J. Farrell MacDonald
Known for Acting · 275 credits
- Born
- 1875-06-05
- Died
- 1952-08-02
- Place of birth
- Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
- Also known as
- Joseph Farrell MacDonald · John Farrell MacDonald · Farrell Macdonald · J. Farrell McDonald · J.F. McDonald
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.
Known For
It's a Wonderful Life
1946
as Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
Fallen Angel
1945
as Bank Guard (uncredited)
My Darling Clementine
1946
as Mac the barman
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
1927
as The Photographer
Slave Ship
1937
as Proprietor
Reap the Wild Wind
1942
as Port Captain
Movies (275)
It's a Wonderful Life
1946
as Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
Fallen Angel
1945
as Bank Guard (uncredited)
My Darling Clementine
1946
as Mac the barman
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
1927
as The Photographer
Slave Ship
1937
as Proprietor
Reap the Wild Wind
1942
as Port Captain
The Wallop
1921
as Neuces River
Topper
1937
as Policeman
State Police
1938
as Charlie Wheeler
Meet John Doe
1941
as 'Sourpuss'
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
1945
as Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
Superman and the Mole Men
1951
as Pop Shannon
Swellhead
1935
as Umpire
Marked Men
1919
as Tom Placer McGraw
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
1947
as Mac (uncredited)
Sitting Pretty
1948
as Cop (uncredited)
The Palm Beach Story
1942
as Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
The Whole Town's Talking
1935
as Prison Warden (uncredited)
Kentucky Pride
1925
as Donavan
Christmas Eve
1947
as Policeman (uncredited)
The Great Lie
1941
as Dr. Ferguson
Hangover Square
1945
as Street Vendor (uncredited)
Woman on the Run
1950
as Cap, the Retired Ferryboat Captain
Parnell
1937
as Irish Laborer (uncredited)
Show Boat
1936
as Windy MacLaine
Dark Command
1940
as Dave
Zenobia
1939
as Judge
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
1997
as Self (archive footage)
Madame Racketeer
1932
as John Adams
Touchdown!
1931
as Pop Stewart
Thunder in the Valley
1947
as McPherson - Innkeeper
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
1932
as Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
The Great Moment
1944
as The Priest
When Willie Comes Marching Home
1950
as Gilby - Pharmacist (uncredited)
The Maltese Falcon
1931
as Det. Sgt. Tom Polhaus
Cradle Snatchers
1927
as George Martin
Drifting
1923
as Murphy
No Man of Her Own
1932
as "Dickie" Collins
Phantom Killer
1942
as Police Captain
Broadway Limited
1941
as Mulcahey
Exclusive Story
1936
as Michael Devlin
The Squaw Man
1931
as Big Bill
Circumstantial Evidence
1945
as Jury Foreman
Coast Guard
1939
as Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
Untamed
1940
as Dr. Billar
3 Bad Men
1926
as Mike Costigan
Front Page Woman
1935
as Hallohan
The Iron Horse
1925
as Corporal Casey
Slim
1937
as Pop
In Old Arizona
1928
as Stage Passenger (uncredited)
There Goes My Heart
1938
as Officer
Full Confession
1939
as Joe, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Riders of the Timberline
1941
as Jim Kerrigan
I Loved a Woman
1933
as Shuster
Smoky
1946
as Jim, the Cook
Me and My Gal
1932
as Pop Riley
Whispering Smith
1948
as Bill Baggs
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
1947
as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
1939
as Craig Dolan
The Housekeeper's Daughter
1939
as Captain
You're My Everything
1949
as Doorman (uncredited)
The Stolen Jools
1931
as Policeman
Waterfront Lady
1935
as Capt. O'Brien
Gang Bullets
1938
as Chief Reardon
River's End
1930
as O'Toole
Here Comes the Groom
1951
as Husband on Airplane (uncredited)
True to Life
1943
as Man (uncredited)
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
1951
as Mr. Kroeger
Panhandle
1948
as Doc Cooper
Susannah of the Mounties
1939
as Pat O'Hannegan
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
1944
as Sheriff (uncredited)
Johnny Angel
1945
as Capt. Angel
The Millionaire
1931
as Dan Lewis
East Side of Heaven
1939
as Doorman (uncredited)
The Painted Desert
1931
as Jeff Cameron
Manslaughter
1922
as (uncredited)
Submarine Patrol
1938
as CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
They Shall Have Music
1939
as Police Chief (uncredited)
Maybe It's Love
1935
as The Cop
Pillow of Death
1945
The Easiest Way
1931
as Ben Murdock
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
1942
as Henry Hathaway
Dakota Lil
1950
as Ellis
The Power and the Glory
1933
as Mulligan
The Living Ghost
1942
as Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
Courage of the West
1937
as Buck Saunders
Conspiracy
1939
as Captain of the Falcon
Other Men's Women
1931
as Peg-Leg
Belle Starr's Daughter
1948
as Doc Benson
The Crowd Roars
1938
as Father Patrick Ryan
Stagecoach War
1940
as Jeff Chapman
The Working Man
1933
as Henry 'Hank' Davis
Happy Days
1929
as Train Conductor
The Irish in Us
1935
as Capt. Jackson
Racing Hearts
1923
as Silas Martin
The Ape Man
1943
as Captain O'Brien
The Best Man Wins
1935
as Captain--Harbor Patrol
Heritage of the Desert
1932
as Adam Naab
The Spirit of Notre Dame
1931
as The Coach
Rags
1915
as Paul Ferguson (as Joseph Farrell MacDonald)
Quicksands
1923
as Col. Patterson
County Fair
1937
as Calvin Williams
Mysterious Crossing
1936
as Police Chief Bullock
Men Without Women
1930
as Costello
Bowery at Midnight
1942
as Capt. Mitchell
Once to Every Woman
1934
as Flannigan
Captains of the Clouds
1942
as Dr. Neville
Masked Emotions
1929
as Will Whitten
Star of Midnight
1935
as Inspector Doremus
The Brat
1931
as Timson, the butler
Scandal for Sale
1932
as Treadway
My Dear Miss Aldrich
1937
as 'Doc' Howe
The Light of Western Stars
1940
as Bill Stillwell
70,000 Witnesses
1932
as State Coach
Flying Fists
1937
as Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
Friendly Neighbors
1940
as Sheiff Potts
The Vanishing Frontier
1933
as Waco
The Shamrock Handicap
1926
as Con O'Shea
Florida Special
1936
as Harrigan
Barefoot Boy
1938
as Warden
About J. Farrell MacDonald
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… With 275 credits spanning from 1910 to 1997, J. Farrell MacDonald has appeared in 275 films and 0 TV shows.
Fans searching for J. Farrell MacDonald movies, J. Farrell MacDonald filmography, or the latest projects starring J. Farrell MacDonald can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular J. Farrell MacDonald Movies
- It's a Wonderful Life (1946) — as Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
- Fallen Angel (1945) — as Bank Guard (uncredited)
- My Darling Clementine (1946) — as Mac the barman
- Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) — as The Photographer
- Slave Ship (1937) — as Proprietor
Where to Watch J. Farrell MacDonald Films
Most J. Farrell MacDonald movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring J. Farrell MacDonald, check our movies catalogue and browse page.