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
The Photographer
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
It's a Wonderful Life
Mac the barman
My Darling Clementine
Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
Policeman
Topper
Trinidad Dorn
Stormy
Neuces River
The Wallop
Waco
The Vanishing Frontier
Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
The Palm Beach Story
Doc Cooper
Panhandle
Mike Costigan
3 Bad Men
Dr. Neville (from Churchtown)
Captains of the Clouds
Jerry O'Day
This Sporting Age
Mac, Bailiff (uncredited)
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
Bobtail McGuire
The Freeze-Out
Det. Sgt. Tom Polhaus
The Maltese Falcon
Cap, the Retired Ferryboat Captain
Woman on the Run
Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
The Living Ghost
"Dickie" Collins
No Man of Her Own
Capt. Angel
Johnny Angel
Jim Boone
Bullet Proof
Peter Galbraith
Over the Border
Pop Shannon
Superman and the Mole Men
Norcross
$5,000 Reward
McPherson - Innkeeper
Thunder in the Valley
Captain O'Brien
The Ape Man
Murphy
Drifting
Hogan
Steady Company
Col. Patterson
Quicksands
Silas Martin
Racing Hearts
Capt. Mitchell
Bowery at Midnight
Mr. Kroeger
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
Port Captain
Reap the Wild Wind
Commodore John Gordon
Let Women Alone
Benjamin Strong
A Trip to Chinatown
Warden
Barefoot Boy
Kemp
The Crime Doctor
Sheriff Pat Garrity
Riding with Death
Mr. Lane (uncredited)
Hostile Country
Jim Kerrigan
Riders of the Timberline
Prison Warden (uncredited)
The Whole Town's Talking
Corporal Casey
The Iron Horse
Policeman
The Stolen Jools
Sloan
Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl
Bailiff (uncredited)
The Walls of Jericho
Desperate Youth
Frank (uncredited)
Harrigan's Kid
Doorman (uncredited)
You're My Everything
Captain Ryan
The Thirteenth Guest
Henry 'Hank' Davis
The Working Man
Mulligan
The Power and the Glory
D.J. 'Smokey' Nolan
The Phantom Express
Pop Evans
Under Eighteen
'Brains'
Riffraff
(uncredited)
Manslaughter
Tim Casey
In Old Cheyenne
Joe, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Full Confession
Shuster
I Loved a Woman
Peter Roberts
Paid to Love
Joe Hickey
Masquerade
Jim Frazer (as J. Farrel MacDonald)
Sky High
Judge
Zenobia
Jim Hadley
The Last Alarm
Pop Lockhart
Streets of San Francisco
Pops Murphy (uncredited)
Fury at Furnace Creek
Ben Murdock
The Easiest Way
Colonel Forbes
Come On, Rangers
Umpire
Swellhead
Adam Naab
Heritage of the Desert
Detective Martin
Hotel Continental
Police Captain
Phantom Killer
Treadway
Scandal for Sale
Sommers
Discarded Lovers
Patrick Shamus 'Pat' O'Connell
Peg o' My Heart
Hickey
The Brass Bowl
Tom O'Hara
Hearts of Humanity
Michael Devlin
Exclusive Story
Police Capt. Ed Kyne
Murder on the Campus
Applejack
The Healer
Pug Malone
East Side, West Side
Harry Cromwell
Danger Ahead
Inspector Sullivan
Shadows of the Orient
Lemuel Townsend
Lightnin'
The Clown
4 Devils
Big Bill
The Squaw Man
Capt. O'Brien
Waterfront Lady
Colonel Graham
The Truth About Youth
Murphy
Romance in Manhattan
James 'Aloysius' Riley
Riley the Cop
George Martin
Cradle Snatchers
Dan Lewis
The Millionaire
Chief Scott
The Pride of the Legion
George Holman
Probation
Insp. Tim Ryan
I Take This Oath
Captain--Harbor Patrol
The Best Man Wins
Michael
Man of Two Worlds
Sgt. O'Hara
The Hit Parade
Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
Flying Fists
Pete
The Signal Tower
MacGuire
Sporting Blood
Postmaster
Keeper of the Bees
CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
Submarine Patrol
Peg-Leg
Other Men's Women
O'Toole
River's End
Prison Warden
Laughing at Life
Dr. Thompson
White Banners
Jim, the Cook
Smoky
Sheriff (uncredited)
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
Gen. Rosewater
Private Snuffy Smith
McGuire
Ankles Preferred
Judge Hale
Hitch Hike Lady
Pop Malloy
Beggar's Holiday
Chief Reardon
Gang Bullets
Mr. Keefer
Let 'em Have It
Father Patrick Ryan
The Crowd Roars
Con O'Shea
The Shamrock Handicap
Costello
Men Without Women
Jeff Cameron
The Painted Desert
Captain of the Falcon
Conspiracy
Grady
Myrt and Marge
Prison Warden Randolph
Men Are Such Fools
Donavan
Kentucky Pride
Police Chief Bullock
Mysterious Crossing
Police Sergeant Haggerty
One Thrilling Night
Duc de Moing (Prologue)
Mademoiselle Midnight
Mr. Martin
The Racing Strain
Hobo
Our Little Girl
Proprietor
Slave Ship
Mr. Barstow
The First Year
Michael Morahan
Come on Over
Pat O'Hannegan
Susannah of the Mounties
John Craig
None But the Brave
Bill Baggs
Whispering Smith
Craig Dolan
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
Doc Benson
