J. Farrell MacDonald

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

273

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

  • It's a Wonderful Life

    It's a Wonderful Life

  • Smoky

    Smoky

  • Danger Ahead

    Danger Ahead

  • Manslaughter

    Manslaughter

  • Marked Men

    Marked Men

  • Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

    Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

  • Hitchin' Posts

    Hitchin' Posts

  • Exclusive Story

    Exclusive Story

  • Thank You

    Thank You

  • Tiger Fangs

    Tiger Fangs

  • The Brat

    The Brat

  • Numbered Woman

    Numbered Woman

  • Texas Masquerade

    Texas Masquerade

  • Madame Racketeer

    Madame Racketeer

  • The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer

    The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer

  • Stormy

    Stormy

  • Cradle Snatchers

    Cradle Snatchers

  • Fighting Youth

    Fighting Youth

  • Fallen Angel

    Fallen Angel

  • Topper

    Topper

  • Sporting Blood

    Sporting Blood

  • Stagecoach War

    Stagecoach War

  • Under Eighteen

    Under Eighteen

  • Swellhead

    Swellhead

  • Barefoot Boy

    Barefoot Boy

  • Drifting

    Drifting

  • Sitting Pretty

    Sitting Pretty

  • 4 Devils

    4 Devils

  • Hangover Square

    Hangover Square

  • Woman Hungry

    Woman Hungry

  • Tracks

    Tracks

  • Superman and the Mole Men

    Superman and the Mole Men

  • Slim

    Slim

  • Masquerade

    Masquerade

  • Kentucky Pride

    Kentucky Pride

  • Lightnin'

    Lightnin'

