Cast
J. Farrell MacDonald
Acting
Cast
J. Farrell MacDonald
Known for
Acting
Born
1875-06-05
From
Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
Died
1952-08-02
Also known as Joseph Farrell MacDonald, John Farrell MacDonald, 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.
It's a Wonderful Life
as Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
Fallen Angel
as Bank Guard (uncredited)
My Darling Clementine
as Mac the barman
Kentucky Pride
as Donavan
Topper
as Policeman
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
as The Photographer
Meet John Doe
as 'Sourpuss'
Parnell
as Irish Laborer (uncredited)
Parnell
as Irish Laborer
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
as Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
Drifting
as Murphy
Slim
as Pop
Madame Racketeer
as John Adams
The Wallop
as Neuces River
Touchdown!
as Pop Stewart
Reap the Wild Wind
as Port Captain
Christmas Eve
as Policeman (uncredited)
Woman Hungry
as Buzzard
Zenobia
as Judge
Slave Ship
as Proprietor
Cradle Snatchers
as George Martin
Johnny Angel
as Capt. Angel
Manslaughter
as (uncredited)
Flying Fists
as Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
The Whole Town's Talking
as Prison Warden (uncredited)
County Fair
as Calvin Williams
Swellhead
as Umpire
Trailin'
as Joseph Piotto
Racing Hearts
as Silas Martin
Marked Men
as Tom Placer McGraw
Hangover Square
as Street Vendor (uncredited)
Extortion
as Coach Pearson
State Police
as Charlie Wheeler
Superman and the Mole Men
as Pop Shannon
Thunder in the Valley
as McPherson - Innkeeper
The Palm Beach Story
as Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
Dark Command
as Dave
Prairie Law
as Sheriff Jim Austin
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
as Self (archive footage)
The Dream
as Secondary Role (uncredited)
Pillow of Death
The Millionaire
as Dan Lewis
Panhandle
as Doc Cooper
Woman on the Run
as Cap, the Retired Ferryboat Captain
Submarine Patrol
as CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
as Sheriff (uncredited)
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
as Mac (uncredited)
Phantom Killer
as Police Captain
Abie's Irish Rose
as Patrick Murphy
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
as Mr. Kroeger
Friendly Neighbors
as Sheiff Potts
Circumstantial Evidence
as Jury Foreman
Exclusive Story
as Michael Devlin
Show Boat
as Windy MacLaine
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
as Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
The Great Lie
as Dr. Ferguson
Coast Guard
as Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
The Maltese Falcon
as Det. Sgt. Tom Polhaus
Riders of the Timberline
as Jim Kerrigan
No Man of Her Own
as "Dickie" Collins
The Brat
as Timson, the butler
Sitting Pretty
as Cop (uncredited)
3 Bad Men
as Mike Costigan
I Loved a Woman
as Shuster
Here Comes the Groom
as Husband on Airplane (uncredited)
The Hurricane Express
as Jim Baker
Untamed
as Dr. Billar
Happy Days
as Train Conductor
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
as Henry Hathaway
Our Little Girl
as Hobo
When Willie Comes Marching Home
as Gilby - Pharmacist (uncredited)
The Iron Horse
as Corporal Casey
Broadway Limited
as Mulcahey
Maid of Salem
as Captain of Ship
There Goes My Heart
as Officer
Sporting Blood
as MacGuire
The Power and the Glory
as Mulligan
70,000 Witnesses
as State Coach
The Painted Desert
as Jeff Cameron
The Living Ghost
as Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
