Biography for
Philip Ober More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

23 March 1902, Fort Payne, Alabama, USA

Date of Death

13 September 1982, Mexico City, Mexico (heart failure)

Birth Name

Philip Nott Ober

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Philip Ober's bald head, stern bearing and booming voice made him a natural for the roles of business executives, high-ranking military officers and other authority figures he played so well. A Princeton University graduate, Ober spent years as an advertising executive for several different national magazines before switching careers to acting. He spent many years on Broadway and in stock companies before breaking into films. His best remembered roles would probably be that of the murder victim who dies in Cary Grant's arms in North by Northwest (1959) and the bullying officer whose wife is having an affair with his subordinate, Burt Lancaster, in From Here to Eternity (1953). He also did much television work, including appearances on his wife's show, "I Love Lucy" (1951) (he was married to Vivian Vance at the time). He retired from acting and went into the U.S. diplomatic service, and, while working at the U.S. consulate in Mexico City, died of a heart attack in 1982.

IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2@yahoo.com

Spouse

Jane Westover	(30 December 1961 - 13 September 1982) (his death)
Vivian Vance	(12 August 1941 - 24 April 1959) (divorced)
Phyllis Roper	(1923 - April 1941) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

According to a quote from Lucille Ball in Boze Hadleigh's "Hollywood Babble-On", Ober physically abused Vivian Vance, and one time when Vance came to the set with a "shiner", Ball told her that if she [Vance] wouldn't divorce [Ober], then she [Ball] would.

Studied at Princeton University and worked as an advertiser for such publications as Colliers and Liberty.

Sensible, straightforward American character actor on Broadway in the 1930s and 1940s, who crossed over to film and TV in the 1950s. Usually a corporate villain or firm-jawed military officer.

Gave up his acting career in the late 1960s to join the U.S. Consular Service in Mexico.

Philip appeared in a couple of the "I Love Lucy" (1951) shows with then-wife Vivian Vance. His best remembered role was as Ricky Ricardo's producer Dore Schary in one of Lucy's "Hollywood" episodes.