J. Farrell MacDonald
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1875-06-05
Day of Death
1952-08-02 (77 years old)
Place of Birth
Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
J. Farrell MacDonald
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 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.
Known For
Acting
(1997)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
as Self (archive footage)
(1951)
Superman and the Mole Men
as Pop Shannon
(1951)
Here Comes the Groom
as Husband on Airplane (uncredited)
(1951)
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
as Mr. Kroeger
(1950)
Woman on the Run
as Cap, the Retired Ferryboat Captain
(1950)
When Willie Comes Marching Home
as Gilby - Pharmacist (uncredited)
(1950)
Dakota Lil
as Ellis
(1950)
Hostile Country
as Mr. Lane (uncredited)
(1950)
The Daltons' Women
as Alvin
(1949)
The Dalton Gang
as Judge Price
(1949)
Streets of San Francisco
as Pop Lockhart
(1949)
You're My Everything
as Doorman (uncredited)
(1948)
Whispering Smith
as Bill Baggs
(1948)
Sitting Pretty
as Cop (uncredited)
(1948)
The Walls of Jericho
as Bailiff (uncredited)
(1948)
Fury at Furnace Creek
as Pops Murphy (uncredited)
(1948)
Panhandle
as Doc Cooper
(1948)
Belle Starr's Daughter
as Doc Benson
(1948)
If You Knew Susie
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
(1948)
Shep Comes Home
as Sheriff Cap Weatherby
(1948)
Trouble Preferred
as Apartment House Manager (uncredited)
(1947)
Christmas Eve
as Policeman (uncredited)
(1947)
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
as Mac, Bailiff (uncredited)
(1947)
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
(1947)
Web of Danger
as Scotty MacKronish - Bus Driver
(1947)
Keeper of the Bees
as Postmaster
(1947)
Thunder in the Valley
as McPherson - Innkeeper
(1946)
It's a Wonderful Life
as Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
(1946)
My Darling Clementine
as Mac the barman
(1946)
Smoky
as Jim, the Cook
(1946)
Joe Palooka, Champ
as Long-Count Bowman
(1946)
Goodbye, Weeds
as Gardener
(1945)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
as Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
(1945)
Fallen Angel
as Bank Guard (uncredited)
(1945)
Hangover Square
as Street Vendor (uncredited)
(1945)
Circumstantial Evidence
as Jury Foreman
(1945)
Johnny Angel
as Capt. Angel
(1945)
(1944)
Greenwich Village
as O'Shea, policeman
(1944)
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
as Sheriff (uncredited)
(1944)
The Great Moment
as The Priest
(1944)
Texas Masquerade
as John Martindale
(1943)
True to Life
as Man (uncredited)
(1943)
The Ape Man
as Captain O'Brien
(1943)
Tiger Fangs
as Geoffrey MacCardle
(1943)
Harrigan's Kid
as Frank (uncredited)
(1942)
Reap the Wild Wind
as Port Captain
(1942)
The Palm Beach Story
as Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
(1942)
Captains of the Clouds
as Dr. Neville (from Churchtown)
(1942)
The Living Ghost
as Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
(1942)
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
as Henry Hathaway
(1942)
Bowery at Midnight
as Capt. Mitchell
(1942)
(1942)
Private Snuffy Smith
as Gen. Rosewater
(1942)
One Thrilling Night
as Police Sergeant Haggerty
(1942)
Phantom Killer
as Police Captain
(1941)
Meet John Doe
as 'Sourpuss'
(1941)
The Great Lie
as Dr. Ferguson
(1941)
Broadway Limited
as Mulcahey
(1941)
In Old Cheyenne
as Tim Casey
(1941)
Law of the Timber
as Adams
(1941)
Riders of the Timberline
as Jim Kerrigan
(1940)
Dark Command
as Dave
(1940)
Light of Western Stars
as Bill Stillwell
(1940)
I Take This Oath
as Insp. Tim Ryan
(1940)
Stagecoach War
as Jeff Chapman
(1940)
Untamed
as Dr. Billar
(1940)
The Last Alarm
as Jim Hadley
(1940)
Prairie Law
as Sheriff Jim Austin
(1940)
Pony Express Days
as Nevada Jim
(1940)
Knights of the Range
as Cappy
(1940)
Friendly Neighbors
as Sheiff Potts
(1939)
They Shall Have Music
as Police Chief (uncredited)
(1939)
Zenobia
as Judge
(1939)
Susannah of the Mounties
as Pat O'Hannegan
(1939)
Full Confession
as Joe, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
(1939)
Coast Guard
as Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
(1939)
Mickey the Kid
as Sheriff J.J. Willoughby
(1939)
Conspiracy
as Captain of the Falcon
(1939)
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
as Craig Dolan
