| John F. Hamilton | |
| Birth Date: | 7 November 1893 |
| Birth Place: | New York City, New York U.S. |
| Death Place: | Paramus, New Jersey U.S. |
| Othername: | John Frank Hamilton |
| Occupation: | Film actor Stage actor |
| Yearsactive: | 1924 - 1961 (film and television) |
| Alma Mater: | Fordham University |
John F. Hamilton (November 7, 1893 – July 11, 1967) was an American-born actor who worked for many years in the theater but only occasionally on film. He is probably best-remembered as Pops, father of Eva Marie Saint's character, in Elia Kazan's film classic On the Waterfront (1954). He was known as John F. Hamilton to distinguish him from the much more prolific American film actor John Hamilton (who played "Perry White" on TV) and also from a British actor of youthful roles who worked in England and Europe in the 1930s.
Born in New York City on November 7, 1893,[1] Hamilton was a graduate of Fordham University. His performing career began in vaudeville in 1916.[2]
Broadway plays in which Hamilton appeared included Shore Leave (1922), Hell-bent Fer Heaven (1924), The Mongrel (1924), The Dagger (1925), Rockbound (1929), The Black Tower (1932), Ceiling Zero (1935), Iron Men (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937), Clash by Night (1941), The Day Will Come (1944), and Therese (1945).
For the last five years of Hamilton's life he lived in Englewood, New Jersey, at the Actors Fund Home. He died on July 11, 1967, at Bergen Pines Hospital in Paramus, New Jersey, aged 73.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | Rainbow Riley | Halfwit | ||
| 1927 | The Mountain Eagle | Edward Pettigrew | Hitchcock lost film | |
| 1927 | The Masked Menace | The Half-Wit | ||
| 1929 | The Great Gabbo | Neighbour | Uncredited | |
| 1939 | Allegheny Uprising | Professor | ||
| 1940 | The Saint's Double Trouble | Limpy | ||
| 1940 | Gold Rush Maisie | Bert Davis | ||
| 1942 | Men of Texas | Dwight Douglass | ||
| 1943 | The Amazing Mrs. Holliday | Dr. Kirke | ||
| 1943 | Shantytown | Mr. Gorty | ||
| 1943 | Pilot No. 5 | Mr. Pritchard | Uncredited | |
| 1943 | Spy Train | Senior Conductor | Uncredited | |
| 1943 | Headin' for God's Country | Hilary Higgins | ||
| 1947 | Boomerang | Man in Barber Shop | Uncredited | |
| 1949 | The Undercover Man | Police Desk Sergeant Shannon | ||
| 1954 | On the Waterfront | Pops Doyle |