Mack Swain
Born: 1876-02-15 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Died: 1935-08-25
Known For: Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mack Swain (born Moroni Swain, February 16, 1876 – August 25, 1935) was an early American film actor, who appeared in many of Mack Sennett's comedies at Keystone Studios, including the Keystone Cops series. He also appeared in major features by Charlie Chaplin. In the early 1900s Swain had his own stock theater company, which performed in the western and midwestern United States. Swain worked in vaudeville before starting in silent film at Keystone Studios under Mack Sennett. While with Keystone, he was teamed with Chester Conklin to make a series of comedy films. With Swain as "Ambrose" and Conklin as the grand mustachioed "Walrus", they performed these roles in several films including The Battle of Ambrose and Walrus and Love, Speed and Thrills, both made in 1915. Besides these comedies, the two appeared together in a variety of other films, 26 all told, and they also appeared separately and/or together in films starring Mabel Normand, Charles Chaplin, Roscoe Arbuckle and most of the rest of the roster of Keystone players. Swain later took his Ambrose character with him to the L-KO Kompany. Having already worked with Charles Chaplin at Keystone, Swain began working with him again at First National in 1921, appearing in The Idle Class, Pay Day, and The Pilgrim. He is also remembered for his large supporting role as Big Jim McKay in the 1925 film The Gold Rush, for United Artists, written by and starring Chaplin. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Mack Swain received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1500 Vine Street.
Filmography
1998
- Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists as Big Jim McKay (archive footage)
1959
- The Chaplin Revue as Various (archive footage)
1953
- Yesterday and Today as (archive footage)
1943
- Happy Times and Jolly Moments as (archive footage)
1935
- Bad Boy as Man on Rowing Machine
1932
- Lighthouse Love as Captain Wiggins—the Lighthouse Keeper
- The Midnight Patrol
1931
- Stout Hearts and Willing Hands as Kop(as the Original Keystone Kops)
- Finn and Hattie as Le Bottin
- Love, Be with Humanity: Part 1 as Doctor
- Love, Be with Humanity: Part 2 as Doctor
1930
- Soup to Nuts as First Fat Diner (uncredited)
- Cleaning Up as Mack
- Redemption as Magistrate
- The Sea Bat as Dutchy
1929
- The Locked Door as Hotel Proprietor
- The Cohens and Kellys in Atlantic City as Mr. Tom Kelly
1928
- Caught in the Fog as Detective Ryan
- Tillie's Punctured Romance as Tillie's Father
- The Girl from Nowhere as Wilbur Ashcraft
- The Last Warning as Robert Bunce
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Sir Francis Beekman
1927
- See You in Jail as Slossom
- The Girl from Everywhere as Wilfred Ashcraft - Director
- The Shamrock and the Rose as Mike Kelly
- Becky as Irving Spiegelberg
- Finnegan's Ball as Patrick Flannigan
- The Beloved Rogue as Nicholas
- My Best Girl as Judge
- Mockery as Vladimir Gaidaroff
- A Texas Steer as Bragg
1926
- Kiki as Pastryman (uncredited)
- Torrent as Don Matías
- The Devil's Circus
- Sea Horses as Bimbo-Bomba
- Footloose Widows as Ludwig
- The Nervous Wreck as Jerome Underwood
- Her Big Night as Myers, film producer
- Whispering Wires as McCarthy
- Hands Up! as Silas Woodstock
1925
- The Gold Rush as Big Jim
- The Eagle as Innkeeper (uncredited)
1923
- The Pilgrim as Deacon
- Pitfalls of a Big City as The Vamp's Husband
- This Way Out as The Girl's Father
1922
- Pay Day as Foreman
1921
- The Idle Class as Edna's Father (uncredited)
1920
- Innocent Ambrose as Ambrose Schnitz
- Full o' Spirits
1919
- Her First False Hare as Unknown
- Heroic Ambrose as Ambrose Schnitz
- Oh, What a Knight as The Sheriff
1918
- Adventurous Ambrose as Ambrose
1917
- Lost: A Cook as Farmer Ambrose
- The Late Lamented as Boarder (unconfirmed)
- The Pullman Bride as Rover Peabody - the Chosen One
- His Naughty Thought as Walter Ambrose
- Thirst as Ambrose
1916
- Madcap Ambrose as Ambrose
- His Bitter Pill as Jim - a Big Hearted Sheriff
- A Movie Star as Handsome Jack
1915
- That Little Band Of Gold as Audience Member (uncredited)
- Hogan's Romance Upset as Fight Spectator
- Love, Speed and Thrills as Ambrose
- Fatty's New Role as Ambrose Schnitz
- Ambrose's Nasty Temper as Ambrose
- Caught in a Park as The Bartender
- Ambrose's Little Hatchet as Ambrose
- Mabel Lost and Won as Mabel's Rival's Husband
- Ambrose's Lofty Perch as Ambrose
- When Ambrose Dared Walrus as Ambrose
- Ye Olden Grafter as The Grafter
- Ambrose's Sour Grapes as Ambrose
- Saved by Wireless as The Spy
- Willful Ambrose as Pa Ambrose
- Ambrose's Fury as Ambrose
- The Home Breakers as Ambrose
1914
- Caught in a Cabaret as Tough Patron / Party Guest / Boy's Father (uncredited)
- Tillie's Punctured Romance as Tillie's Father
- Mabel's Married Life as Wellington, a Ladykiller
- Mabel at the Wheel as Race Spectator (uncredited)
- Caught in the Rain as Husband (uncredited)
- The Knockout as Gambler (uncredited)
- Hello, Mabel as The Married Flirt
- His Prehistoric Past as King Lowbrow
- A Busy Day as Husband
- Laughing Gas as Patient
- Ambrose's First Falsehood as Ambrose
- Fatty's Wine Party as Restaurant Proprietor
- The Fatal Mallet as Rival Suitor (uncredited)
- A Thief Catcher as Crook (uncredited)
- His Musical Career as Mike, Charlie's Partner
- Gentlemen of Nerve as Mr. Walrus
- Getting Acquainted as Ambrose
- The Under-Sheriff as Villager
- A Rowboat Romance as (unconfirmed)
- Other People's Business
- His Trysting Places as Ambrose
- Leading Lizzie Astray as Cafe Patron - In from the Mines
- A Robust Romeo
- Mabel’s Nerve
- Gussle, the Golfer as Ambrose
- Love and Gasoline
- A Gambling Rube as (unconfirmed)
- The Sea Nymphs as Ambrose
- Double Crossed as The Belle's Boyfriend
- A Missing Bride
1913
- Fatty Joins the Force as Cop at Station House
- A Muddy Romance as Desk Sergeant / Park Attendant
- The Gusher as Villager / Cop