Belle Starr's Daughter
Officer
There Goes My Heart
'Doc' Howe
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Mr. Davis
Week-End Marriage
Calvin Williams
County Fair
O'Shea, policeman
Greenwich Village
The Cop
Maybe It's Love
Amhad Beg - Prime Minister
The Young Rajah
Inspector
Northern Frontier
Doorman (uncredited)
East Side of Heaven
Police Chief (uncredited)
They Shall Have Music
Cop (uncredited)
Sitting Pretty
Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
Coast Guard
Sheriff
Square Shooter
Captain
The Housekeeper's Daughter
John Burke
Under Secret Orders
'Chuck' Campbell
Western Luck
Self (archive footage)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Inspector Doremus
Star of Midnight
J.C. Stillman
The Iron Master
Jeff Chapman
Stagecoach War
Policeman (uncredited)
Christmas Eve
Those Who Dare
Gilby - Pharmacist (uncredited)
When Willie Comes Marching Home
Dr. Billar
Untamed
Mayor Jim Hopkins
My Old Kentucky Home
Jiggs
Bringing Up Father
Captain of Ship
Maid of Salem
Dr. Ferguson
The Great Lie
The Scarlet Letter
The Calling of Louis Mona
Joe Holland
The Game That Kills
Hallohan
Front Page Woman
Alvin
The Daltons' Women
Pop Riley
Me and My Gal
William Barton (Detective Agency Head)
The Last Express
Capt. Ryan
Numbered Woman
Wild Bill Coburn
The Gentleman from Arizona
'Pop' Corrigan
Little Orphan Annie
Hackett
South Sea Rose
Adams
Law of the Timber
Geoffrey MacCardle
Tiger Fangs
Bill Stillwell
The Light of Western Stars
Flannigan
Once to Every Woman
Dave
Dark Command
Capt. Jackson
The Irish in Us
Joseph Piotto
Trailin'
John Martindale
Texas Masquerade
Bank Guard (uncredited)
Fallen Angel
Husband on Airplane (uncredited)
Here Comes the Groom
Pop
Slim
Secondary Role (uncredited)
The Dream
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
If You Knew Susie
Marshal Andy Jordan
The Arizonian
Timson, the butler
The Brat
Cappy
Knights of the Range
While Paris Sleeps
Nevada Jim
Pony Express Days
Train Conductor
Happy Days
Sheiff Potts
Friendly Neighbors
Gardener
Goodbye, Weeds
'Sourpuss'
Meet John Doe
Butler
Roped
Jean Paul Fippany
The Dixie Merchant
Rev. Stump
Too Young to Marry
Scotty MacKronish - Bus Driver
Web of Danger
Will Whitten
Masked Emotions
John Adams
Madame Racketeer
Henry Hathaway
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
Angus McGregor
Strong Boy
Andy
Thank You
Jerry
The Fighting Heart
The Priest
A Fight For Love
Buell
Riders of Vengeance
Judge Price
The Dalton Gang
Luther Ripley aka Kennedy
A Sporting Chance
Rafferty
Song o' My Heart
Jim Baker
The Hurricane Express
The Lighthouse Keeper
The Lighthouse Keeper
Paul Ferguson (as Joseph Farrell MacDonald)
Rags
Farmer Howard
'Tween Two Loves
Louis Nordell
A Timely Repentance
Harrigan
Florida Special
Andrew MacKinley
Roaring Timber
Mack
The Lucky Horseshoe
Sonora Slim
The Girl of the Golden West
Sam Marcum
The Ghost Breaker
The Doorman--Mike Costello
The Crosby Case
Ellis
Dakota Lil
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 9: 'The Driver'
Himself
How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points
Irish Laborer (uncredited)
Parnell
Tom Placer McGraw
Marked Men
Pa Hudler
The Painted Angel
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
Buzzard
Woman Hungry
Coach Parker
Fighting Youth
State Coach
70,000 Witnesses
Cop
The McGuerins from Brooklyn
Buck Saunders
Courage of the West
Mormon Peters
Action
Jury Foreman
Circumstantial Evidence
Man (uncredited)
True to Life
Long-Count Bowman
Joe Palooka, Champ
Charlie Wheeler
State Police
Patrick Kelly
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris
Patrick Murphy
Abie's Irish Rose
Joe Heller
The Family Upstairs
Scout
Stranger in Town
Street Vendor (uncredited)
Hangover Square
Windy MacLaine
Show Boat
The Coach
The Spirit of Notre Dame
Mulcahey
Broadway Limited
Captain Gaskell
The Bonded Woman
Joe Alabam (as J. Farrell McDonald)
Hitchin' Posts
Sheriff Jim Austin
Prairie Law
Stage Passenger (uncredited)
In Old Arizona
Coach Pearson
Extortion
Pop Stewart
Touchdown!
Sheriff J.J. Willoughby
Mickey the Kid
Major Rogers
The Great Barrier
Sheriff Cap Weatherby
Shep Comes Home
Pillow of Death
The Priest
The Great Moment
Father
The Path She Chose
Apartment House Manager (uncredited)
Trouble Preferred
Sgt. Cassidy
The Country Beyond
Dan Reagan
The Age of Desire
Irish Laborer
Parnell
Office Worker
The Time-Lock Safe
Joe Pelton
The Bachelor Daddy
Softnose Smith
This Hero Stuff
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
268
Gender
Male
Birthday
1875-06-05
Place of Birth
Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
Also Known As
Joseph Farrell MacDonald