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
- Love, Be with Humanity: Part 1 as Doctor
- Love, Be with Humanity: Part 2 as Doctor
- Finn and Hattie as Le Bottin
- Stout Hearts and Willing Hands as Kop(as the Original Keystone Kops)
1930
- Cleaning Up as Mack
- Redemption as Magistrate
- Soup to Nuts as First Fat Diner (uncredited)
- The Sea Bat as Dutchy
1929
- The Locked Door as Hotel Proprietor
- The Cohens and Kellys in Atlantic City as Mr. Tom Kelly
1928
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Sir Francis Beekman
- The Girl from Nowhere as Wilbur Ashcraft
- The Last Warning as Robert Bunce
- Caught in the Fog as Detective Ryan
- Tillie's Punctured Romance as Tillie's Father
1927
- My Best Girl as Judge
- Becky as Irving Spiegelberg
- The Girl from Everywhere as Wilfred Ashcraft - Director
- The Beloved Rogue as Nicholas
- The Shamrock and the Rose as Mike Kelly
- A Texas Steer as Bragg
- Finnegan's Ball as Patrick Flannigan
- Mockery as Vladimir Gaidaroff
- See You in Jail as Slossom
1926
- Torrent as Don Matías
- Kiki as Pastryman (uncredited)
- Sea Horses as Bimbo-Bomba
- Hands Up! as Silas Woodstock
- The Nervous Wreck as Jerome Underwood
- The Devil's Circus
- Whispering Wires as McCarthy
- Her Big Night as Myers, film producer
- Footloose Widows as Ludwig
1925
- The Gold Rush as Big Jim
- The Eagle as Innkeeper (uncredited)
1923
- The Pilgrim as Deacon
- This Way Out as The Girl's Father
- Pitfalls of a Big City as The Vamp's Husband
1922
- Pay Day as Foreman
1921
- The Idle Class as Edna's Father (uncredited)
1920
- Innocent Ambrose as Ambrose Schnitz
- Full o' Spirits
1919
- Heroic Ambrose as Ambrose Schnitz
- Oh, What a Knight as The Sheriff
- Her First False Hare as Unknown
1918
- Adventurous Ambrose as Ambrose
1917
- Lost: A Cook as Farmer Ambrose
- Thirst as Ambrose
- The Pullman Bride as Rover Peabody - the Chosen One
- His Naughty Thought as Walter Ambrose
- The Late Lamented as Boarder (unconfirmed)
1916
- Madcap Ambrose as Ambrose
- His Bitter Pill as Jim - a Big Hearted Sheriff
- A Movie Star as Handsome Jack
1915
- Love, Speed and Thrills as Ambrose
- Ambrose's Nasty Temper as Ambrose
- Hogan's Romance Upset as Fight Spectator
- Ye Olden Grafter as The Grafter
- Ambrose's Fury as Ambrose
- Fatty's New Role as Ambrose Schnitz
- That Little Band Of Gold as Audience Member (uncredited)
- Ambrose's Little Hatchet as Ambrose
- Mabel Lost and Won as Mabel's Rival's Husband
- Saved by Wireless as The Spy
- When Ambrose Dared Walrus as Ambrose
- Willful Ambrose as Pa Ambrose
- Caught in a Park as The Bartender
- Ambrose's Sour Grapes as Ambrose
- The Home Breakers as Ambrose
- Ambrose's Lofty Perch 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 at the Wheel as Race Spectator (uncredited)
- Caught in the Rain as Husband (uncredited)
- Hello, Mabel as The Married Flirt
- The Fatal Mallet as Rival Suitor (uncredited)
- Getting Acquainted as Ambrose
- The Knockout as Gambler (uncredited)
- Laughing Gas as Patient
- His Musical Career as Mike, Charlie's Partner
- Gentlemen of Nerve as Mr. Walrus
- A Thief Catcher as Crook (uncredited)
- A Busy Day as Husband
- His Trysting Places as Ambrose
- Leading Lizzie Astray as Cafe Patron - In from the Mines
- His Prehistoric Past as King Lowbrow
- The Under-Sheriff as Villager
- Mabel's Married Life as Wellington, a Ladykiller
- Fatty's Wine Party as Restaurant Proprietor
- Ambrose's First Falsehood as Ambrose
- A Robust Romeo
- Mabel’s Nerve
- The Sea Nymphs as Ambrose
- A Gambling Rube as (unconfirmed)
- Gussle, the Golfer as Ambrose
- A Rowboat Romance as (unconfirmed)
- Other People's Business
- A Missing Bride
- Double Crossed as The Belle's Boyfriend
- Love and Gasoline
1913
- A Muddy Romance as Desk Sergeant / Park Attendant
- The Gusher as Villager / Cop
- Fatty Joins the Force as Cop at Station House