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
- Finn and Hattie as Le Bottin
- Stout Hearts and Willing Hands
- Love, Be with Humanity: Part 2 as Doctor
- Love, Be with Humanity: Part 1 as Doctor
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
1928
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Sir Francis Beekman
- The Last Warning as Robert Bunce
- Tillie's Punctured Romance as Tillie's Father
- The Girl from Nowhere as Wilbur Ashcraft
- Caught in the Fog as Detective Ryan
1927
- Mockery as Vladimir Gaidaroff
- The Girl from Everywhere as Wilfred Ashcraft - Director
- The Shamrock and the Rose as Mike Kelly
- Becky as Irving Spiegelberg
- The Beloved Rogue as Nicholas
- My Best Girl as Judge
- A Texas Steer as Bragg
1926
- Whispering Wires as McCarthy
- Torrent as Don Matías
- Sea Horses as Bimbo-Bomba
- Footloose Widows as Ludwig
- Hands Up! as Silas Woodstock
- Kiki as Pastryman (uncredited)
- The Devil's Circus
- The Nervous Wreck as Jerome Underwood
- 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
- Full o' Spirits
- Innocent Ambrose as Ambrose Schnitz
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
- The Late Lamented as Boarder (unconfirmed)
- Thirst as Ambrose
- The Pullman Bride as Rover Peabody - the Chosen One
- Lost: A Cook as Farmer Ambrose
- 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
- That Little Band Of Gold as Audience Member (uncredited)
- Saved by Wireless as The Spy
- Caught in a Park as The Bartender
- Willful Ambrose as Pa Ambrose
- Ambrose's Fury as Ambrose
- Ye Olden Grafter as The Grafter
- Fatty's New Role as Ambrose Schnitz
- Ambrose's Little Hatchet as Ambrose
- The Home Breakers as Ambrose
- Love, Speed and Thrills as Ambrose
- Mabel Lost and Won as Mabel's Rival's Husband
- Ambrose's Nasty Temper as Ambrose
- Hogan's Romance Upset as Fight Spectator
- When Ambrose Dared Walrus as Ambrose
- Ambrose's Sour Grapes as Ambrose
- Ambrose's Lofty Perch as Ambrose
1914
- The Knockout as Gambler (uncredited)
- Getting Acquainted as Ambrose
- Double Crossed as The Belle's Boyfriend
- Tillie's Punctured Romance as Tillie's Father
- Gentlemen of Nerve as Mr. Walrus
- Ambrose's First Falsehood as Ambrose
- Mabel at the Wheel as Race Spectator (uncredited)
- Caught in a Cabaret as Tough Patron / Party Guest / Boy's Father (uncredited)
- Leading Lizzie Astray as Cafe Patron - In from the Mines
- A Thief Catcher as Crook (uncredited)
- His Trysting Places as Ambrose
- A Busy Day as Husband
- His Musical Career as Mike, Charlie's Partner
- Mabel's Married Life as Wellington, a Ladykiller
- The Fatal Mallet as Rival Suitor (uncredited)
- A Gambling Rube as (unconfirmed)
- Caught in the Rain as Husband (uncredited)
- His Prehistoric Past as King Lowbrow
- Laughing Gas as Patient
- Hello, Mabel as The Married Flirt
- The Under-Sheriff as Villager
- Fatty's Wine Party as Restaurant Proprietor
- Mabel’s Nerve
- A Missing Bride
- A Robust Romeo
- A Rowboat Romance as (unconfirmed)
- The Sea Nymphs as Ambrose
- Love and Gasoline
- Gussle, the Golfer as Ambrose
- Other People's Business
1913
- The Gusher as Villager / Cop
- Fatty Joins the Force as Cop at Station House
- A Muddy Romance as Desk Sergeant / Park Attendant