(1939)
The Housekeeper's Daughter
as Captain
(1939)
East Side of Heaven
as Doorman (uncredited)
(1939)
The Gentleman from Arizona
as Wild Bill Coburn
(1938)
There Goes My Heart
as Officer
(1938)
The Crowd Roars
as Father Patrick Ryan
(1938)
Gang Bullets
as Chief Reardon
(1938)
Submarine Patrol
as CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
(1938)
Little Orphan Annie
as 'Pop' Corrigan
(1938)
White Banners
as Dr. Thompson
(1938)
Come On, Rangers
as Colonel Forbes
(1938)
My Old Kentucky Home
as Mayor Jim Hopkins
(1938)
The Last Express
as William Barton (Detective Agency Head)
(1938)
Extortion
as Coach Pearson
(1938)
State Police
as Charlie Wheeler
(1938)
Barefoot Boy
as Warden
(1938)
Numbered Woman
as Capt. Ryan
(1937)
Topper
as Policeman
(1937)
Maid of Salem
as Captain of Ship
(1937)
Parnell
as Irish Laborer (uncredited)
(1937)
Parnell
as Irish Laborer
(1937)
Slave Ship
as Proprietor
(1937)
Slim
as Pop
(1937)
My Dear Miss Aldrich
as 'Doc' Howe
(1937)
Courage of the West
as Buck Saunders
(1937)
The Game That Kills
as Joe Holland
(1937)
Roaring Timber
as Andrew MacKinley
(1937)
The Hit Parade
as Sgt. O'Hara
(1937)
The Great Barrier
as Major Rogers
(1937)
Flying Fists
as Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
(1937)
County Fair
as Calvin Williams
(1936)
Riffraff
as 'Brains'
(1936)
Show Boat
as Windy MacLaine
(1936)
Exclusive Story
as Michael Devlin
(1936)
Florida Special
as Harrigan
(1936)
Mysterious Crossing
as Police Chief Bullock
(1935)
Romance in Manhattan
as Murphy
(1935)
Front Page Woman
as Hallohan
(1935)
The Whole Town's Talking
as Prison Warden (uncredited)
(1935)
The Arizonian
as Marshal Andy Jordan
(1935)
The Healer
as Applejack
(1935)
Let 'em Have It
as Mr. Keefer
(1935)
Danger Ahead
as Harry Cromwell
(1935)
Our Little Girl
as Hobo
(1935)
Star of Midnight
as Inspector Doremus
(1935)
Stormy
as Trinidad Dorn
(1935)
Hitch Hike Lady
as Judge Hale
(1935)
The Irish in Us
as Capt. Jackson
(1935)
Maybe It's Love
as The Cop
(1935)
Swellhead
as Umpire
(1935)
The Best Man Wins
as Captain--Harbor Patrol
(1935)
Waterfront Lady
as Capt. O'Brien
(1935)
Northern Frontier
as Inspector
(1935)
Fighting Youth
as Coach Parker
(1935)
Shadows of the Orient
as Inspector Sullivan
(1935)
Square Shooter
as Sheriff
(1934)
Once to Every Woman
as Flannigan
(1934)
The Crime Doctor
as Kemp
(1934)
The Crosby Case
as The Doorman--Mike Costello
(1934)
Man of Two Worlds
as Michael
(1934)
Beggar's Holiday
as Pop Malloy
(1933)
The Working Man
as Henry 'Hank' Davis
(1933)
Myrt and Marge
as Grady
(1933)
I Loved a Woman
as Shuster
(1933)
Peg o' My Heart
as Patrick Shamus 'Pat' O'Connell
(1933)
Laughing at Life
as Prison Warden
(1933)
The Power and the Glory
as Mulligan
(1933)
Murder on the Campus
as Police Capt. Ed Kyne
(1933)
Under Secret Orders
as John Burke
(1933)
The Vanishing Frontier
as Waco
(1933)
The Iron Master
as J.C. Stillman
(1933)
How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points
as Himself
(1932)
The Hurricane Express
as Jim Baker
(1932)
Heritage of the Desert
as Adam Naab
(1932)
The Thirteenth Guest
as Captain Ryan
(1932)
Me and My Gal
as Pop Riley
(1932)
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
as Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
(1932)
Under Eighteen
as Pop Evans
(1932)
70,000 Witnesses
as State Coach
(1932)
No Man of Her Own
as "Dickie" Collins
(1932)
The Pride of the Legion
as Chief Scott
(1932)
Probation
as George Holman
(1932)
Scandal for Sale
as Treadway
(1932)
The Phantom Express
as D.J. 'Smokey' Nolan
(1932)
Discarded Lovers
as Sommers
(1932)
The Racing Strain
as Mr. Martin
(1932)
Week-End Marriage
as Mr. Davis
(1932)
This Sporting Age
as Jerry O'Day
(1932)
Hotel Continental
as Detective Martin
(1932)
Hearts of Humanity
as Tom O'Hara
(1932)
Madame Racketeer
as John Adams
(1932)
Men Are Such Fools
as Prison Warden Randolph
(1932)
Steady Company
as Hogan
(1931)
The Stolen Jools
as Policeman
(1931)
The Maltese Falcon
as Det. Sgt. Tom Polhaus
(1931)
The Painted Desert
as Jeff Cameron
(1931)
The Millionaire
as Dan Lewis
(1931)
Other Men's Women
as Peg-Leg
(1931)
The Spirit of Notre Dame
as The Coach
(1931)
Stranger in Town
as Scout
(1931)
The Easiest Way
as Ben Murdock
(1931)
The Squaw Man
as Big Bill
(1931)
The Brat
as Timson, the butler
(1931)
Sporting Blood
as MacGuire
(1931)
Touchdown!
