Victor Potel
Acting
- Born:
- 1889-10-12
- Died:
- 1947-03-08
- Place of birth:
- Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Victor Potel (October 12, 1889 – March 8, 1947) was an American film character actor who began in the silent era and appeared in over 430 films in his 38-year career. Victor Potel was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1889, and his acting career goes back almost to the beginning of the commercial film industry in the United States. He made his first silent film in 1910, a comedy short filmed in Chicago by Essanay Film Manufacturing Company called A Dog on Business. Potel continued to make films for Essanay, appearing in dozens of films every year, including most of the Broncho Billy series, and played a character called "Slippery Slim" in 80 movies. He also appeared in Universal Pictures' "Snakeville" series. Potel's first talking picture was Melody of Love, starring Walter Pidgeon, made for Universal in 1928. and in the sound era he continued to work continuously and constantly, playing small parts and sometimes uncredited bit parts, all primarily comic roles due to his height (6 ft 1 in or 1.85 m) and gawkiness. In addition to acting, on several occasions Potel also wrote and directed. In the 1920s he directed two silent shorts, The Rubber-Neck in 1924 and Action Craver in 1927, and contributed the story for Saxophobia in 1927. In the following decade, in the sound era, he was the dialogue director for The Big Chance (1933), and wrote the story for Inside Information in 1934). In 1935 he provided continuity and dialogue for Million Dollar Haul and the screenplay for Hot Off the Press. In the 1940s, Potel was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in nine films written and directed by Sturges. Potel continued to work right up until his death on 8 March 1947. The final film he worked on, Relentless finished filming on 28 February of that year.
Known For
Filmography
The Egg and I
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
Yankee Fakir
The Devil Thumbs a Ride
The Glass Alibi
Rhythm Round-Up
Flame of Barbary Coast
A Medal for Benny
Strange Illusion
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
Hail the Conquering Hero
The Great Moment
It Happened Tomorrow
Wagon Wheels West
The Good Fellows
The Man in the Trunk
The Palm Beach Story
Sullivan's Travels
Ride on Vaquero
The Lady from Cheyenne
Pot o' Gold
The Lady Eve
Trail of the Vigilantes
Li'l Abner
Christmas in July
The Villain Still Pursued Her
The Great McGinty
Girl from God's Country
Three Faces West
Young Tom Edison
Slightly Honorable
Chip of the Flying U
Rovin' Tumbleweeds
Blondie Brings Up Baby
Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence
The Housekeeper's Daughter
Hollywood Cavalcade
Second Fiddle
Down the Wyoming Trail
Let Freedom Ring
Stand Up and Fight
The Strange Case of Dr. Meade
On the Great White Trail
The Girl of the Golden West
Adventure's End
Small Town Boy
Western Gold
White Bondage
Two Gun Law
God's Country and the Woman
Laughing at Trouble
The Captain's Kid
Fury
Down to the Sea
O'Malley of the Mounted
Yellow Dust
Three Godfathers
Song of the Saddle
Man Hunt
The Broken Coin
Gun Play
The Fighting Marines
The Last of the Clintons
Moonlight on the Prairie
Shipmates Forever
She Couldn't Take It
Waterfront Lady
The Adventures of Rex and Rinty
Western Frontier
Whispering Smith Speaks
The Drunkard
The Cowboy and the Bandit
Mississippi
Ruggles of Red Gap
The Marriage Bargain
Big Boy Rides Again
Frontier Days
Thunder Over Texas
Inside Information
Twisted Rails
Damaged Lives
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum
Face in the Sky
Partners
Selling Shorts
The Squaw Man
King of the Wild
Scandal Sheet
Ten Cents a Dance
Forward, March!
The Virtuous Sin
Doughboys
Paradise Island
Call of the West
The Bad One
The Virginian
Border Romance
Captain Swagger
Melody of Love
The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come
What Price Beauty?
Two Arabian Sights
Uneasy Payments
Racing Romance
The Lodge in the Wilderness
Morganson's Finish
The Bar-C Mystery
Below the Line
Contraband
Ten Days
A Lost Lady
Along Came Ruth
A Self-Made Failure
The Law Forbids
Reno
The Meanest Man in the World
Modern Matrimony
Itching Palms
Refuge
The Sheik of Hollywood
Quincy Adams Sawyer
The Loaded Door
A Tailor-Made Man
Step on It!
At the Sign of the Jack'O Lantern
One a Minute
Lavender and Old Lace
Bob Hampton of Placer
Billions
The Heart of a Child
Mary's Ankle
Water, Water, Everywhere
In Mizzoura
A Petal on the Current
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
Full of Pep
The Amateur Adventuress
Captain Kidd, Jr.
