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
Topper
1937
as Policeman
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
1945
as Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
1927
as The Photographer
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
Topper
1937
as Policeman
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
1945
as Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
1927
as The Photographer
Kentucky Pride
1925
as Donavan
The Wallop
1921
as Neuces River
Slim
1937
as Pop
Slave Ship
1937
as Proprietor
Reap the Wild Wind
1942
as Port Captain
Hangover Square
1945
as Street Vendor (uncredited)
Meet John Doe
1941
as 'Sourpuss'
Touchdown!
1931
as Pop Stewart
Marked Men
1919
as Tom Placer McGraw
State Police
1938
as Charlie Wheeler
Swellhead
1935
as Umpire
Christmas Eve
1947
as Policeman (uncredited)
Drifting
1923
as Murphy
Madame Racketeer
1932
as John Adams
Parnell
1937
as Irish Laborer (uncredited)
Manslaughter
1922
as (uncredited)
Cradle Snatchers
1927
as George Martin
Johnny Angel
1945
as Capt. Angel
The Whole Town's Talking
1935
as Prison Warden (uncredited)
Extortion
1938
as Coach Pearson
Racing Hearts
1923
as Silas Martin
County Fair
1937
as Calvin Williams
Trailin'
1921
as Joseph Piotto
Zenobia
1939
as Judge
Superman and the Mole Men
1951
as Pop Shannon
The Palm Beach Story
1942
as Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
Dark Command
1940
as Dave
Coast Guard
1939
as Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
Exclusive Story
1936
as Michael Devlin
Woman Hungry
1931
as Buzzard
Woman on the Run
1950
as Cap, the Retired Ferryboat Captain
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
1997
as Self (archive footage)
3 Bad Men
1926
as Mike Costigan
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
1947
as Mac (uncredited)
Thunder in the Valley
1947
as McPherson - Innkeeper
The Millionaire
1931
as Dan Lewis
The Iron Horse
1925
as Corporal Casey
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
1942
as Henry Hathaway
The Maltese Falcon
1931
as Det. Sgt. Tom Polhaus
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
1944
as Sheriff (uncredited)
Submarine Patrol
1938
as CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
Phantom Killer
1942
as Police Captain
Circumstantial Evidence
1945
as Jury Foreman
The Dream
1911
as Secondary Role (uncredited)
The Squaw Man
1931
as Big Bill
The Power and the Glory
1933
as Mulligan
Panhandle
1948
as Doc Cooper
Whispering Smith
1948
as Bill Baggs
The Great Lie
1941
as Dr. Ferguson
Flying Fists
1937
as Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
Sitting Pretty
1948
as Cop (uncredited)
When Willie Comes Marching Home
1950
as Gilby - Pharmacist (uncredited)
The Hurricane Express
1932
as Jim Baker
I Loved a Woman
1933
as Shuster
No Man of Her Own
1932
as "Dickie" Collins
Show Boat
1936
as Windy MacLaine
Untamed
1940
as Dr. Billar
The Brat
1931
as Timson, the butler
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
1932
as Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
Riders of the Timberline
1941
as Jim Kerrigan
Abie's Irish Rose
1928
as Patrick Murphy
Happy Days
1929
as Train Conductor
Front Page Woman
1935
as Hallohan
The Living Ghost
1942
as Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
The Walls of Jericho
1948
as Bailiff (uncredited)
Full Confession
1939
as Joe, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Little Orphan Annie
1938
as 'Pop' Corrigan
Pillow of Death
1945
There Goes My Heart
1938
as Officer
In Old Arizona
1928
as Stage Passenger (uncredited)
The Irish in Us
1935
as Capt. Jackson
You're My Everything
1949
as Doorman (uncredited)
Numbered Woman
1938
as Capt. Mike Ryan
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
1951
as Mr. Kroeger
Broadway Limited
1941
as Mulcahey
The Age of Desire
1923
as Dan Reagan
The Painted Desert
1931
as Jeff Cameron
Smoky
1946
as Jim, the Cook
True to Life
1943
as Man (uncredited)
Heritage of the Desert
1932
as Adam Naab
The Stolen Jools
1931
as Policeman
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
1947
as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
The Housekeeper's Daughter
1939
as Captain
Prairie Law
1940
as Sheriff Jim Austin
Strong Boy
1929
as Angus McGregor
Bowery at Midnight
1942
as Capt. Mitchell
Susannah of the Mounties
1939
as Pat O'Hannegan
Sporting Blood
1931
as MacGuire
Belle Starr's Daughter
1948
as Doc Benson
While Paris Sleeps
1923
Laughing at Life
1933
as Prison Warden
Romance in Manhattan
1935
as Murphy
Captains of the Clouds
1942
as Dr. Neville
The Pride of the Legion
1932
as Chief Scott
Maid of Salem
1937
as Captain of Ship
Here Comes the Groom
1951
as Husband on Airplane (uncredited)
Maybe It's Love
1935
as The Cop
Joe Palooka, Champ
1946
as Long-Count Bowman
They Shall Have Music
1939
as Police Chief (uncredited)
Private Snuffy Smith
1942
as Gen. Rosewater
The Spirit of Notre Dame
1931
as The Coach
Mickey the Kid
1939
as Sheriff J.J. Willoughby
Thank You
1925
as Andy
The Fighting Heart
1925
as Jerry
70,000 Witnesses
1932
as State Coach
Hotel Continental
1932
as Detective Martin
A Sporting Chance
1919
as Luther Ripley aka Kennedy
The Last Express
1938
as William Barton (Detective Agency Head)
The Great Moment
1944
as The Priest
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
1939
as Craig Dolan
The Dixie Merchant
1926
as Jean Paul Fippany
Barefoot Boy
1938
as Warden
This Hero Stuff
1919
as Softnose Smith
Star of Midnight
1935
as Inspector Doremus
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
- Topper (1937) — as Policeman
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) — as Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
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.