Billy Bevan

From The Orange Wiki

Jump to: navigation, search
Billy Bevan 1920s. Image courtesy Mack Sennett Studios.


William Bevan Harris was born in Orange on 29 September 1887. His parents were Robert Harris and Jane Torpy, the daughter of former mayor James Torpy. Young William worked at the Advocate until 1904 when he moved to Sydney to attend university. His time at university was brief; William became captivated by the stage and spent the next eight years performing as Willie Bevan in Australian light opera.

In 1912 Bevan sailed to America with the Pollard’s Lilliputian Opera Company. Four years later he appeared in his first movie. During the course of his life Bevan appeared in more than 250 films. Many of his early films were slapstick comedies, involving pie-throwing and featuring Bevan’s distinctive drooping moustache. In time Bevan made the transition to serious character acting. In 1936 the Melbourne Argus quipped:

Bevan's face has not ruined a pie for years, but his moustache is his trademark, and has paid his bills and made his banker happy.

In addition to acting, Bevan established a citrus and avocado farm in Escondido, California, where he invented a wind machine to prevent frost damage to his crops. Bevan was well-regarded in the agricultural community: he became chairman of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, president of the Escondido Country Club, and vice president of the Escondido Chamber of Commerce.

Bevan died in Escondido in November 1957, all but forgotten in the land of his birth.

  • 'An Australian Actor and His Film Trade Mark' Argus 4 May 1936, p.3
  • 'Actor's Wind Machine Triumphs in Ten-Year Frost Fight Test' Los Angeles Times 26 November 1937, p.31
  • 'Billy Bevan: A Genial Character'[1] (accessed 15 September 2020)
Personal tools