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
- Stout Hearts and Willing Hands as Kop(as the Original Keystone Kops)
- Finn and Hattie as Le Bottin
1930
- Redemption as Magistrate
- The Sea Bat as Dutchy
- Soup to Nuts as First Fat Diner (uncredited)
- Cleaning Up as Mack
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 Last Warning as Robert Bunce
- The Girl from Nowhere as Wilbur Ashcraft
- Caught in the Fog as Detective Ryan
- Tillie's Punctured Romance as Tillie's Father
1927
- The Beloved Rogue as Nicholas
- Mockery as Vladimir Gaidaroff
- The Shamrock and the Rose as Mike Kelly
- Becky as Irving Spiegelberg
- My Best Girl as Judge
- A Texas Steer as Bragg
- The Girl from Everywhere as Wilfred Ashcraft - Director
- See You in Jail as Slossom
- Finnegan's Ball as Patrick Flannigan
1926
- Torrent as Don Matías
- Sea Horses as Bimbo-Bomba
- Whispering Wires as McCarthy
- Footloose Widows as Ludwig
- The Nervous Wreck as Jerome Underwood
- The Devil's Circus
- Kiki as Pastryman (uncredited)
- Hands Up! as Silas Woodstock
- Her Big Night as Myers, film producer
1925
- The Gold Rush as Big Jim McKay
- 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
- Oh, What a Knight as The Sheriff
- Heroic Ambrose as Ambrose Schnitz
1918
- Adventurous Ambrose as Ambrose
1917
- Thirst as Ambrose
- The Pullman Bride as Rover Peabody - the Chosen One
- Lost: A Cook as Farmer Ambrose
- The Late Lamented as Boarder (unconfirmed)
- His Naughty Thought as Walter Ambrose
1916
- Madcap Ambrose as Ambrose
- His Bitter Pill as Jim - a Big Hearted Sheriff
- A Movie Star as Handsome Jack
1915
- Ye Olden Grafter as The Grafter
- Ambrose's Nasty Temper as Ambrose
- Ambrose's Little Hatchet as Ambrose
- Hogan's Romance Upset as Fight Spectator
- Ambrose's Fury as Ambrose
- Fatty's New Role as Ambrose Schnitz
- Saved by Wireless as The Spy
- Love, Speed and Thrills as Ambrose
- Mabel Lost and Won as Mabel's Rival's Husband
- Ambrose's Sour Grapes as Ambrose
- Caught in a Park as The Bartender
- That Little Band Of Gold as Audience Member (uncredited)
- The Home Breakers as Ambrose
- When Ambrose Dared Walrus as Ambrose
- Willful Ambrose as Pa Ambrose
- Ambrose's Lofty Perch as Ambrose
1914
- Tillie's Punctured Romance as Tillie's Father
- Getting Acquainted as Ambrose
- His Musical Career as Mike, Charlie's Partner
- His Prehistoric Past as King Lowbrow
- Caught in a Cabaret as Tough Patron / Party Guest / Boy's Father (uncredited)
- The Sea Nymphs as Ambrose
- Mabel's Married Life as Wellington, a Ladykiller
- Gentlemen of Nerve as Mr. Walrus
- The Knockout as Gambler (uncredited)
- His Trysting Places as Ambrose
- A Gambling Rube as (unconfirmed)
- Fatty's Wine Party as Restaurant Proprietor
- Caught in the Rain as Husband (uncredited)
- Mabel at the Wheel as Race Spectator (uncredited)
- The Fatal Mallet as Rival Suitor (uncredited)
- A Busy Day as Husband
- A Robust Romeo
- Laughing Gas as Patient
- A Thief Catcher as Crook (uncredited)
- Ambrose's First Falsehood as Ambrose
- Hello, Mabel as The Married Flirt
- The Under-Sheriff as Villager
- A Rowboat Romance as (unconfirmed)
- Love and Gasoline
- Leading Lizzie Astray as Cafe Patron - In from the Mines
- A Missing Bride
- Double Crossed as The Belle's Boyfriend
- Other People's Business
- Mabel’s Nerve
- Gussle, the Golfer as Ambrose
1913
- Fatty Joins the Force as Cop at Station House
- The Gusher as Villager / Cop
- A Muddy Romance as Desk Sergeant / Park Attendant