Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Walter S. Baldwin Jr. (January 2, 1889 − January 27, 1977) was a prolific character actor whose career spanned five decades and 150 film and television roles, and numerous stage performances. Baldwin was born in Lima, Ohio from a theatrical family and served in the First World War. He was probably best known for playing the father of the handicapped sailor in The Best Years of Our Lives. He was the first actor to portray "Floyd the Barber" on The Andy Griffith Show. Prior to his first film roles in 1939, Baldwin had appeared in more than a dozen Broadway plays. He played Whit in the first Broadway production of Of Mice and Men, and also appeared in the original Grand Hotel in a small role, as well as serving as the production's stage manager. He originated the role of Bensinger, the prissy Chicago Tribune reporter, in the Broadway production of The Front Page. In the 1960s he had small acting roles in television shows such as Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. He continued to act in motion pictures, and one of his last roles was in Rosemary's Baby. Baldwin was known for playing solid middle class burghers, although sometimes he gave portrayals of eccentric characters. He played a customer seeking a prostitute in The Lost Weekend and the rebellious prison trusty Orvy in Cry of the City. Walter Baldwin was featured in a lot of John Deere Day Movies from 1949-59 where he played the farmer Tom Gordon. In this series of Deere Day movies over a decade he helped to introduce many new pieces of John Deere farm equipment year-by-year. In each yearly movie he would be shown on his in A Tom Gordon Family Film where he would be buying new John Deere farm equipment or a new green and yellow tractor.A picture of Walter Baldwin playing Tom Gordon can be found on page 108 of Bob Pripp's book John Deere Yesterday & Today Hal Erickson writes in Allmovie: "With a pinched Midwestern countenance that enabled him to portray taciturn farmers, obsequious grocery store clerks and the occasional sniveling coward, Baldwin was a familiar (if often unbilled) presence in Hollywood films for three decades."
Acted in 107
1960s
- 1968
- 1967
- 1965
My Mother the Car
TV
- 1964
Cheyenne Autumn
Jeremy Wright (uncredited)
- 1963
- 1962
Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man
Conductor (uncredited)
- 1961
- 1960
Oklahoma Territory
Ward Harlan
1950s
- 1958
- 1957
Casey Jones
Conductor · 1 episode
- 1956
You Can't Run Away from It
1st Proprietor
The Fastest Gun Alive
Man Who Warns Vinny (uncredited)
Glory
Doc Brock
- 1955
Interrupted Melody
Jim Owens
- 1954
Living It Up
Isaiah Jackson
- 1953
Scandal at Scourie
Michael Hayward
General Electric Theater
Spivak, Henry Clayburn, Johnson · 1 episode
- 1952
The Winning Team
Pa Alexander (uncredited)
- 1951
Rough Riders of Durango
Cricket Adams
- 1950
The Jackpot
Watch Buyer (uncredited)
1940s
- 1949
Calamity Jane and Sam Bass
Doc Purdy
Come to the Stable
Claude Jarman (uncredited)
- 1948
Cry of the City
Orvy
Return of the Bad Men
Muley Wilson
Hazard
Superintendent
Winter Meeting
Mr. Castle
- 1947
Mourning Becomes Electra
Amos Ames
The Millerson Case
Link Hazen
Framed
(uncredited)
- 1946
Sister Kenny
Mr. Ferguson (uncredited)
The Bride Wore Boots
Mr. Hodges (uncredited)
Young Widow
Miller (Uncredited)
- 1945
Why Girls Leave Home
Wilbur Harris
Rhythm Round-Up
Jed Morton
Murder, He Says
Vic Hardy (uncredited)
Scared Stiff
Deputy with Rifle (Uncredited)
Trail to Vengeance
Bart Jackson
Bring on the Girls
Henry (uncredited)
- 1944
Faces in the Fog
Doan, Jury Foreman
The Missing Juror
Town Sheriff (uncredited)
I'm from Arkansas
Attorney
The Mark of the Whistler
Fireman (uncredited)
Dark Mountain
Uncle Sam Bates
Wilson
Wilson Campaign Orator (uncredited)
Reckless Age
Music Conductor
Mr. Winkle Goes to War
Movie
The Ghost That Walks Alone
Deputy Sheriff
- 1943
Happy Land
Jake Hibbs (uncredited)
A Stranger in Town
Tom Cooney
After Midnight with Boston Blackie
Diamond Ed Barnaby
Reconnaissance Pilot
George Newton
- 1942
For Me and My Gal
Bill (uncredited)
The Incredible Stranger
Doctor Peabody (uncredited)
Powder Town
Jerry the Nitrate Technician (uncredited)
Syncopation
Movie
In This Our Life
Worker (uncredited)
The Remarkable Andrew
Hugo French
The Man Who Returned to Life
Homer-the Barber
- 1941
Look Who's Laughing
Bill
Miss Polly
Lem Wiggins
All That Money Can Buy
Hank (uncredited)
The Devil Commands
Seth Marcy
- 1940
Angels Over Broadway
Rennick (uncredited)
Cafe Hostess
Jones
1930s
- 1939
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
Finch (uncredited)
Those High Grey Walls
Mr. Mason (uncredited)