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J. Farrell MacDonald
Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a 41-year career from 1911 to 1951, and directed forty-four silent films from 1912 to 1917.
MacDonald was the principal director of L. Frank Baum's Oz Film Manufacturing Company, and he can frequently be seen in the films of Frank Capra, Preston Sturges and, especially, John Ford.
Early in his career, MacDonald was a singer in minstrel shows, and he toured the United States extensively for two years with stage productions. He made his first silent film in 1911, a dramat…
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a 41-year career from 1911 to 1951, and directed forty-four silent films from 1912 to 1917. MacDonald was the principal director of L. Frank Baum's Oz Film Manufacturing Company, and he can frequently be seen in the films of Frank Capra, Preston Sturges and, especially, John Ford. Early in his career, MacDonald was a singer in minstrel shows, and he toured the United States extensively for two years with stage productions. He made his first silent film in 1911, a dramatic short entitled The Scarlett Letter made by Carl Laemmle's Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP), the forerunner of Universal Pictures,. He continued to act in numerous films each year from that time on, and by 1912 he was directing them as well. The first film he directed was The Worth of a Man, another dramatic short, again for IMP, and he was to direct 43 more films until his last in 1917, Over the Fence, which he co-directed with Harold Lloyd. MacDonald had crossed paths with Lloyd several years earlier, when Lloyd was an extra and MacDonald had given him much-needed work – and he did the same with Hal Roach, both of whom appearing in small roles in The Patchwork Girl of Oz, which MacDonald directed in 1914. When Roach set up his own studio, with Lloyd as his principal attraction, he hired MacDonald to direct. By 1918, MacDonald, who was to become one of the most beloved character men in Hollywood, had given up directing and was acting full-time, predominantly in Westerns and Irish comedies. He first worked under director John Ford in 1919's A Fight for Love. In all, Ford would use MacDonald on twenty-five films between 1919 and 1950. With a voice that matched his personality, MacDonald made the transition to sound films easily, with no noticeable drop in his acting output – if anything, it went up. In 1931, for instance, MacDonald appeared in 14 films – among them the first version of The Maltese Falcon, in which he played "Detective Tom Polhaus" – and in 22 of them in 1932. Although he played laborers, policemen, military men and priests, among many other characters, his roles were usually a cut above a "bit part". His characters usually had names, and he was most often credited for his performances. A highlight of this period was his performance as the hobo "Mr. Tramp" in Our Little Girl with Shirley Temple (1935). In the 1940s, MacDonald was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in seven films written and directed by Sturges. MacDonald appeared in Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The Great Moment, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, Unfaithfully Yours and The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend, Sturges' last American film. Earlier, MacDonald had also appeared in The Power and the Glory, which Sturges wrote. His work on Sturges' films was generally uncredited. He was notable in 1946 in John Ford's My Darling Clementine in which he played "Mac," the bartender in the town saloon. MacDonald also had uncredited roles in It's a Wonderful Life and Here Comes The Groom.
Biography expanded
BODY OF WORK
J. Farrell MacDonald's Filmography
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Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
as Self (archive footage)
Superman and the Mole Men
as Pop Shannon
Here Comes the Groom
as Husband on Airplane (uncredited)
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
as Mr. Kroeger
Woman on the Run
as Cap, the Retired Ferryboat Captain
Hostile Country
as Mr. Lane (uncredited)
The Daltons' Women
as Alvin
When Willie Comes Marching Home
as Gilby - Pharmacist (uncredited)
Dakota Lil
as Ellis
The Dalton Gang
as Judge Price
You're My Everything
as Doorman (uncredited)
No Poster
Streets of San Francisco
as Pop Lockhart
Trouble Preferred
as Apartment House Manager (uncredited)
Whispering Smith
as Bill Baggs
Shep Comes Home
as Sheriff Cap Weatherby
The Walls of Jericho
as Bailiff (uncredited)
Belle Starr's Daughter
as Doc Benson
Fury at Furnace Creek
as Pops Murphy (uncredited)
Sitting Pretty
as Cop (uncredited)
Panhandle
as Doc Cooper
If You Knew Susie
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Thunder in the Valley
as McPherson - Innkeeper
Christmas Eve
as Policeman (uncredited)
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
as Mac (uncredited)
Keeper of the Bees
as Postmaster
Web of Danger
as Scotty MacKronish - Bus Driver
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
It's a Wonderful Life
as Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
Goodbye, Weeds
as Gardener
My Darling Clementine
as Mac the barman
Smoky
as Jim
Joe Palooka, Champ
