Victor Potel

Victor Potel (October 12, 1889 – March 8, 1947) was an American film character actor who began in the silent era and appeared in more than 430 films in his 38-year career.

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 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 March 8, 1947. The final film he worked on, Relentless finished filming on February 28 of that year.

Selected filmography Silent

A Dog on Business (1910, Short) Across the Plains (1911, Short) Alkali Ike's Auto (1911, Short) The Good-for-Nothing (1914) - Old Clerk His Regeneration (1915, Short) - Pawn Shop Clerk (uncredited) Baseball Madness (1917, Short) Captain Kidd, Jr. (1919) - Constable Sam Full of Pep (1919) - Beanpole The Amateur Adventuress (1919) - Gregory Charles Sentel The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1919) The Petal on the Current (1919) - Skinny Flint In Mizzoura (1919) - Dave Water, Water, Everywhere (1920) - Steve Brainard Mary's Ankle (1920) - Johnny Stokes The Heart of a Child (1920) - Charley Peastone Billions (1920) - Pushkin Bob Hampton of Placer (1921) - Willie McNeil One a Minute (1921) - Jingo Pitts Lavender and Old Lace (1921) - Joe Pendleton At the Sign of the Jack O'Lantern (1922) - The Poet I Can Explain (1922) - Will Potter Don't Write Letters (1922) - The Lover Step on It! (1922) - Noisy Johnson The Loaded Door (1922) - Slim A Tailor-Made Man (1922) - Peter Quincy Adams Sawyer (1922) - Hiram Maxwell Refuge (1923) - Alphpmse Modern Matrimony (1923) - Junior Rutherford Penrod and Sam (1923) - Town Drunkard Itching Palms (1923) - The Village Dumbbell Tea: With a Kick! (1923) - Bellboy 13 The Meanest Man in the World (1923) - Lute Boon Anna Christie (1923) - Minor Role (uncredited) Reno (1923) - Detective McRae Women Who Give (1924) - Ephraim Doolittle The Law Forbids (1924) - Joel Andrews A Self-Made Failure (1924) - Pokey Jones Along Came Ruth (1924) - Oscar Sims A Lost Lady (1924) - Ivy Peters Ten Days (1925) - Constable Contraband (1925) - George Bogardus Beyond the Border (1925) - Man in Smallpox (credited as Vic Potel) Below the Line (1925) - 'Cuckoo' Niles What Price Beauty (1925) The Bar-C Mystery (1926) Morganson's Finish (1926) - Ole Jensen The Lodge in the Wilderness (1926) - Goofus The Carnival Girl (1926) - Slim Racing Romance (1926) - Constable Uneasy Payments (1927) - Press Agent Special Delivery (1927) - Nip, a detective (scenes deleted) The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1928) - Tom Turner Lingerie (1928) - Leroy's Buddy Captain Swagger (1928) - Jean

