---
name: "Philip Ober"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/philip-ober"
fi1m_id: "philip-ober"
imdb_id: "nm0643211"
tmdb_id: 2644
wikidata_id: "Q2073712"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "23 March 1902"
died: "13 September 1982"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 83
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-23T10:56:35.357819+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Philip Ober

## Identity

Philip Ober

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/philip-ober
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** philip-ober
- **IMDb ID:** nm0643211
- **TMDB ID:** 2644
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2073712
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Ober, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2073712, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0643211/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2644

Actor. Born 23 March 1902 in Fort Payne, Alabama, USA. Died 13 September 1982.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 23 March 1902, Fort Payne, Alabama, USA
- **Died:** 13 September 1982
- **Active:** 1953–1966
- **Also known as:** Phil Ober, Philip Nott Ober
- **Average Fi1m score:** 83, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 86 (2), 1960s 78 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 83 to 84 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 2, Adventure 1, Romance 1, Thriller 1, War 1
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $54m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Ober, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2073712, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0643211/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2644

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*North by Northwest*](https://film.one/film/north-by-northwest.md) (89)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*From Here to Eternity*](https://film.one/film/from-here-to-eternity.md) (83)
- **Pluto TV:** [*Elmer Gantry*](https://film.one/film/elmer-gantry.md) (78)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Philip Ober was an American stage and screen actor. Born Philip Nott Ober on 23 March 1902 in Fort Payne, Alabama, he attended Princeton University and worked in advertising before beginning his acting career on Broadway in the early 1930s.

He appeared in numerous films and television series from the 1950s onwards. Ober is known for his roles as Captain Dana Holmes in *From Here to Eternity* (1953) and Lester Townsend in *North by Northwest* (1959), as well as guest appearances in series including *I Love Lucy*, *Perry Mason*, *The Twilight Zone*, *I Dream of Jeannie* and *The Munsters*. He retired from acting in the late 1960s to work in the US diplomatic service and died on 13 September 1982.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Elmer Gantry* (1960), Fi1m 78, as Reverend Planck — [page](https://film.one/film/elmer-gantry.md)
- *North by Northwest* (1959), Fi1m 89, as Lester Townsend — [page](https://film.one/film/north-by-northwest.md)
- *From Here to Eternity* (1953), Fi1m 83, as Capt. Dana Holmes — [page](https://film.one/film/from-here-to-eternity.md)

## Complete filmography (69)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Assignment to Kill* (1968), as Bohlen
- *The Monkees* (1966), series, as Mr. Weatherwax
- *Family Affair* (1966), series, Actor
- *The Tammy Grimes Show* (1966), series, Actor
- *The Ghost and Mr. Chicken* (1966), as Nicholas Simmons
- *I Dream of Jeannie* (1965), series, as General Stone
- *Honey West* (1965), series, as J. J. Vanderhyden
- *The Adventures of Gallegher* (1965), series, as Hade
- *Profiles in Courage* (1964), series, as Anderson
- *The Munsters* (1964), series, Actor
- *The Brass Bottle* (1964), as William J. Beevor
- *Channing* (1963), series, as Partridge
- *Grindl* (1963), series, Actor
- *The Ugly American* (1963), as Ambassador Sears
- *The Eleventh Hour* (1962), series, Actor
- *The Alfred Hitchcock Hour* (1962), series, as Colonel Hoey
- *Sam Benedict* (1962), series, Actor
- *The Investigators* (1961), series, as Charley Brent
- *Hazel* (1961), series, as Mr. Sudley
- *Ripcord* (1961), series, as Dr. Ladd
- *Cain's Hundred* (1961), series, as Herman Hausner
- *Go Naked in the World* (1961), as Josh Kebner
- *The Facts of Life* (1960), as Doc Mason
- *Let No Man Write My Epitaph* (1960), as Grant Holloway
- *Bringing Up Buddy* (1960), series, Actor
- *Checkmate* (1960), series, as Marshall Winslow
- *Thriller* (1960), series, as Elmer Hooper
- *Elmer Gantry* (1960), as Reverend Planck — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/elmer-gantry.md)
- *Beloved Infidel* (1959), as John Wheeler
- *Mr. Lucky* (1959), series, Actor
- *Startime* (1959), series, as Malcolm Tawley
- *The Twilight Zone* (1959), series, as Mr. Henderson — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-twilight-zone.md)
- *North by Northwest* (1959), as Lester Townsend — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/north-by-northwest.md)
- *The Mating Game* (1959), as Wendell Burnshaw
- *Torpedo Run* (1958), as Adm. Samuel Setton
- *Bat Masterson* (1958), series, as General Silas Guild
- *Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse* (1958), series, Actor
- *Ten North Frederick* (1958), as Lloyd Williams
- *The High Cost of Loving* (1958), as Herb Zorn
- *Escapade in Japan* (1957), as Lt. Col. Hargrave
- *Perry Mason* (1957), series, as Ralph Davis, Peter Dawson, Albert Keller, Harvey Farrell, Sumner Hodge / Adrian Hodge
- *M Squad* (1957), series, as George Brayden
- *Sugarfoot* (1957), series, as General Humphrey
- *Tammy and the Bachelor* (1957), as Alfred Bissle
- *On Trial* (1956), series, as Andrews
- *Matinee Theater* (1955), series, Actor
- *The 20th Century Fox Hour* (1955), series, Actor
- *Alfred Hitchcock Presents* (1955), series, as Wilton Stark
- *Broken Lance* (1954), as Van Cleve
- *About Mrs. Leslie* (1954), as Mort Finley
- *The Danny Thomas Show* (1953), series, as Hal Raskin
- *Letter to Loretta* (1953), series, as Tom
- *City Detective* (1953), series, Actor
- *From Here to Eternity* (1953), as Capt. Dana Holmes — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/from-here-to-eternity.md)
- *Scandal at Scourie* (1953), as B. G. Belney
- *The Girls of Pleasure Island* (1953), as Col. Reade
- *Come Back, Little Sheba* (1953), as Ed Anderson
- *General Electric Theater* (1953), series, as Mr. Goodwin, George McManus
- *The Clown* (1953), as Ralph Z. Henderson
- *Washington Story* (1952), as Gilbert Nunnally
- *The Unknown Man* (1951), as Wayne Kellwin
- *I Love Lucy* (1951), series, as Arnold (uncredited)
- *The Magnificent Yankee* (1950), as Owen Wister / Narrator (voice)
- *Lux Video Theatre* (1950), series, as Walter Craig
- *Never a Dull Moment* (1950), as Jed
- *The Secret Fury* (1950), as Gregory Kent
- *The Glass Case* (1939), as Walter Drummond
- *Little Me* (1938), Actor
- *Chloe, Love Is Calling You* (1934), as Jim

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/philip-ober