Philip Nott Ober (March 23, 1902 – September 13, 1982) was an American screen and stage actor who later retired from performing to be a foreign service 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 The Peddie School and Princeton University, he worked in advertising before moving into acting. In a 1935 interview, he claimed "I got kicked out of Princeton in sophomore year."
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. 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).
From 1954 to 1967, he frequently appeared in television series. He appeared in the episode "The Vultures" of Sugarfoot.
Ober was twice cast on I Love Lucy, first playing "Arnold" in episode 5, "The Quiz Show," 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.Nick at Nite's Classic TV Companion, edited by Tom Hill, copyright 1996 by Viacom International, p. 281: "Phil Ober, who was married to Vivian Vance at the time, makes his second I Love Lucy appearance as Dore Schary... Schary was scheduled to appear as himself but backed out at the last minute." 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 played Colonel Hoey in "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" S1 E4 episode "I Saw the Whole Thing" in 1962. He had a recurring role as General Wingard Stone in the early episodes of I Dream of Jeannie, 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.
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.
Personal life Ober's uncle was American naturalist and writer Frederick A. Ober. and was married to the former Phyllis Ober.
On August 12, 1941, Ober married actress Vivian Vance. Ober was known for being physically and emotionally abusive towards Vance, and the two eventually divorced in 1959.
Ober's third marriage was to Jane Westover; they were married from 1961 until Ober's death in 1982.
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 stating Ober died of lung cancer at Santa Monica Hospital in Santa Monica, California, on September 13, 1982. The California Death Index and Social Security Death Index substantiate this information.
Filmography
1934: Chloe, Love Is Calling You as Jim Strong 1938: Little Me 1950: The Secret Fury as Gregory Kent 1950: Never a Dull Moment as Jed 1950: The Magnificent Yankee as Owen Wister / Narrator 1951: The Unknown Man as Wayne Kellwin 1952: Washington Story as Gilbert Nunnally 1952: Come Back, Little Sheba as Ed Anderson 1953: The Clown as Ralph Z. Henderson 1953: The Girls of Pleasure Island as Colonel Reade 1953: Scandal at Scourie as B. G. Belney 1953: From Here to Eternity as Captain Dana 'Dynamite' Holmes 1954: About Mrs. Leslie as Mort Finley 1954: Broken Lance as Van Cleve 1956: Calling Terry Conway (TV Movie) as Stan 1957: Tammy and the Bachelor as Alfred Bissle 1957: Escapade in Japan as Lieutenant Colonel Hargrave 1958: The High Cost of Loving as Herb Zorn 1958: Ten North Frederick as Lloyd Williams 1958: Torpedo Run as Admiral Samuel Setton 1959: The Mating Game as Wendell Burnshaw 1959: North by Northwest as Lester Townsend 1959: Beloved Infidel as John Wheeler 1960: Elmer Gantry as Reverend Planck 1960: Let No Man Write My Epitaph as Grant Holloway 1960: The Facts of Life as Doc Mason 1961: Go Naked in the World as Josh Kebner 1961: The Crimebusters as Herman Hauzner 1963: The Ugly American as Ambassador Sears 1964: The Brass Bottle as William Beevor 1966: The Ghost and Mr. Chicken as Nicholas Simmons 1968: Assignment to Kill as Bohlen (final film role)
Television Year Title Role Notes1955 I Love Lucy Dore Schary Season 4 Episode 21: "Don Juan Is Shelved"1955 Science Fiction Theater - Season 1 Episode 39: "The Other Side of the Moon"1962 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Wilton Stark Season 7 Episode 21: "Burglar Proof"1962 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Colonel John Hoey Season 1 Episode 4: "I Saw the Whole Thing"1966 The Dick van Dyke Show Mr. Howard Season 5 Episode 16: "I Do Not Choose to Run"1967 The Monkees Mr. Weatherwax Season 1 Episode 30: "Monkees in Manhattan"
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