as Long-Count Bowman
Pillow of Death
Fallen Angel
as Bank Guard (uncredited)
Johnny Angel
as Capt. Angel
Circumstantial Evidence
as Jury Foreman
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
as Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
Hangover Square
as Street Vendor (uncredited)
Greenwich Village
as O'Shea, policeman
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
as Sheriff (uncredited)
The Great Moment
as The Priest
Texas Masquerade
as John Martindale
True to Life
as Man (uncredited)
Tiger Fangs
as Geoffrey MacCardle
The Ape Man
as Captain O'Brien
Harrigan's Kid
as Frank (uncredited)
The McGuerins from Brooklyn
as Cop
Bowery at Midnight
as Capt. Mitchell
Phantom Killer
as Police Captain
The Palm Beach Story
as Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
The Living Ghost
as Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
One Thrilling Night
as Police Sergeant Haggerty
Reap the Wild Wind
as Port Captain
Captains of the Clouds
as Dr. Neville
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
as Henry Hathaway
Private Snuffy Smith
as Gen. Rosewater
Law of the Timber
as Adams
Riders of the Timberline
as Jim Kerrigan
Broadway Limited
as Mulcahey
The Great Lie
as Dr. Ferguson
In Old Cheyenne
as Tim Casey
Meet John Doe
as 'Sourpuss'
Friendly Neighbors
as Sheiff Potts
Untamed
as Dr. Billar
Pony Express Days
as Nevada Jim
Stagecoach War
as Jeff Chapman
The Last Alarm
as Jim Hadley
Prairie Law
as Sheriff Jim Austin
I Take This Oath
as Insp. Tim Ryan
The Light of Western Stars
as Bill Stillwell
Dark Command
as Dave
Knights of the Range
as Cappy
The Gentleman from Arizona
as Wild Bill Coburn
The Housekeeper's Daughter
as Captain
Full Confession
as Joe, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
They Shall Have Music
as Police Chief (uncredited)
Coast Guard
as Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
Conspiracy
as Captain of the Falcon
Mickey the Kid
as Sheriff J.J. Willoughby
Susannah of the Mounties
as Pat O'Hannegan
Zenobia
as Judge
East Side of Heaven
as Doorman (uncredited)
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
as Craig Dolan
No Poster
Little Orphan Annie
as 'Pop' Corrigan
Submarine Patrol
as CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
Come On, Rangers
as Colonel Forbes
Gang Bullets
as Chief Reardon
The Last Express
as William Barton (Detective Agency Head)
There Goes My Heart
as Officer
The Crowd Roars
as Father Patrick Ryan
Barefoot Boy
as Warden
White Banners
as Dr. Thompson
Numbered Woman
as Capt. Mike Ryan
Extortion
as Coach Pearson
State Police
as Charlie Wheeler
My Old Kentucky Home
as Mayor Jim Hopkins
Courage of the West
as Buck Saunders
County Fair
as Calvin Williams
The Game That Kills
as Joe Holland
My Dear Miss Aldrich
as 'Doc' Howe
Topper
as Policeman
Roaring Timber
as Andrew MacKinley
Flying Fists
as Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
Slim
as Pop
Slave Ship
as Proprietor
Parnell
as Irish Laborer (uncredited)
Parnell
as Irish Laborer
The Hit Parade
as Sgt. O'Hara
Maid of Salem
as Captain of Ship
The Great Barrier
as Major Rogers
Mysterious Crossing
as Police Chief Bullock
Show Boat
as Windy MacLaine
Florida Special
as Harrigan
Exclusive Story
as Michael Devlin
Riffraff
as 'Brains'
Hitch Hike Lady
as Judge Hale
Fighting Youth
as Coach Parker
Stormy
as Trinidad Dorn
Waterfront Lady
as Capt. O'Brien
Danger Ahead
as Harry Cromwell
The Irish in Us
as Capt. Jackson
Front Page Woman
as Hallohan
Shadows of the Orient
as Inspector Sullivan
The Arizonian
as Marshal Andy Jordan
The Healer
as Applejack
Our Little Girl
as Mr. Tramp
Let 'em Have It
as Mr. Keefer
Swellhead
as Umpire
Star of Midnight
as Inspector Doremus
The Whole Town's Talking
as Prison Warden (uncredited)
Northern Frontier
as Inspector
Square Shooter
as Sheriff
The Best Man Wins
as Captain--Harbor Patrol
Maybe It's Love
as The Cop
Romance in Manhattan
as Murphy
Beggar's Holiday
as Pop Malloy
The Cat's-Paw
as Shigley
Once to Every Woman
as Flannigan
The Crime Doctor
as Kemp
The Crosby Case
as The Doorman--Mike Costello
Man of Two Worlds
as Michael
Murder on the Campus
as Police Capt. Ed Kyne
No Poster
Under Secret Orders
as John Burke
Myrt and Marge
as Grady
The Power and the Glory
as Mulligan
I Loved a Woman
as Shuster
No Poster
How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points
as Himself
Laughing at Life
as Prison Warden
Peg o' My Heart
as Patrick Shamus 'Pat' O'Connell
The Working Man
as Henry 'Hank' Davis
The Vanishing Frontier
as Waco
The Iron Master
as J.C. Stillman
No Man of Her Own
as "Dickie" Collins
The Racing Strain
as Mr. Martin
Me and My Gal
as Pop Riley
Men Are Such Fools
as Prison Warden Randolph
The Pride of the Legion
as Chief Scott
Heritage of the Desert
as Adam Naab
This Sporting Age
as Jerry O'Day
70,000 Witnesses
as State Coach
Hearts of Humanity
as Tom O'Hara
The Phantom Express
as D.J. 'Smokey' Nolan
The Thirteenth Guest
as Captain Ryan
The Hurricane Express
as Jim Baker
Madame Racketeer
as John Adams
Week-End Marriage
as Mr. Davis
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
as Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
Scandal for Sale
as Treadway
Probation
as George Holman
Steady Company
as Hogan
Hotel Continental
as Detective Martin
Discarded Lovers
as Sommers
Under Eighteen
as Pop Evans
Touchdown!