as Pop Stewart
(1931)
Woman Hungry
as Buzzard
(1931)
Too Young to Marry
as Rev. Stump
(1931)
(1930)
Men Without Women
as Costello
(1930)
The Truth About Youth
as Colonel Graham
(1930)
River's End
as O'Toole
(1930)
Song o' My Heart
as Rafferty
(1930)
The Girl of the Golden West
as Sonora Slim
(1929)
Happy Days
as Train Conductor
(1929)
Strong Boy
as Angus McGregor
(1929)
South Sea Rose
as Hackett
(1929)
Masked Emotions
as Will Whitten
(1929)
Masquerade
as Joe Hickey
(1929)
The Painted Angel
as Pa Hudler
(1928)
In Old Arizona
as Stage Passenger (uncredited)
(1928)
4 Devils
as The Clown
(1928)
Bringing Up Father
as Jiggs
(1928)
Abie's Irish Rose
as Patrick Murphy
(1928)
Riley the Cop
as James 'Aloysius' Riley
(1928)
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris
as Patrick Kelly
(1928)
None But the Brave
as John Craig
(1927)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
as The Photographer
(1927)
Cradle Snatchers
as George Martin
(1927)
Paid to Love
as Peter Roberts
(1927)
East Side, West Side
as Pug Malone
(1927)
Ankles Preferred
as McGuire
(1926)
3 Bad Men
as Mike Costigan
(1926)
The Shamrock Handicap
as Con O'Shea
(1926)
The Dixie Merchant
as Jean Paul Fippany
(1926)
The First Year
as Mr. Barstow
(1926)
Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl
as Sloan
(1926)
The Family Upstairs
as Joe Heller
(1926)
A Trip to Chinatown
as Benjamin Strong
(1926)
The Country Beyond
as Sgt. Cassidy
(1925)
The Iron Horse
as Corporal Casey
(1925)
Kentucky Pride
as Donavan
(1925)
The Lucky Horseshoe
as Mack
(1925)
Thank You
as Andy
(1925)
The Fighting Heart
as Jerry
(1925)
Lightnin'
as Lemuel Townsend
(1925)
Let Women Alone
as Commodore John Gordon
(1924)
The Signal Tower
as Pete
(1924)
Mademoiselle Midnight
as Duc de Moing (Prologue)
(1924)
The Brass Bowl
as Hickey
(1924)
(1924)
Western Luck
as 'Chuck' Campbell
(1923)
The Age of Desire
as Dan Reagan
(1923)
Drifting
as Murphy
(1923)
Quicksands
as Col. Patterson
(1923)
Racing Hearts
as Silas Martin
(1923)
(1922)
Manslaughter
as (uncredited)
(1922)
Come on Over
as Michael Morahan
(1922)
Sky High
as Jim Frazer (as J. Farrel MacDonald)
(1922)
The Young Rajah
as Amhad Beg - Prime Minister
(1922)
The Ghost Breaker
as Sam Marcum
(1922)
The Bonded Woman
as Captain Gaskell
(1922)
Over the Border
as Peter Galbraith
(1922)
The Bachelor Daddy
as Joe Pelton
(1921)
Trailin'
as Joseph Piotto
(1921)
Action
as Mormon Peters
(1921)
Riding with Death
as Sheriff Pat Garrity
(1921)
The Freeze-Out
as Bobtail McGuire
(1921)
The Wallop
as Neuces River
(1921)
(1920)
Hitchin' Posts
as Joe Alabam (as J. Farrell McDonald)
(1920)
The Path She Chose
as Father
(1920)
Bullet Proof
as Jim Boone
(1919)
A Sporting Chance
as Luther Ripley aka Kennedy
(1919)
A Fight For Love
as The Priest
(1919)
Roped
as Butler
(1919)
Riders of Vengeance
as Buell
(1919)
(1919)
This Hero Stuff
as Softnose Smith
(1919)
Marked Men
as Tom Placer McGraw
(1918)
$5,000 Reward
as Norcross
(1915)
Rags
as Paul Ferguson (as Joseph Farrell MacDonald)
(1913)
(1912)
A Timely Repentance
as Louis Nordell
(1911)
The Dream
as Secondary Role (uncredited)
(1911)
The Lighthouse Keeper
as The Lighthouse Keeper
(1911)
'Tween Two Loves
as Farmer Howard
(1911)
(1910)
The Time-Lock Safe
as Office Worker
Crew
(1917)
Over the Fence
Director
(1915)
Lonesome Luke, Social Gangster
Director
(1914)
The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Director
(1914)
The Magic Cloak of Oz
Director
(1914)
His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz
Director
(1914)
Samson
Director
(1914)
The Backslider
Director
(1913)
Rory o' the Bogs
Director