  • Johnny Angel

    Johnny Angel

  • Desperate Youth

    Desperate Youth

  • Discarded Lovers

    Discarded Lovers

  • Dark Command

    Dark Command

  • The Best Man Wins

    The Best Man Wins

  • Show Boat

    Show Boat

  • Riffraff

    Riffraff

  • How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points

    How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points

  • Hostile Country

    Hostile Country

  • Panhandle

    Panhandle

  • Phantom Killer

    Phantom Killer

  • The Palm Beach Story

    The Palm Beach Story

  • Rags

    Rags

  • Roaring Timber

    Roaring Timber

  • Christmas Eve

    Christmas Eve

  • The Iron Horse

    The Iron Horse

  • Whispering Smith

    Whispering Smith

  • White Banners

    White Banners

  • Hotel Continental

    Hotel Continental

  • Zenobia

    Zenobia

  • Action

    Action

  • The Strange Love of Molly Louvain

    The Strange Love of Molly Louvain

  • Happy Days

    Happy Days

  • Gerald Cranston's Lady

    Gerald Cranston's Lady

  • Submarine Patrol

    Submarine Patrol

  • My Darling Clementine

    My Darling Clementine

  • Greenwich Village

    Greenwich Village

  • Reap the Wild Wind

    Reap the Wild Wind

  • Woman on the Run

    Woman on the Run

  • Square Shooter

    Square Shooter

  • The Great Lie

    The Great Lie

  • Meet John Doe

    Meet John Doe

  • When Willie Comes Marching Home

    When Willie Comes Marching Home

  • Parnell

    Parnell

  • Parnell

    Parnell

  • The Walls of Jericho

    The Walls of Jericho

  • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

    A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

  • Keeper of the Bees

    Keeper of the Bees

  • Gang Bullets

    Gang Bullets

  • Full Confession

    Full Confession

  • Paid to Love

    Paid to Love

  • Susannah of the Mounties

    Susannah of the Mounties

  • Extortion

    Extortion

  • East Side of Heaven

    East Side of Heaven

  • Masked Emotions

    Masked Emotions

  • The Daltons' Women

    The Daltons' Women

  • The Dream

    The Dream

  • Roped

    Roped

  • The Squaw Man

    The Squaw Man

  • Star of Midnight

    Star of Midnight

  • 3 Bad Men

    3 Bad Men

  • The Easiest Way

    The Easiest Way

  • My Dear Miss Aldrich

    My Dear Miss Aldrich

  • Me and My Gal

    Me and My Gal

  • Steady Company

    Steady Company

  • Here Comes the Groom

    Here Comes the Groom

  • County Fair

    County Fair

  • Conspiracy

    Conspiracy

  • The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris

    The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris

  • The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek

    The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek

  • True to Life

    True to Life

  • The Bonded Woman

    The Bonded Woman

  • Under Secret Orders

    Under Secret Orders

  • The Maltese Falcon

    The Maltese Falcon

  • Flying Fists

    Flying Fists

  • Riley the Cop

    Riley the Cop

  • The Signal Tower

    The Signal Tower

  • Ankles Preferred

    Ankles Preferred

  • No Man of Her Own

    No Man of Her Own

  • South Sea Rose

    South Sea Rose

  • Over the Border

    Over the Border

  • A Trip to Chinatown

    A Trip to Chinatown

  • Waterfront Lady

    Waterfront Lady

  • Mickey the Kid

    Mickey the Kid

  • The Light of Western Stars

    The Light of Western Stars

  • The Brass Bowl

    The Brass Bowl

  • Touchdown!

    Touchdown!

