Billy Bevan (born William Bevan Harris, 29 September 1887 â€" 26
November 1957) was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became an
American film actor. He appeared in 254 American films between 1916
and 1950.Bevan was born in the country town of Orange, New South
Wales, Australia. He went on the stage at an early age, traveled to
Sydney and spent eight years in Australian light opera, performing as
Willie Bevan. He sailed to America with the Pollard’s Lilliputian
Opera Company in 1912, and later toured Canada. Bevan broke into films
with the Sigmund Lubin studio in 1916. When the company disbanded,
Bevan became a supporting actor in Mack Sennett movie comedies. An
expressive pantomimist, Bevan's quiet scene-stealing attracted
attention, and by 1922 Bevan was a Sennett star. He supplemented his
income, however, by establishing a citrus and avocado farm at
Escondido, California.Usually filmed wearing a derby hat and a
drooping mustache, Bevan may not have possessed an indelible screen
character like Charlie Chaplin but he had a friendly, funny presence
in the frantic Sennett comedies. Much of the comedy depended on
Bevan's skilled timing and reactions; the famous "oyster" routine
performed on film by Curly Howard, Lou Costello, and Huntz Hallâ€"in
which a bowl of "fresh oyster stew" shows alarming signs of life and
battles the guy trying to eat itâ€"was originated on film decades
earlier by Bevan in the short film Wandering Willies.
November 1957) was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became an
American film actor. He appeared in 254 American films between 1916
and 1950.Bevan was born in the country town of Orange, New South
Wales, Australia. He went on the stage at an early age, traveled to
Sydney and spent eight years in Australian light opera, performing as
Willie Bevan. He sailed to America with the Pollard’s Lilliputian
Opera Company in 1912, and later toured Canada. Bevan broke into films
with the Sigmund Lubin studio in 1916. When the company disbanded,
Bevan became a supporting actor in Mack Sennett movie comedies. An
expressive pantomimist, Bevan's quiet scene-stealing attracted
attention, and by 1922 Bevan was a Sennett star. He supplemented his
income, however, by establishing a citrus and avocado farm at
Escondido, California.Usually filmed wearing a derby hat and a
drooping mustache, Bevan may not have possessed an indelible screen
character like Charlie Chaplin but he had a friendly, funny presence
in the frantic Sennett comedies. Much of the comedy depended on
Bevan's skilled timing and reactions; the famous "oyster" routine
performed on film by Curly Howard, Lou Costello, and Huntz Hallâ€"in
which a bowl of "fresh oyster stew" shows alarming signs of life and
battles the guy trying to eat itâ€"was originated on film decades
earlier by Bevan in the short film Wandering Willies.
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