phillistus C.O.D. ( 1914 ) as C.O. Darlington Father and the Boys ( 1915 ) as Tobias Ford One Night ( 1916 ) The Wheel of the Law ( 1916 ) as John Daniels Sowers and Reapers ( 1917 ) as Henry Ainsworth The Planter ( 1917 ) as Short The Unknown Quantity ( 1919 ) as Septimus Kinsolving A Girl at Bay ( 1919 ) as Frank Galt Dawn ( 1919 ) as Daniel Burton Among Those Present ( 1921, Short ) - ( uncredited ) Her Unborn Child ( 1930 ) as Dr. Remington My Sin ( 1931 ) as Roger Metcalf His Woman ( 1931 ) as Customs Inspector ( uncredited ) The Wiser Sex ( 1932 ) as Rolfe 's Defense Attorney ( uncredited ) Get That Venus ( 1933 ) as Mr. Rendleby The Scoundrel ( 1935 ) as Slezack The Case of the Black Cat ( 1936 ) as Peter Laxter Legion of Terror ( 1936 ) as Senator Morton ( uncredited ) Three Men on a Horse ( 1936 ) as Williams Four Days ' Wonder ( 1936 ) as Ticket Agent King of Hockey ( 1936 ) as Tom McKenna Under Cover of Night ( 1937 ) as Dr. Reed Paradise Express ( 1937 ) as Jed Carson Her Husband 's Secretary ( 1937 ) as Dan Kingdon Maytime ( 1937 ) as Opera Director ( uncredited ) Mountain Justice ( 1937 film ) as Printer ( scenes deleted ) As Good as Married ( 1937 ) as Jessup Armored Car ( 1937 ) as Pop Logan Fly - Away Baby ( 1937 ) as Colonel Higgam They Wo n't Forget ( 1937 ) as Confederate Soldier White Bondage ( 1937 ) as Pop Craig Mr. Dodd Takes the Air ( 1937 ) as Doc Jeremiah George Quinn The Life of Emile Zola ( 1937 ) as Chief of Staff Fit for a King ( 1937 ) as Archduke Julio Radio Patrol ( 1937 ) as John P. Adams The Perfect Specimen ( 1937 ) as Carl Carter The Great Garrick ( 1937 ) as Innkeeper of Turk 's Head ( uncredited ) First Lady ( 1937 ) as Charles Wells Fargo ( 1937 ) as Ingalls - Banker Man - Proof ( 1938 ) as Hitch - Hiking Old Man ( uncredited ) Saleslady ( 1938 ) as Miles Cannon Gold Is Where You Find It ( 1938 ) as Dr. Parsons Reckless Living ( 1938 ) as ' General ' Jeff The First Hundred Years ( 1938 ) as Uncle Dawson The Higgins Family ( 1938 ) as Grandpa William Jordan The Rage of Paris ( 1938 ) as Pop - the Caretaker Young Fugitives ( 1938 ) as Joel Bentham Marie Antoinette ( 1938 ) as Monsieur de Cosse ( uncredited ) You Ca n't Take It With You ( 1938 ) as Judge The Sisters ( 1938 ) as Doc Moore The Cowboy and the Lady ( 1938 ) as Uncle Hannibal Smith Orphans of the Street ( 1938 ) as Doc Will Ramsey Long Shot ( 1939 ) as Henry Sharon Made for Each Other ( 1939 ) as Dr. Healy ( uncredited ) Tail Spin ( 1939 ) as T.P. Lester The Story of Alexander Graham Bell ( 1939 ) as Judge Rider Juarez ( 1939 ) as Dr. Samuel Basch My Wife 's Relatives ( 1939 ) as Grandpa Ed Carson Exile Express ( 1939 ) as Dr. Hite Should Husbands Work ? ( 1939 ) as Grandpa Higgins Death of a Champion ( 1939 ) as Guy Lanyard The Covered Trailer ( 1939 ) as Grandpa Ed Carson Gone with the Wind ( 1939 ) as Dr. Meade The Hunchback of Notre Dame ( 1939 ) as King Louis XI Money to Burn ( 1939 ) as Grandpa Ed Carson Dr. Ehrlich 's Magic Bullet ( 1940 ) as Judge Granny Get Your Gun ( 1940 ) as Nate Too Many Husbands ( 1940 ) as George Grandpa Goes to Town ( 1940 ) as Grandpa All This, and Heaven Too ( 1940 ) as Pierre Lucky Partners ( 1940 ) as Judge Foreign Correspondent ( 1940 ) as Mr. Powers Earl of Puddlestone ( 1940 ) as Grandpa Ed Carson I Want a Divorce ( 1940 ) as Grandpa Brokaw Meet John Doe ( 1941 ) as Former Bulletin Owner ( uncredited ) I Wanted Wings ( 1941 ) as ' Sandbags ' Riley That Uncertain Feeling ( 1941 ) as Jone The Bride Came C.O.D. ( 1941 ) as Pop Tolliver Hurricane Smith ( 1941 ) as Robert Ingersoll Reed One Foot in Heaven ( 1941 ) as Elias Samson Son of Fury : The Story of Benjamin Blake ( 1942 ) as Amos Kidder Kings Row ( 1942 ) as Colonel Skeffington Larceny, Inc. ( 1942 ) as Homer Bigelow Ten Gentlemen from West Point ( 1942 ) as Bane Tales of Manhattan ( 1942 ) as Professor Lyons The Amazing Mrs. Holliday ( 1943 ) as Commodore Thomas Spencer Holliday Shantytown ( 1943 ) as ' Doc ' Herndon The Ox - Bow Incident ( 1943 ) as Arthur Davies We 've Never Been Licked ( 1943 ) as Pop Lambert Headin ' for God 's Country ( 1943 ) as Clem Adams December 7th ( 1943 ) as Mr. ' C ' Princess O'Rourke ( 1943 ) as Supreme Court Judge Gangway for Tomorrow ( 1943 ) as Fred Taylor Government Girl ( 1943 ) as Senator MacVickers Jack London ( 1943 ) as Prof. Hilliard Kismet ( 1944 ) as Agha The Impatient Years ( 1944 ) as Minister Meet Me in St. Louis ( 1944 ) as Grandpa Music for Millions ( 1944 ) as Doctor This Love of Ours ( 1945 ) as Dr. Wilkerson She Would n't Say Yes ( 1945 ) as Albert Too Young to Know ( 1945 ) as Judge Boller The Enchanted Forest ( 1945 ) as Old John Pardon My Past ( 1945 ) as Grandpa Pemberton Adventure ( 1945 ) as Dr. Ashlon The Thin Man Goes Home ( 1945 ) as Dr. Bertram Charles Claudia and David ( 1946 ) as Dr. Harry A Boy, a Girl and a Dog ( 1946 ) as Gramps Courage of Lassie ( 1946 ) as Judge Payson G.I. War Brides ( 1946 ) as Grandpa Giles Faithful in My Fashion ( 1946 ) as Great Grandpa Three Wise Fools ( 1946 ) as The Ancient Lady Luck ( 1946 ) as Judge Martin A Boy and His Dog ( 1946, Short ) as Squire Jim Kirby The Farmer 's Daughter ( 1947 ) as Dr. Matthew Sulven Stallion Road ( 1947 ) as Dr. Stevens Sport of Kings ( 1947 ) as Maj. Denning Keeper of the Bees ( 1947 ) as Michael Worthington The Bachelor and the Bobby - Soxer ( 1947 ) as Judge Thaddeus Turner That Hagen Girl ( 1947 ) as Judge Merrivale The Fabulous Texan ( 1947 ) as Rev. Baker Three Daring Daughters ( 1948 ) as Dr. Cannon The Man from Texas ( 1948 ) as ' Pop ' Hickey That Lady in Ermine ( 1948 ) as Luigi For the Love of Mary ( 1948 ) as Justice Peabody The Decision of Christopher Blake ( 1948 ) as Courtroom Attendant Down to the Sea in Ships ( 1949 ) as Benjamin Harris Little Women ( 1949 ) as Dr. Barnes That Forsyte Woman ( 1949 ) as Old Jolyon Forsyte Tell It to the Judge ( 1949 ) as Judge MacKenzie Meredith Riding High ( 1950 ) as Johnson ( final film role ) References Jump up ^ Obituary Variety, August 17, 1949. Jump up ^ Aurora ( November 10, 2013 ). `` Harry Davenport, What a Character ! ''. Once Upon a Screen... a classic film blog. Blog at Worldpress.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015. Jump up ^ Harry Davenport of Canton, Actor Jump up ^ K.D. Reynolds, ' Vining family ( per. 1807 -- 1915 ) ', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 27 Dec 2016 ^ Jump up to : `` Harry Davenport ''. Toledo Blade. August 10, 1949. Retrieved August 12, 2015. Jump up ^ Staff. Photoplay : The Aristocrat of Motion Picture Magazines. 26. p. 130. Retrieved August 12, 2015. Jump up ^ Harry Davenport : Grand old man of the Golden Age, by Ken Dennis External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Harry Davenport. Harry Davenport on IMDb Harry Davenport at the Internet Broadway Database Harry Davenport at Find a Grave Obituary `` Harry Davenport Biography '' by Hal Erickson, Allmovie Harry Davenport and Phyllis Rankin family papers, 1857 - circa 1946, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Higgins Family film series Films The Higgins Family ( 1938 ) My Wife 's Relatives ( 1939 ) Should Husbands Work ? ( 1939 ) The Covered Trailer ( 1939 ) Money to Burn ( 1939 ) Grandpa Goes to Town ( 1940 ) Earl of Puddlestone ( 1940 ) Meet the Missus ( 1940 ) Petticoat Politics ( 1941 ) Actors James Gleason as Joe Higgins Lucile Gleason as Lillian / Lil Higgins Russell Gleason as Sydney Higgins Harry Davenport as Grandpa Lynne Roberts as Marian / Jean Higgins Mary Beth Hughes as Betty Higgins Roscoe Karns as Joe Higgins Ruth Donnelly as Lil Higgins George Ernest as Sydney Higgins Spencer Charters as Grandpa Other crew Gus Meins, director and producer Sol C. Siegel, producer Studio Republic Pictures VIAF : 70365255 LCCN : n85151829 ISNI : 0000 0000 2560 1671 BNF : cb16585641z ( data ) MusicBrainz : b14c5cec - f5cc - 47d0 - 9b49 - 2fa673356f8c SNAC : w6bc4tsg Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harry_Davenport_(actor)&oldid=829254645 '' Categories : 1866 births 1949 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors American people of English descent American people of Irish descent American film directors Silent film directors People from Canton, Pennsylvania Male actors from Philadelphia 19th - century American male actors American male stage actors 20th - century American male actors Burials at Kensico Cemetery Hidden categories : Articles with hCards Articles needing additional references from September 2017 All articles needing additional references Articles needing additional references from June 2017 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017 Pages using div col with deprecated parameters Articles with IBDb links Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from October 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu تۆرکجه Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano Latina Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska 7 more Edit links This page was last edited on 7 March 2018, at 14 : 54. 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Question: who played the doctor in gone with the wind
Answer: Harold George Bryant Davenport