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Pierre Frank Watkin (December 29, 1889 – February 3, 1960) was an American character actor in many films, serials, and television series from the 1930s through the 1950s, especially westerns. He is perhaps best remembered for being the father of Eleanor Twitchell, the lady who captures Lou Gehrig's heart in Pride of the Yankees (1942)
Watkin was born in Sioux City, Iowa. In the 1920s, he had his own theatrical troupe, the Pierre Watkin Players. In 1927, the group moved its headquarters from Sioux Falls to Lincoln, Nebraska.
Watkin portrayed Perry White in both of the Superman serials of the late 1940s, which starred Kirk Alyn as the title character and Noel Neill as Lois Lane.
Watkin played a few different characters in the television series Adventures of Superman, in which John Hamilton played Perry White. He was set to reprise his role as the editor of The Daily Planet in a revival of the series in 1959, as Hamilton had died in the interim since the cancellation of the original series. However, series star George Reeves also died in the summer of 1959, and those plans ended. Watkin himself died six months later.
He also cast in 1955 in the episode "Joey and the Gypsies" of the NBC children's western series Fury. Watkin guest starred in the CBS western series Brave Eagle. He was cast twice each on the ABC/Warner Brothers series, Cheyenne (as Harvey Sinclair in "The Law Man") and Annie Oakley (as the Reverend Mills in the 1956 episode "The Reckless Press"). In 1958, Watkin portrayed Dr. Breen of Samaritan Hospital in the episode "San Francisco Story" of Rex Allen's syndicated western series, Frontier Doctor.
During the first season of CBS's Perry Mason from 1957 to 1958, Watkin appeared in three episodes as Judge Keetley. He was also cast during the 1950s on The Range Rider, Tales of the Texas Rangers, in three episodes of the western aviation adventure series Sky King, and five times on The Jack Benny Program.
Watkin played the part of Colonel Duncan in the 1958 episode "Decoy" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series Colt .45.
Known For
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
Senator Barnes
Monsieur Verdoux
(1947)
Prison Official (uncredited)
Dangerous
(1935)
George Sheffield
Stage Door
(1937)
Carmichael
Marked Woman
(1937)
Judge #2 (uncredited)
Flamingo Road
(1949)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Arthur Cedar (uncredited)
Dakota
(1945)
Wexton Geary
Jungle Woman
(1944)
Dr. Meredith
Adventure
(1945)
Mr. Buckley
Nazi Agent
(1942)
Grover Blaine McHenry
Destroyer
(1943)
Admiral
You Can't Take It with You
(1938)
Attorney to Kirby (uncredited)
Great Guns
(1941)
Col. Wayburn
Creature with the Atom Brain
(1955)
Mayor Bremer
Lydia
(1941)
Speaker
Full Filmography
Acting
He Who Gets Slapped
(1924)
Spectator in Audience at HE's Final Performance
Dangerous
(1935)
George Sheffield
If You Could Only Cook
(1935)
Mr. Balderson (uncredited)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Arthur Cedar (uncredited)
Country Gentlemen
(1936)
Mr. Grayson
King of Hockey
(1936)
Thomas A. White
It Had to Happen
(1936)
District Attorney
Wanted: Jane Turner
(1936)
Andrew Norris (uncredited)
The Gentleman from Louisiana
(1936)
Roger Leland
Counterfeit
(1936)
Matt McDonald
Two in the Dark
(1936)
City Editor
Love Letters of a Star
(1936)
Hobbs
The Big Game
(1936)
The College Chancellor
Bunker Bean
(1936)
Mr. Barnes (uncredited)
You May Be Next!
(1936)
Bernard Pine (uncredited)
China Clipper
(1936)
Secretary of State (uncredited)
Under Your Spell
(1936)
Allen's Lawyer (uncredited)
Stage Door
(1937)
Carmichael
Under Southern Stars
(1937)
Robert E. Lee
Paradise Isle
(1937)
Dr. Steinmeyer
Larceny on the Air
(1937)
Kennedy
Sea Devils
(1937)
USS Taroe Commander
She's Dangerous
(1937)
H.J. Conrad
Bill Cracks Down
(1937)
William 'Bill' Reardon Sr.