The Healer
as Applejack
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
The Irish in Us
as Capt. Jackson
Once to Every Woman
as Flannigan
The Arizonian
as Marshal Andy Jordan
True to Life
as Man (uncredited)
Whispering Smith
as Bill Baggs
Belle Starr's Daughter
as Doc Benson
Front Page Woman
as Hallohan
Strong Boy
as Angus McGregor
The Squaw Man
as Big Bill
Scandal for Sale
as Treadway
The Walls of Jericho
as Bailiff (uncredited)
Gang Bullets
as Chief Reardon
The Stolen Jools
as Policeman
Waterfront Lady
as Capt. O'Brien
Numbered Woman
as Capt. Mike Ryan
Bowery at Midnight
as Capt. Mitchell
Captains of the Clouds
as Dr. Neville
Susannah of the Mounties
as Pat O'Hannegan
Heritage of the Desert
as Adam Naab
East Side of Heaven
as Doorman (uncredited)
The Shamrock Handicap
as Con O'Shea
Under Eighteen
as Pop Evans
Full Confession
as Joe, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
The Crime Doctor
as Kemp
The Housekeeper's Daughter
as Captain
The Crowd Roars
as Father Patrick Ryan
The Great Moment
as The Priest
You're My Everything
as Doorman (uncredited)
A Sporting Chance
as Luther Ripley aka Kennedy
They Shall Have Music
as Police Chief (uncredited)
In Old Arizona
as Stage Passenger (uncredited)
Smoky
as Jim, the Cook
Star of Midnight
as Inspector Doremus
Maybe It's Love
as The Cop
Mademoiselle Midnight
as Duc de Moing (Prologue)
Thank You
as Andy
Other Men's Women
as Peg-Leg
Laughing at Life
as Prison Warden
Me and My Gal
as Pop Riley
Mysterious Crossing
as Police Chief Bullock
While Paris Sleeps
Goodbye, Weeds
as Gardener
Little Orphan Annie
as 'Pop' Corrigan
East Side, West Side
as Pug Malone
The Dixie Merchant
as Jean Paul Fippany
Western Luck
as 'Chuck' Campbell
The Ape Man
as Captain O'Brien
Riffraff
as 'Brains'
Texas Masquerade
as John Martindale
The Dalton Gang
as Judge Price
If You Knew Susie
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
South Sea Rose
as Hackett
Masked Emotions
as Will Whitten
The Fighting Heart
as Jerry
Shep Comes Home
as Sheriff Cap Weatherby
Joe Palooka, Champ
as Long-Count Bowman
The McGuerins from Brooklyn
as Cop
The Thirteenth Guest
as Captain Ryan
Romance in Manhattan
as Murphy
Peg o' My Heart
as Patrick Shamus 'Pat' O'Connell
Men Are Such Fools
as Prison Warden Randolph
The Freeze-Out
as Bobtail McGuire
The Hit Parade
as Sgt. O'Hara
Sky High
as Jim Frazer (as J. Farrel MacDonald)
Murder on the Campus
as Police Capt. Ed Kyne
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
as Craig Dolan
Greenwich Village
as O'Shea, policeman
The Spirit of Notre Dame
as The Coach
The Truth About Youth
as Colonel Graham
Stagecoach War
as Jeff Chapman
The Age of Desire
as Dan Reagan
Action
as Mormon Peters
Roaring Timber
as Andrew MacKinley
The Light of Western Stars
as Bill Stillwell
The Pride of the Legion
as Chief Scott
Stormy
as Trinidad Dorn
River's End
as O'Toole
Hostile Country
as Mr. Lane (uncredited)
Tiger Fangs
as Geoffrey MacCardle
Courage of the West
as Buck Saunders
Fury at Furnace Creek
as Pops Murphy (uncredited)
The Working Man
as Henry 'Hank' Davis
Mickey the Kid
as Sheriff J.J. Willoughby
Stranger in Town
as Scout
The Easiest Way
as Ben Murdock
Barefoot Boy
as Warden
Men Without Women
as Costello
The Iron Master
as J.C. Stillman
Private Snuffy Smith
as Gen. Rosewater
Danger Ahead
as Harry Cromwell
A Timely Repentance
as Louis Nordell
The Vanishing Frontier
as Waco
Fighting Youth
as Coach Parker
Dakota Lil
as Ellis
Quicksands
as Col. Patterson
Beggar's Holiday