Who's Your Father?
Baseball Madness
Hearts and Saddles
What Darwin Missed
Just a Few Little Things
Broncho Billy and the Card Sharp
Versus Sledge Hammers
Broncho Billy Steps In
Broncho Billy and the Land Grabber
The Bachelor's Burglar
The Revenue Agent
His Regeneration
Ingomar of the Hills
Broncho Billy and the Vigilante
Slim the Brave and Sophie the Fair
Sophie's Home-Coming
When Slippery Slim Bought the Cheese
Sentimental Sophie
Broncho Billy and the Sisters
When Slippery Slim Went for the Eggs
The Battle of Snakeville
Snakeville's Rising Sons
Broncho Billy and the Sheriff's Office
Slippery Slim Gets Square
Snakeville's Blind Pig
Sophie's Sweetheart
Sophie's Fatal Wedding
Snakeville's Reform Wave
A Horse on Sophie
Sophie and the Man of Her Choice
Slippery Slim and the Impersonator
Snakeville and the Corset Demonstrator
Slippery Slim, The Mortgage and Sophie
Broncho Billy Rewarded
Snakeville's Peace-Maker
When Slippery Slim Met the Champion
Slippery Slim Gets Cured
Broncho Billy, a Friend in Need
Broncho Billy, the Vagabond
Broncho Billy's Wild Ride
Broncho Billy Wins Out
Snakeville's New Waitress
Slippery Slim -- Diplomat
Sophie Gets Stung
Sophie Finds a Hero
The Wooing of Sophie
Broncho Billy and the Mine Shark
The Snakeville Volunteer
The Good-for-Nothing
Sophie Pulls a Good One
Sophie Starts Something
Broncho Billy's Leap
Broncho Billy's Sermon
Pie for Sophie
A Gamblers' Way
Broncho Billy and the Red Man
What Came to Bar Q
Broncho Billy and the Bad Man
A Night on the Road
Broncho Billy-Guardian
Snakeville's New Doctor
A Snakeville Courtship
That Pair from Thespia
Sophie's New Foreman
The Three Gamblers
Broncho Billy's Squareness
A Romance of the Hills
Sophie's Hero
Broncho Billy's First Arrest
The Last Laugh
Alkali Ike and the Wildman
Broncho Billy's Oath
Why Broncho Billy Left Bear County
Broncho Billy Reforms
Broncho Billy and the Western Girls
Alkali Ike and the Hypnotist
Alkali Ike's Misfortunes
Alkali Ike's Homecoming
The Accusation of Broncho Billy
Broncho Billy's Gratefulness
Broncho Billy and the Squatter's Daughter
Broncho Billy and the Sheriff's Kid
The Making of Broncho Billy
Broncho Billy's Gun Play
Broncho Billy's Promise
Broncho Billy's Mexican Wife
Alkali Ike's Close Shave
An Indian's Friendship
The Tomboy on Bar Z
Alkali Ike Stung!
An Indian Sunbeam
Alkali Ike's Pants
The Tenderfoot Foreman
Broncho Billy for Sheriff
Alkali Ike Plays the Devil
Broncho Billy's Pal
A Story of Montana
Broncho Billy's Narrow Escape
On the Cactus Trail
Alkali Ike Bests Broncho Billy
The Ranch Girl's Mistake
The Biter Bitten
The Prospector's Legacy
Broncho Billy and the Schoolmistress
The Oath of His Office
Widow Jenkins' Admirers
The Loafer
A Child of the West
Broncho Billy's Adventure
Broncho Billy's Christmas Dinner
The Forester's Plea
Town Hall, Tonight
The Strike at the Little Jonny Mine
Broncho Bill's Last Spree
The Two Fugitives
The Corporation and the Ranch Girl
A Hungry Pair
The Infant at Snakeville
Alkali Ike's Auto
The Puncher's New Love
The Bunco Game at Lizardhead
The Indian Maiden's Lesson
Across the Plains
The Sheriff's Chum
The Bad Man's Downfall
Hank and Lank: They Make a Mash
The Two Reformations
The Border Ranger
The Count and the Cowboys
The Bad Man's Christmas Gift
Hank and Lank: Blind Men
The Tenderfoot Messenger
A Cowboy's Vindication
Circle C Ranch's Wedding Present
Hank and Lank: As Sandwich Men
Hank and Lank, Lifesavers
A Westerner's Way
The Silent Message
Hank and Lank—Uninvited Guests
A Cowboy's Mother-in-Law
Hank and Lank: They Get Wise to a New Scheme
The Bearded Bandit
Patricia of the Plains
Hank and Lank: They Dude Up Some
The Tout's Remembrance
Hank and Lank: Joyriding
A Dog on Business