Neil Hamilton
3 credits on HibingeTV
American actor, born James Hamilton Anderson in 1899. A leading man of the silent and early sound era, he plays Major Brand, the burdened squadron commander, in The Dawn Patrol (1930). He worked steadily in film and television for decades and is best remembered by later generations as Commissioner Gordon on the 1960s Batman television series. He died in 1984.
Acted In
War, Drama
Howard Hawks' World War I aviation drama follows a Royal Flying Corps squadron on the Western Front, where pilots are sent on near-suicidal dawn patrols and the survivors drink to forget. Richard Barthelmess plays Dick Courtney, an ace who chafes under the cautious command of Major Brand (Neil Hamilton); when Courtney is promoted to command the squadron himself, he learns the burden of sending men to their deaths. Hawks, a former flight instructor, flew in the film himself as a German pilot. The aerial sequences, shot by Ernest Haller, were considered state of the art and were later re-edited into the 1938 remake. The film won the Academy Award for Best Story. Published in 1930, it entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2026.
War · Drama · Action
The Dawn Patrol
1930 - as Major Brand
Crime, Drama
A district attorney who uncovered a utilities price-fixing racket is murdered before he can present his evidence, and his successor (Pat O'Brien) picks up the case with a fast-talking reporter (Neil Hamilton) while the killers work through everyone connected to the grand jury. Evelyn Brent plays the dead man's mistress, who knows where the evidence is hidden. Made at Majestic Pictures during the pre-Code window, it moves quickly and lets O'Brien do the cocky, irritable thing he did best, with J. Carrol Naish among the heavies. Released in April 1933, weeks before the studios began enforcing the Production Code. The film is in the public domain.
Crime · Drama · Mystery
The World Gone Mad
1933 - as Lionel Houston
Comedy, Romance
A flapper from the wrong side of the tracks falls for the son of her department store's owner, but must prove she's more than just a good time girl. A Vitaphone-synchronized silent comedy starring Colleen Moore, directed by William A. Seiter. The film entered the public domain through non-renewal.
Comedy · Romance
Why Be Good?
1929 - as Winthrop Peabody Jr.