Sound

Melody of Love (1928) - The Gawk Border Romance (1929) - Slim The Virginian (1929) - Nebrasky The Bad One (1930) - Sailor Call of the West (1930) - Trig Peters Paradise Island (1930) - Swede Doughboys (1930) - Svendenburg The Virtuous Sin (1930) - Sentry De frente, marchen (1930) - Adormidera Scandal Sheet (1931) - Reporter (uncredited) Ten Cents a Dance (1931) - Smith, a Sailor King of the Wild (1931) - Peterson The Squaw Man (1931) - Andy Partners (1932) - Deputy Lem Make Me a Star (1932) - Actor in 'Wide Open Spaces' (uncredited) The Purchase Price (1932) - Clyde (uncredited) Face in the Sky (1933) - Ed Burns, Carnival Patron (uncredited) Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933) - The General (uncredited) Damaged Lives (1933) - Policeman Dancing Lady (1933) - Worker (uncredited) Twisted Rails (1934) - Tom Watson Inside Information (1934) - Rice - Thin Detective Thunder Over Texas (1934) - Dick Frontier Days (1934) - Deputy Tex Hatch Big Boy Rides Again (1935) - Scarface Ruggles of Red Gap (1935) - Curly - Cowboy (uncredited) The Marriage Bargain (1935) - Jeff Thompson Mississippi (1935) - Guest (uncredited) The Drunkard (1935) - Farmer Gates The Cowboy and the Bandit (1935) - Lanky - Henchman (uncredited) Million Dollar Haul (1935) - Schultz - Florist / Henchman (uncredited) Whispering Smith Speaks (1935) - Bill Prouty Hard Rock Harrigan (1935) - 'Big' Oscar Lady Tubbs (1935) - Slim (uncredited) The Adventures of Rex and Rinty (1935, Serial) - Kinso, Royal Guard Commander [Chs. 1, 10-12] Western Frontier (1935) - Slim (uncredited) Trails End (1935) - Red The Girl Friend (1935) - Small Town Farmer (uncredited) Waterfront Lady (1935) - Alex She Couldn't Take It (1935) - Farmer (uncredited) Shipmates Forever (1935) - Radio Fan (uncredited) Barbary Coast (1935) - Wilkins (uncredited) Moonlight on the Prairie (1935) - Tall Cowboy (uncredited) The Last of the Clintons (1935) - Jed Clinton The Fighting Marines (1935, Serial) - Henchman - Fake Native Chief [Ch. 12] Gun Play (1935) - Brawler (uncredited) Hot Off the Press (1935) The Broken Coin (1936) Man Hunt (1936) - Townsman Pointing Out Shefiff's Office (uncredited) The Milky Way (1936) - Todd Fight Spectator (uncredited) Yellow Dust (1936) - Jugger - the Bartender The Music Goes 'Round (1936) - Garage Attendant (uncredited) Song of the Saddle (1936) - Little Casino Three Godfathers (1936) - 'Buck Tooth' O'Malley of the Mounted (1936) - Gabby - the Cook Down to the Sea (1936) - Andy Fury (1936) - Jorgeson - Barber Shop Customer (uncredited) We Went to College (1936) - Boatman (uncredited) The Captain's Kid (1936) - Deputy Jake Hutchinson Four Days' Wonder (1936) - Postman (uncredited) Arizona Mahoney (1936) - Stagecoach Helper Elmer (uncredited) Laughing at Trouble (1936) - Lem Parker (uncredited) Lady from Nowhere (1936) - Abner God's Country and the Woman (1937) - Turpentine Racing Lady (1937) - Mr. Mitchell (uncredited) Two Gun Law (1937) - Cassius A Day at the Races (1937) - Horn Blower (uncredited) Married Before Breakfast (1937) - Tall Hobo Being Shaved (uncredited) White Bondage (1937) - Luke Stacey (uncredited) Western Gold (1937) - Jasper On Such a Night (1937) - Louisiana Sharecropper (uncredited) Small Town Boy (1937) - Abner Towner Adventure's End (1937) - Tall Sailor (uncredited) Swing Your Lady (1938) - Clem (uncredited) The Girl of the Golden West (1938) - Lem - Stagecoach Driver (uncredited) On the Great White Trail (1938) - Lyons (uncredited) The Strange Case of Dr. Meade (1938) - Steve Stand Up and Fight (1939) - Coach Driver (uncredited) Let Freedom Ring (1939) - Ole Swensen - 2nd Swede (uncredited) Down the Wyoming Trail (1939) - Slim (uncredited) The Housekeeper's Daughter (1939) - Suspect (uncredited) Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (1939) - Ranch Hand (uncredited) Blondie Brings Up Baby (1939) - Lars (uncredited) Rovin' Tumbleweeds (1939) - Man in Store Chip of the Flying U (1939) - Station Agent (uncredited) Slightly Honorable (1939) - Gasoline Station Proprietor (uncredited) West of Carson City (1940) - Ranch Hand Gabby (uncredited) Young Tom Edison (1940) - Mr. Tompkins (uncredited) Enemy Agent (1940) - George (uncredited) Three Faces West (1940) - Postman (uncredited) The Great McGinty (1940) - Cook (uncredited) Girl from God's Country (1940) - Barber The Villain Still Pursued Her (1940) - Policeman (uncredited) Christmas in July (1940) - Davenola Salesman Li'l Abner (1940) - Fantastic Brown Trail of the Vigilantes (1940) - Conductor (uncredited) Road Show (1941) - Rube (uncredited) The Lady Eve (1941) - Third Ship's Waiter (uncredited) A Girl, a Guy and a Gob (1941) - Bystander Eating Popcorn (uncredited) Las Vegas Nights (1941) - Cowboy Onlooker at Slot Machine (uncredited) Pot o' Gold (1941) - Olaf Svenson (uncredited) The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) - Attendant at First Bath House (uncredited) The Lady from Cheyenne (1941) - Lem (uncredited) Ride on Vaquero (1941) - Ole (uncredited) The Big Store (1941) - Swedish Blonde Children's Father (uncredited) Puddin' Head (1941) - Hillbilly New Wine (1941) - Minor Role (uncredited) Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941) - Russian Magistrate Clines (uncredited) Nothing but the Truth (1941) - Pedestrian (scenes deleted) Birth of the Blues (1941) - Trumpet Player in Beer Garden (uncredited) Look Who's Laughing (1941) - Mr. Bagworthy, the Postman (uncredited) Sullivan's Travels (1941) - Cameraman The Palm Beach Story (1942) - Mr. McKeewie The Man in the Trunk (1942) - Deaf Floor Man (uncredited) The Valley of Vanishing Men (1942, Serial) - Townsman (uncredited) The Sky's the Limit (1943) - Joe - Second Bartender (uncredited) The Good Fellows (1943) - Branders (uncredited) Girl Crazy (1943) - Station Master (uncredited) The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1943) - Newspaper Editor It Happened Tomorrow (1944) - Joe (uncredited) The Great Moment (1944) - First Dental Patient Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) - Progressive Bandleader (uncredited) Kansas City Kitty (1944) - Painter (uncredited) Goin' to Town (1944) - (uncredited) Can't Help Singing (1944) - Guide (uncredited) Strange Illusion (1945) - Mac - Game Warden A Medal for Benny (1945) - Pepster (uncredited) Flame of Barbary Coast (1945) - Train Fireman (uncredited) Rhythm Round-Up (1945) - Slim Jensen Captain Tugboat Annie (1945) - Swenson The Glass Alibi (1946) - Gas Attendant They Made Me a Killer (1946) - Willoughby (uncredited) The Return of Rusty (1946) - Gas Station Attendant (uncredited) Heldorado (1946) - Desert Springs Station Agent (uncredited) The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) - Speaker (uncredited) Calendar Girl (1947) - Fireman (uncredited) The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947) - Prof. Potelle The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947) - Minnie's Old Man (uncredited) Ramrod (1947) - Burch Nellice The Egg and I (1947) - Crowbar The Farmer's Daughter (1947) - Farmer with Destroyed Property (uncredited) Yankee Fakir (1947) - Contest Chairman (uncredited) The Millerson Case (1947) - Hank Nixon (uncredited) Relentless (1948) - Barfly (uncredited)