as Pop Stewart
The Spirit of Notre Dame
as The Coach
The Brat
as Timson, the butler
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 9: 'The Driver'
Sporting Blood
as MacGuire
Stranger in Town
as Scout
The Squaw Man
as Big Bill
The Maltese Falcon
as Det. Sgt. Tom Polhaus
Too Young to Marry
as Rev. Stump
The Millionaire
as Dan Lewis
The Stolen Jools
as Policeman
Woman Hungry
as Buzzard
The Easiest Way
as Ben Murdock
The Painted Desert
as Jeff Cameron
Other Men's Women
as Peg-Leg
The Truth About Youth
as Colonel Graham
River's End
as O'Toole
The Girl of the Golden West
as Sonora Slim
Song o' My Heart
as Rafferty
Men Without Women
as Costello
South Sea Rose
as Hackett
The Painted Angel
as Pa Hudler
Happy Days
as Train Conductor
Masquerade
as Joe Hickey
Masked Emotions
as Will Whitten
Strong Boy
as Angus McGregor
In Old Arizona
as Stage Passenger (uncredited)
Riley the Cop
as James 'Aloysius' Riley
4 Devils
as The Clown
None But the Brave
as John Craig
Abie's Irish Rose
as Patrick Murphy
Bringing Up Father
as Jiggs
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris
as Patrick Kelly
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
as The Photographer
East Side, West Side
as Pug Malone
Paid to Love
as Peter Roberts
Cradle Snatchers
as George Martin
Ankles Preferred
as McGuire
Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl
as Sloan
The Country Beyond
as Sgt. Cassidy
The Family Upstairs
as Joe Heller
3 Bad Men
as Mike Costigan
The Last Frontier
as Wild Bill Hickok
A Trip to Chinatown
as Benjamin Strong
The Shamrock Handicap
as Con O'Shea
The Dixie Merchant
as Jean Paul Fippany
The First Year
as Mr. Barstow
The Fighting Heart
as Jerry
Thank You
as Andy
The Iron Horse
as Corporal Casey
Kentucky Pride
as Donavan
The Lucky Horseshoe
as Mack
Lightnin'
as Lemuel Townsend
Let Women Alone
as Commodore John Gordon
Those Who Dare
The Brass Bowl
as Hickey
Gerald Cranston's Lady
as Rennie
The Signal Tower
as Pete
Western Luck
as 'Chuck' Campbell
Mademoiselle Midnight
as Duc de Moing (Prologue)
The Storm Daughter
as Con Mullaney
Fashionable Fakers
as Pat O'Donnell
The Age of Desire
as Dan Reagan
Drifting
as Murphy
Racing Hearts
as Silas Martin
Quicksands
as Col. Patterson
While Paris Sleeps
The Young Rajah
as Amhad Beg - Prime Minister
Manslaughter
as (uncredited)
The Ghost Breaker
as Sam Marcum
The Bonded Woman
as Captain Gaskell
Over the Border
as Peter Galbraith
Tracks
as Jack Bess
The Bachelor Daddy
as Joe Pelton
Come on Over
as Michael Morahan
Sky High
as Jim Frazer (as J. Farrel MacDonald)
Trailin'
as Joseph Piotto
Riding with Death
as Sheriff Pat Garrity
Action
as Mormon Peters
The Wallop
as Neuces River
Desperate Youth
The Freeze-Out
as Bobtail McGuire
Hitchin' Posts
as Joe Alabam (as J. Farrell McDonald)
No Poster
The Path She Chose
as Father
Bullet Proof
as Jim Boone
Marked Men
as Tom Placer McGraw
This Hero Stuff
as Softnose Smith
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
A Sporting Chance
as Luther Ripley aka Kennedy
Trixie from Broadway
as Slim Hayes
Riders of Vengeance
as Buell
A Fight For Love
as The Priest
Molly of the Follies
as Swannick
Roped
as Butler
No Poster
Fair Enough
as Chief of Police Morgan
$5,000 Reward
as Norcross
Rags
as Paul Ferguson (as Joseph Farrell MacDonald)
No Poster
The Calling of Louis Mona
A Timely Repentance
as Louis Nordell
'Tween Two Loves
as Farmer Howard
No Poster
The Lighthouse Keeper
as The Lighthouse Keeper
The Scarlet Letter
The Dream
as Secondary Role (uncredited)
No Poster
The Time-Lock Safe
as Office Worker