The Hit Parade
(1937)
J. B. Hawley
The Man Who Cried Wolf
(1937)
Governor
Mountain Justice
(1937)
Governor
Breakfast for Two
(1937)
Gordon Faraday
Ever Since Eve
(1937)
Barton
Devil's Playground
(1937)
Submarine Commander
Internes Can't Take Money
(1937)
Dr. Fearson
The Californian
(1937)
Miller
Confession
(1937)
Lawyer Stagoff (uncredited)
Dangerous Number
(1937)
Mr. Stark - the Bridegroom
Green Light
(1937)
Dr. Booth
The Go-Getter
(1937)
Browne
The Singing Marine
(1937)
General
Marked Woman
(1937)
Judge #2 (uncredited)
Michael O'Halloran
(1937)
Mark Grave
History Is Made at Night
(1937)
Mr. Doodle Kicks Off
(1938)
Mr. Wondel
Midnight Intruder
(1938)
Attorney Peter Winslow
Tip-Off Girls
(1938)
George Murkil
There's Always a Woman
(1938)
Mr. Ketterling
Illegal Traffic
(1938)
Jigger
Young Dr. Kildare
(1938)
Mr. Robert Chanler
Girls' School
(1938)
Mr. Alfred Simpson
Smashing the Rackets
(1938)
John Nelson Davis
Boy Meets Girl
(1938)
B.K. Whitacre
There's That Woman Again
(1938)
Mr. Nacelle
Girls on Probation
(1938)
Mr. Storm
Arsène Lupin Returns
(1938)
Mr. Carter (uncredited)
The Lady Objects
(1938)
Mr. Harper
You Can't Take It with You
(1938)
Attorney to Kirby (uncredited)
The Chaser
(1938)
Mr. Beaumont
State Police
(1938)
Col. C.B. Clarke
The Mad Miss Manton
(1938)
Mr. Fenton (uncredited)
Dangerous to Know
(1938)
Senator Carson
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
Senator Barnes
Society Lawyer
(1939)
Henry V. Adams
The Great Victor Herbert
(1939)
Albert Martin
Risky Business
(1939)
Abernathy
The Spirit of Culver
(1939)
Capt. Wharton
Wall Street Cowboy
(1939)
Roger Hammond
Secret Service of the Air
(1939)
Chief of the Secret Service
King of the Underworld
(1939)
District Attorney
The Mysterious Miss X
(1939)
Winslow
Wings of the Navy
(1939)
Capt. March
Fast and Loose
(1939)
Victor Stockton
They Made Her a Spy
(1939)
Colonel Wilson
Everything's on Ice
(1939)
Hotel Manager
Geronimo
(1939)
Col. White
Off the Record
(1939)
Barton
Rulers of the Sea
(1939)
Mr. Caldwell (Uncredited)
The Adventures of Jane Arden
(1939)
Albert Thayer
Outside These Walls
(1939)
Hewitt Bronson
The Jones Family in Hollywood
(1939)
Movie Studio Producer (uncredited)
The Covered Trailer
(1939)
Horace Cartwright
I Love You Again
(1940)
Mr. W.H. Sims
The Saint Takes Over
(1940)
Ben Egan
Five Little Peppers in Trouble
(1940)
J.H. King
Out West with the Peppers
(1940)
J.H. King
The Bank Dick
(1940)
Mr. Skinner
The Green Hornet Strikes Again!
