Philip Ober

Philip Ober
Ober in 1950
Born	Philip Nott Ober (1902-03-23)March 23, 1902 Fort Payne, Alabama, U.S.
Died	September 13, 1982(1982-09-13) (aged 80) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Resting place	Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Education	Princeton University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1931–1968
Spouse(s)	Phyllis Roper ​ ​ (m. 1923; div. 1941)​ Vivian Vance ​ ​ (m. 1941; div. 1959)​ Jane Westover ​ (m. 1961)​
Children	1

Philip Nott Ober (March 23, 1902 – September 13, 1982) was an American screen and stage actor. He later retired from acting to work as a diplomat.

Ober is best remembered for his roles in the films From Here to Eternity (1953) and North by Northwest (1959). His other notable credits include The Magnificent Yankee (1950), Broken Lance (1954), Torpedo Run (1958) and The Ugly American (1963).

Early years[]

The son of Frank Ober, he was raised in White Plains, New York. After attending a preparatory school and Princeton University, he worked in advertising before moving into acting.^[1]

Acting career[]

Ober often appeared in roles as a straight man in farcical circumstances. He made his debut on stage, playing Tom Faulkner in Technique in 1931.^[2] He appeared in Lawrence Riley's Broadway show Personal Appearance (1934) opposite Gladys George.

Ober's film debut came in Chloe, Love Is Calling You (1934).^[1]

From 1954 to 1967, he frequently appeared in television series. He played a general determined to find the truth of an alleged desertion and an Indian attack on a fort in the episode "The Vultures" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, Sugarfoot.^{[citation needed]}

Ober was twice cast on I Love Lucy, first playing "Arnold" in episode 5, "The Quiz Show,"^[3]:244​ and later portraying the Hollywood producer Dore Schary in episode 119, "Don Juan is Shelved" when Schary decided at the last minute not to play himself.^[3] He made five appearances on Perry Mason, including that of defendant Peter Dawson in the 1960 episode, "The Case of the Treacherous Toupee", and the dual role of murder victim Sumner Hodge and his brother Adrian Hodge in the 1964 episode, "The Case of the Tandem Target". He also appeared in one episode of The Twilight Zone ("Spur of the Moment"), co-starring Diana Hyland, and in one episode ("Bankrupt Alibi") of Whirlybirds in which he portrayed a man who convinces his son to take the blame for a hit-and-run accident he committed. He made one guest appearance on the 1961 crime adventure-drama series The Investigators and four on the comedy series Hazel. Also in 1961, he appeared as "General Silas Guild" in the TV Western series Bat Masterson (S3E18 "The Prescott Campaign"). He had a recurring role as General Wingard Stone in the early episodes of I Dream of Jeannie,^[3]:182​ appeared in two episodes of McHale's Navy as tough-as-nails Admiral "Iron Pants" Rafferty, and played the museum curator Dr. Wilkerson in episode 32 of The Munsters, "Mummy Munster," in 1965.^[3]:372​

Ober continued to work as an actor in films. He played the United Nations ambassador in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959) whom Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) meets, to clarify who had occupied his mansion. He also played Capt. Dana "Dynamite" Holmes, the neglectful, unsympathetic husband of Karen Holmes (Deborah Kerr), in the film version of From Here to Eternity (1953).

Post-acting career[]

He retired from acting and went into the U.S. diplomatic service, serving as consular agent to the U.S. consul in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.^[4]

Personal life[]

Ober was married to the former Phyllis Roper.^[5]

On August 12, 1941, Ober married actress Vivian Vance.^[6] They divorced in 1959.

Ober's third marriage was to Jane Westover; they were married from 1961 until Ober's death in 1982.^[4]

Death[]

Although many sources report that Ober died of a heart attack in Mexico City at the age of 80, Associated Press obituaries quote a hospital spokesperson that Ober died of lung cancer at Santa Monica Hospital in Santa Monica, California, on September 13, 1982.^[4] The California Death Index and Social Security Death Index substantiate this information.^[7]

Filmography[]

References[]

External links[]

• Philip Ober at IMDb
• Philip Ober at the Internet Broadway Database
• Philip Ober at Find a Grave