  • They Shall Have Music

    They Shall Have Music

  • Thunder in the Valley

    Thunder in the Valley

  • The Game That Kills

    The Game That Kills

  • 70,000 Witnesses

    70,000 Witnesses

  • This Hero Stuff

    This Hero Stuff

  • The Iron Master

    The Iron Master

  • Pillow of Death

    Pillow of Death

  • The Working Man

    The Working Man

  • Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell

    Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell

  • The Pride of the Legion

    The Pride of the Legion

  • The Stolen Jools

    The Stolen Jools

  • Fury at Furnace Creek

    Fury at Furnace Creek

  • Riders of the Timberline

    Riders of the Timberline

  • Bowery at Midnight

    Bowery at Midnight

  • The Time-Lock Safe

    The Time-Lock Safe

  • Web of Danger

    Web of Danger

  • Romance in Manhattan

    Romance in Manhattan

  • The Crowd Roars

    The Crowd Roars

  • The Last Alarm

    The Last Alarm

  • Private Snuffy Smith

    Private Snuffy Smith

  • Streets of San Francisco

    Streets of San Francisco

  • Law of the Timber

    Law of the Timber

  • The Spirit of Notre Dame

    The Spirit of Notre Dame

  • The Crosby Case

    The Crosby Case

  • If You Knew Susie

    If You Knew Susie

  • The Vanishing Frontier

    The Vanishing Frontier

  • Wild Bill Hickok Rides

    Wild Bill Hickok Rides

  • Shadows of the Orient

    Shadows of the Orient

  • The Young Rajah

    The Young Rajah

  • The Housekeeper's Daughter

    The Housekeeper's Daughter

  • Let Women Alone

    Let Women Alone

  • Front Page Woman

    Front Page Woman

  • Riders of Vengeance

    Riders of Vengeance

  • The Thirteenth Guest

    The Thirteenth Guest

  • I Loved a Woman

    I Loved a Woman

  • Shep Comes Home

    Shep Comes Home

  • The Last Express

    The Last Express

  • Captains of the Clouds

    Captains of the Clouds

  • $5,000 Reward

    $5,000 Reward

  • The Millionaire

    The Millionaire

  • The Truth About Youth

    The Truth About Youth

  • Those Who Dare

    Those Who Dare

  • The Great Moment

    The Great Moment

  • Abie's Irish Rose

    Abie's Irish Rose

  • Once to Every Woman

    Once to Every Woman

  • The McGuerins from Brooklyn

    The McGuerins from Brooklyn

  • The First Year

    The First Year

  • Heritage of the Desert

    Heritage of the Desert

  • None But the Brave

    None But the Brave

  • In Old Cheyenne

    In Old Cheyenne

  • You're My Everything

    You're My Everything

  • The Shamrock Handicap

    The Shamrock Handicap

  • Our Little Girl

    Our Little Girl

  • The Dalton Gang

    The Dalton Gang

  • Maid of Salem

    Maid of Salem

  • Maybe It's Love

    Maybe It's Love

  • This Sporting Age

    This Sporting Age

  • East Side, West Side

    East Side, West Side

  • The Sin of Harold Diddlebock

    The Sin of Harold Diddlebock

  • The Scarlet Letter

    The Scarlet Letter

  • The Family Upstairs

    The Family Upstairs

  • The Ghost Breaker

    The Ghost Breaker

  • The Last Frontier

    The Last Frontier

  • Beggar's Holiday

    Beggar's Holiday

  • Belle Starr's Daughter

    Belle Starr's Daughter

  • Stranger in Town

    Stranger in Town

  • Harrigan's Kid

    Harrigan's Kid

  • The Age of Desire

    The Age of Desire

  • The Living Ghost

    The Living Ghost

  • The Crime Doctor

    The Crime Doctor

  • The Arizonian

    The Arizonian

  • Men Are Such Fools

    Men Are Such Fools

  • One Thrilling Night

    One Thrilling Night

  • The Power and the Glory

    The Power and the Glory

  • River's End

    River's End

  • The Country Beyond

    The Country Beyond

  • Hitch Hike Lady

    Hitch Hike Lady

  • Other Men's Women

    Other Men's Women

  • The Irish in Us

    The Irish in Us

  • The Outcasts of Poker Flat

    The Outcasts of Poker Flat

  • A Sporting Chance

    A Sporting Chance

  • The Bachelor Daddy

    The Bachelor Daddy

  • The Whole Town's Talking

    The Whole Town's Talking

  • Men Without Women

    Men Without Women

  • Pony Express Days

    Pony Express Days

  • Week-End Marriage

    Week-End Marriage

  • Come On, Rangers

    Come On, Rangers

  • The Girl of the Golden West

    The Girl of the Golden West

  • Courage of the West

    Courage of the West

  • The Fighting Heart

    The Fighting Heart

  • Laughing at Life

    Laughing at Life

  • The Great Barrier

    The Great Barrier

  • I Take This Oath

    I Take This Oath

  • The Healer

    The Healer

  • Northern Frontier

    Northern Frontier

  • The Painted Desert

    The Painted Desert

  • The Lucky Horseshoe

    The Lucky Horseshoe

  • Western Luck

    Western Luck

  • The Painted Angel

    The Painted Angel

  • In Old Arizona

    In Old Arizona

  • Riding with Death

    Riding with Death

  • While Paris Sleeps

    While Paris Sleeps

  • Come on Over

    Come on Over

  • The Freeze-Out

    The Freeze-Out

  • The Gentleman from Arizona

    The Gentleman from Arizona

  • Song o' My Heart

    Song o' My Heart

  • Coast Guard

    Coast Guard

  • Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

    Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

  • Too Young to Marry

    Too Young to Marry

  • Slave Ship

    Slave Ship

  • Strong Boy

    Strong Boy

  • The Lone Ranger Rides Again

    The Lone Ranger Rides Again

  • Probation

    Probation

  • Murder on the Campus

    Murder on the Campus

  • Goodbye, Weeds

    Goodbye, Weeds

  • The Ape Man

    The Ape Man

  • There Goes My Heart

    There Goes My Heart

  • Joe Palooka, Champ

    Joe Palooka, Champ

  • State Police

    State Police

  • The Hurricane Express

    The Hurricane Express

  • Quicksands

    Quicksands

  • Myrt and Marge

    Myrt and Marge

  • Bringing Up Father

    Bringing Up Father

  • Circumstantial Evidence

    Circumstantial Evidence

  • Scandal for Sale

    Scandal for Sale

  • Man of Two Worlds

    Man of Two Worlds

  • Florida Special

    Florida Special

  • Let 'em Have It

    Let 'em Have It

  • Peg o' My Heart

    Peg o' My Heart

  • My Old Kentucky Home

    My Old Kentucky Home

  • Dakota Lil

    Dakota Lil

  • Prairie Law

    Prairie Law

  • Untamed

    Untamed

  • Trouble Preferred

    Trouble Preferred

  • Sky High

    Sky High

  • How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 9: 'The Driver'

    How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 9: 'The Driver'

  • The Calling of Louis Mona

    The Calling of Louis Mona

  • Mademoiselle Midnight

    Mademoiselle Midnight

  • Broadway Limited

    Broadway Limited

  • The Hit Parade

    The Hit Parade

  • Little Orphan Annie

    Little Orphan Annie

  • Hearts of Humanity

    Hearts of Humanity

  • 'Tween Two Loves

    'Tween Two Loves

  • The Wallop

    The Wallop

  • Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl

    Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl

  • Mysterious Crossing

    Mysterious Crossing

  • The Path She Chose

    The Path She Chose

  • A Fight For Love

    A Fight For Love

  • Knights of the Range

    Knights of the Range

  • The Racing Strain

    The Racing Strain

  • Friendly Neighbors

    Friendly Neighbors

  • The Phantom Express

    The Phantom Express

  • Racing Hearts

    Racing Hearts

  • The Lighthouse Keeper

    The Lighthouse Keeper

  • A Timely Repentance

    A Timely Repentance

  • The Dixie Merchant

    The Dixie Merchant

  • Bullet Proof

    Bullet Proof

  • Trailin'

    Trailin'

  • Fair Enough

    Fair Enough

  • Fashionable Fakers

    Fashionable Fakers