(1940)
Boss Crogan
Father Is A Prince
(1940)
Mr. Lee
No Time for Comedy
(1940)
First-Nighter (uncredited)
Hired Wife
(1940)
Charlie - Phyllis's Escort
Captain Caution
(1940)
American Consul
Knute Rockne All American
(1940)
Commissioner at Hearing (uncredited)
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
(1940)
Mr. Robert Chandler
Rhythm on the River
(1940)
Uncle John
Mystery Sea Raider
(1940)
Straker
Road to Singapore
(1940)
Morgan Wycott (uncredited)
Earthbound
(1940)
President of the Court
Sailor's Lady
(1940)
Captain
Golden Gloves
(1940)
A.P. Barton - Editor (uncredited)
Teddy the Rough Rider
(1940)
Sen. Platt
Gangs of Chicago
(1940)
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring
(1941)
Crothers
Life with Henry
(1941)
Mr. Joseph Anderson
Adventure in Washington
(1941)
Frank Conroy
She Knew All the Answers
(1941)
George Wharton
Great Guns
(1941)
Col. Wayburn
Jesse James at Bay
(1941)
Phineas Krager - Land Dealer
Buy Me That Town
(1941)
Carlton Williams
Meet John Doe
(1941)
Hammett
Cracked Nuts
(1941)
Mr. Benson
Nevada City
(1941)
Amos Norton
Naval Academy
(1941)
Capt. Davis
For Beauty's Sake
(1941)
Middlesex
Lydia
(1941)
Speaker
A Man Betrayed
(1941)
Governor
Petticoat Politics
(1941)
Alfred Wilcox
Nazi Agent
(1942)
Grover Blaine McHenry
Whistling in Dixie
(1942)
Doctor
Heart of the Rio Grande
(1942)
Randolph Lane
Obliging Young Lady
(1942)
John Markham
Stand By All Networks
(1942)
Grant Neeley
The Pride of the Yankees
(1942)
Mr. Twitchell
The Adventures of Martin Eden
(1942)
Amos Morley
Meet the Stewarts
(1942)
Club Guest (uncredited)
Ice Capades Revue
(1942)
Wiley Stone
The Magnificent Dope
(1942)
Carson
Swing Shift Maisie
(1943)
Judge
Undercover: How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines
(1943)
British Agent Z
The Chance of a Lifetime
(1943)
State Governor Rutledge (Uncredited)
Fired Wife
(1943)
Doctor
Du Barry was a Lady
(1943)
Ambrose
Crazy House
(1943)
Prosecutor
Destroyer
(1943)
Admiral
Mission to Moscow
(1943)
Naval Attache (uncredited)
It Ain't Hay
(1943)
Maj. Harper (uncredited)
Cinderella Swings It
(1943)
Brock Harris
End of the Road
(1944)
District Attorney
Dead Man's Eyes
(1944)
Hayden's Lawyer
Shadow of Suspicion
(1944)
Frank Randall
Jungle Woman
(1944)
Dr. Meredith
Bermuda Mystery
(1944)
Herbert Bond
Atlantic City
(1944)
Sen. Hodges
Ladies of Washington
(1944)
Dr. John Crane (uncredited)
South of Dixie
(1944)
Dean Williamson
Oh, What a Night!
(1944)
Tom Gordon
The Great Mike
(1944)
Colonel Whitley
Apology for Murder
(1945)
Craig Jordan
Three's a Crowd
(1945)
Marcus Pett
Divorce
(1945)
John Carter
Mr. Muggs Rides Again
(1945)
Dr. Fletcher
The Phantom Speaks
(1945)
Charlie Davis
I Love a Bandleader
(1945)
Dr. Gardiner
Docks of New York
(1945)
Captain Jacobs
Strange Illusion
(1945)
District Attorney Wallace Armstrong
Dakota
(1945)
Wexton Geary
Secrets of a Sorority Girl
(1945)
Dr. Harlan Johnson
Adventure
(1945)
Mr. Buckley
Follow That Woman
(1945)
J.B. Henderson
Here Come the Co-eds
(1945)
Police Chief (uncredited)
Over 21
(1945)
Joel I. Nixon (uncredited)
I'll Remember April
(1945)
Dr. Armitage
Keep Your Powder Dry
(1945)
Mr. Lorrison
Captain Tugboat Annie
(1945)
Dr. Turner
