Actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the headstrong Walt Spoon in "The Night of the Hunter" (1955). Born into a family of wealth and position, the son of the prestigious opera singer Dan Beddoe, upon attaining his degree in bachelor's degree in English from the University of Cincinnati, he began his career as a leading man on the stage in stock companies. Upon being introduced to director William Nigh while attending a luncheon at the prominent Beverly Hills Hotel, he was so impressed by his dark good looks, average physique, and articulate voice, that he took notice of his potential and arranged for him to begin a career in the film industry beginning with him appearing under his supervision per a supporting role in "The 13th Man" (1937). From there, he would go on to flourish as a notable character actor appearing in over 300 features; often typecast as husbands, fathers, relatives, wealthy bachelors, aristocrats, historical or literary figures, doctors, politicians, reporters, detectives, sugar daddies, educators, white-collared workers, authority figures, neighbors, landlords, neighbors, curmudgeons, judges, district attorneys, lawyers, mailmen, retail clerks, businessmen, managers, bankers, philanthropists, councilors, phycologists, meddlers, sheriffs, deputies, bailiffs, bartenders, editors, and patriarchs. He appeared in such feature films as "There's That Woman Again" (1938), "The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt" (1939), "Cafe Hostess" (1940), "Under Age" (1941), "Meet the Stewarts" (1942), "Power of the Press" (1943), "Winged Victory" (1944), "One Exciting Night" (1945), "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946), "Calcutta" (1947), "Black Bart" (1948), "Easy Living" (1949), "Gun Crazy" (1950), "Gasoline Alley" (1951), "The Narrow Margin" (1952), "Cow Country" (1953), "A Star is Born" (1954), "Wyoming Renegades" (1955), "Behind the High Wall" (1956), "The Joker is Wild" (1957), "Bullwhip" (1958), "Warlock" (1959), "The Wizard of Baghdad" (1960), "Boy Who Caught a Crook" (1961), "Saintly Sinners" (1962), "Papa's Delicate Condition" (1963), "A Very Special Favor" (1965), "Texas Across the River" (1966), "The Impossible Years" (1968), "How Do I Love Thee?" (1970), and "Nickel Mountain" (1984). On television, he appeared in numerous guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "My Hero," "Your Jeweler's Showcase," "Summer Theatre," "Mr. & Mrs. North," "Waterfront," "I Married Joan," "Ramar of the Jungle," "Public Defender," "Topper," "The Pride of the Family," "Schlitz Playhouse," "The Lone Ranger," "Stage 7," "Our Miss Brooks," "Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal," "Celebrity Playhouse," "Cavalcade of America," "Front Row Center," "Ethel Barrymore Theatre," "Father Knows Best," "Blondie," "Broken Arrow," "West Point," "The Sherriff of Cochise," "The Gale Storm Show," "Circus Boy," "Mr. Adams and Eve," "The Millionaire," "Tales of Wells Fargo," "The Gray Ghost," "Colt .45," "The Restless Gun," "Trackdown," "The Loretta Young Show," "Bronco," "Colonel Humphrey Flack," "The David Niven Show," "Death Valley Days," "One Step Beyond," "Sugarfoot," "The Alaskans," "Route 66," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "General Electric Theatre," "Lawman," "Maverick," "The Tom Ewell Show," "Whispering Smith," "Follow the Sun," "Perry Mason," "Have Gun - Will Travel," "Pete and Gladys," "Laramie," "The New Breed," "Cheyenne," "Bonanza," "Ensign O'Toole," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "Going My Way," "Rawhide," "Petticoat Junction," "Gunsmoke," "Wagon Train," "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," "F Troop," "The Lucy Show," "Laredo," "Please Don't Eat the Daisies," "Bewitched," "Mannix," "Mayberry R.F.D.," "Lassie," "The Virginian," "Nanny and the Professor," "Little House on the Prairie," "Maude," and "Highway to Heaven". During his career, he was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, had been a member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, was a regular parishioner of the Unitarian Universalist church, had been a theatrical instructor for the Pasadena Playhouse, was one of the many founding members of the Canyon Theatre Guild, voiced the character of Pat Grady on the radio soap opera "John's Other Wife", served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, had been a licensed real estate agent, was the celebrity spokesman for Folgers Coffee and BIC ballpoint pens, and he was married to stage actress Evelyn Sebring from 1944 to 1974 and showgirl Joyce Mathews from 1974 to 1991 (his first union ended in divorce, his second upon his death, and both marriages produced no children). Upon his 1984 retirement, he spent the remainder of his life being a regular attendee at autograph conventions, and was a generous benefactor for several public libraries and state parks, until his death from the complications of advanced age.