as Pop Malloy
One Thrilling Night
as Police Sergeant Haggerty
My Dear Miss Aldrich
as 'Doc' Howe
A Fight For Love
as The Priest
The Last Express
as William Barton (Detective Agency Head)
Hotel Continental
as Detective Martin
Shadows of the Orient
as Inspector Sullivan
Steady Company
as Hogan
Fashionable Fakers
as Pat O'Donnell
Florida Special
as Harrigan
The Daltons' Women
as Alvin
Riders of Vengeance
as Buell
Conspiracy
as Captain of the Falcon
Knights of the Range
as Cappy
The Last Alarm
as Jim Hadley
The Crosby Case
as The Doorman--Mike Costello
4 Devils
as The Clown
The Game That Kills
as Joe Holland
Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl
as Sloan
Streets of San Francisco
as Pop Lockhart
Rags
as Paul Ferguson (as Joseph Farrell MacDonald)
Northern Frontier
as Inspector
Hitch Hike Lady
as Judge Hale
Let 'em Have It
as Mr. Keefer
Lightnin'
as Lemuel Townsend
I Take This Oath
as Insp. Tim Ryan
Pony Express Days
as Nevada Jim
The Signal Tower
as Pete
Harrigan's Kid
as Frank (uncredited)
This Hero Stuff
as Softnose Smith
A Trip to Chinatown
as Benjamin Strong
Riley the Cop
as James 'Aloysius' Riley
The Great Barrier
as Major Rogers
The Best Man Wins
as Captain--Harbor Patrol
The Country Beyond
as Sgt. Cassidy
Bullet Proof
as Jim Boone
None But the Brave
as John Craig
Man of Two Worlds
as Michael
The Scarlet Letter
Square Shooter
as Sheriff
Week-End Marriage
as Mr. Davis
The Ghost Breaker
as Sam Marcum
Come On, Rangers
as Colonel Forbes
Probation
as George Holman
The Phantom Express
as D.J. 'Smokey' Nolan
Song o' My Heart
as Rafferty
Paid to Love
as Peter Roberts
White Banners
as Dr. Thompson
Roped
as Butler
The Girl of the Golden West
as Sonora Slim
The Brass Bowl
as Hickey
How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points
as Himself
Law of the Timber
as Adams
Bringing Up Father
as Jiggs
The Path She Chose
as Father
The Lucky Horseshoe
as Mack
Tracks
as Jack Bess
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris
as Patrick Kelly
Over the Border
as Peter Galbraith
The Bonded Woman
as Captain Gaskell
My Old Kentucky Home
as Mayor Jim Hopkins
Trixie from Broadway
as Slim Hayes
The Painted Angel
as Pa Hudler
Web of Danger
as Scotty MacKronish - Bus Driver
The Storm Daughter
as Con Mullaney
The Bachelor Daddy
as Joe Pelton
The Family Upstairs
as Joe Heller
The Young Rajah
as Amhad Beg - Prime Minister
Keeper of the Bees
as Postmaster
Fair Enough
as Chief of Police Morgan
In Old Cheyenne
as Tim Casey
Hitchin' Posts
as Joe Alabam (as J. Farrell McDonald)
Ankles Preferred
as McGuire
Come on Over
as Michael Morahan
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
Those Who Dare
The Racing Strain
as Mr. Martin
The Last Frontier
as Wild Bill Hickok
The Gentleman from Arizona
as Wild Bill Coburn
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 9: 'The Driver'
Hearts of Humanity
as Tom O'Hara
Under Secret Orders
as John Burke
$5,000 Reward
as Norcross
The Time-Lock Safe
as Office Worker
Trouble Preferred
as Apartment House Manager (uncredited)
Discarded Lovers
as Sommers
Too Young to Marry
as Rev. Stump
Molly of the Follies
as Swannick
Let Women Alone
as Commodore John Gordon
Gerald Cranston's Lady
as Rennie
Masquerade
as Joe Hickey
Desperate Youth
'Tween Two Loves
as Farmer Howard
This Sporting Age
as Jerry O'Day
Riding with Death
as Sheriff Pat Garrity
The Lighthouse Keeper
as The Lighthouse Keeper
The Calling of Louis Mona
The First Year
as Mr. Barstow
Myrt and Marge
as Grady