I'll Tell the World
(1945)
Dr. Mullins
Little Giant
(1946)
P.S. Van Loon
The Madonna's Secret
(1946)
District Attorney
Behind the Mask
(1946)
Police Commissioner Weston
The Missing Lady
(1946)
Police Commissioner Weston
The Shadow Returns
(1946)
Police Commissioner J.R. Weston
Claudia and David
(1946)
Hartley Naughton
I Ring Doorbells
(1946)
G.B. Barton
Murder Is My Business
(1946)
Arnold Ramsey
Swamp Fire
(1946)
P.T. Hilton
High School Hero
(1946)
Governor Huffington
Magnificent Doll
(1946)
Harper
Shock
(1946)
Blake - Belmont Arms Hotel Manager
G.I. War Brides
(1946)
Editor
Sioux City Sue
(1946)
G.W. Rhodes
Violence
(1947)
Ralph Borden
The Red Stallion
(1947)
Richard Moresby
The Wild Frontier
(1947)
Frank Lane
Monsieur Verdoux
(1947)
Prison Official (uncredited)
Her Husband's Affairs
(1947)
Vice President Beitler
Brick Bradford
(1947)
Professor Salisbury
Jack Armstrong
(1947)
Uncle Jim Fairfield
Beyond Our Own
(1947)
Dr. Blake
Hard Boiled Mahoney
(1947)
Dr. Rolfe Carter
Song of Love
(1947)
Duke of X (uncredited)
The Hunted
(1948)
Simon Rand, Attorney
An Innocent Affair
(1948)
T.D. Hendricks
Superman
(1948)
Perry White
Fighting Back
(1948)
Colonel
Incident
(1948)
C. W. Sloan
The Counterfeiters
(1948)
Carter
The Strange Mrs. Crane
(1948)
Clinton Crane
Mary Lou
(1948)
Airline President
Shanghai Chest
(1948)
Judge Wesley Armstrong
Daredevils of the Clouds
(1948)
Douglas Harrison
The Gallant Blade
(1948)
Governor
Siren of Atlantis
(1949)
Colonel
The Story of Seabiscuit
(1949)
Charles S. Howard
Slightly French
(1949)
Publicity Man (uncredited)
Miss Mink of 1949
(1949)
Cranston
The Fountainhead
(1949)
Cortlandt Official (uncredited)
Hold That Baby!
(1949)
John Winston
Flamingo Road
(1949)
Knock on Any Door
(1949)
Purcell - Lawyer (uncredited)
Alaska Patrol
(1949)
Mr. Sigmund
Zamba
(1949)
Benton
Atom Man vs. Superman
(1950)
Perry White
The Big Hangover
(1950)
Samuel C. Long
The Second Face
(1950)
Mr. Hamilton
Redwood Forest Trail
(1950)
Arthur Cameron
Last of the Buccaneers
(1950)
Gov. Claiborne
Radar Secret Service
(1950)
Mr. Hamilton
Rock Island Trail
(1950)
Major
Over the Border
(1950)
Rand Malloy
Sunset in the West
(1950)
Gordon MacKnight
Blue Grass of Kentucky
(1950)
Head Steward
Two Lost Worlds
(1951)
Magistrate Jeffries
In Old Amarillo
(1951)
George B. Hills
Mysterious Island
(1951)
Confederate Officer
Thundering Caravans
(1952)
Head Marshal
Hold That Line
(1952)
Morgan T. Stanhope
The Lost Planet
(1953)
Ned Hilton
The Stranger Wore a Gun
(1953)
Jason Conroy
Canadian Mounties vs. Atomic Invaders
(1953)
Commissioner Morrison
The Flaming Urge
(1953)
Albert Cruickshank
About Mrs. Leslie
(1954)
Lewis
Johnny Dark
(1954)
Ed J. Winston
Creature with the Atom Brain
(1955)
Mayor Bremer
Sudden Danger
(1955)
George Caldwell
Lay That Rifle Down
(1955)
Mr. Coswell
The Big Bluff
(1955)
Mr. Winthrop
Thunder Over Arizona
(1956)
Dr. Peterson
The Maverick Queen
(1956)
McMillan
Shake, Rattle and Rock!
(1956)
Armtrong
Don't Knock The Rock
(1956)
Mayor George Bagley
Cha-Cha-Cha Boom!
(1956)
Investor
Spook Chasers
(1957)
Dr. Moss
The Challenge of Rin Tin Tin
(1958)
Marjorie Morningstar
(1958)
Civil Official (uncredited)
Rin-Tin-Tin: Hero of the West
(1991)
Doc Hyer