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
Movies (275)
It's a Wonderful Life
1946
as Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
The Ape Man
1943
as Captain O'Brien
Topper
1937
as Policeman
Slim
1937
as Pop
Drifting
1923
as Murphy
Cradle Snatchers
1927
as George Martin
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
1927
as The Photographer
The Wallop
1921
as Neuces River
My Darling Clementine
1946
as Mac the barman
Zenobia
1939
as Judge
Touchdown!
1931
as Pop Stewart
Fallen Angel
1945
as Bank Guard (uncredited)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
1945
as Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
Meet John Doe
1941
as 'Sourpuss'
Racing Hearts
1923
as Silas Martin
Christmas Eve
1947
as Policeman (uncredited)
County Fair
1937
as Calvin Williams
Sporting Blood
1931
as MacGuire
Johnny Angel
1945
as Capt. Angel
The Millionaire
1931
as Dan Lewis
The Dream
1911
as Secondary Role (uncredited)
Panhandle
1948
as Doc Cooper
Happy Days
1929
as Train Conductor
Flying Fists
1937
as Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
Madame Racketeer
1932
as John Adams
Manslaughter
1922
as (uncredited)
Sitting Pretty
1948
as Cop (uncredited)
Parnell
1937
as Irish Laborer (uncredited)
Superman and the Mole Men
1951
as Pop Shannon
Circumstantial Evidence
1945
as Jury Foreman
Strong Boy
1929
as Angus McGregor
3 Bad Men
1926
as Mike Costigan
Numbered Woman
1938
as Capt. Mike Ryan
Marked Men
1919
as Tom Placer McGraw
Phantom Killer
1942
as Police Captain
Goodbye, Weeds
1946
as Gardener
Trailin'
1921
as Joseph Piotto
Friendly Neighbors
1940
as Sheiff Potts
Sky High
1922
as Jim Frazer (as J. Farrel MacDonald)
Kentucky Pride
1925
as Donavan
Reap the Wild Wind
1942
as Port Captain
Hangover Square
1945
as Street Vendor (uncredited)
The Palm Beach Story
1942
as Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
Woman Hungry
1931
as Buzzard
Masked Emotions
1929
as Will Whitten
Swellhead
1935
as Umpire
Extortion
1938
as Coach Pearson
Slave Ship
1937
as Proprietor
Thunder in the Valley
1947
as McPherson - Innkeeper
The Brat
1931
as Timson, the butler
Exclusive Story
1936
as Michael Devlin
Captains of the Clouds
1942
as Dr. Neville
State Police
1938
as Charlie Wheeler
The Whole Town's Talking
1935
as Prison Warden (uncredited)
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
1947
as Mac (uncredited)
Northern Frontier
1935
as Inspector
Woman on the Run
1950
as Cap, the Retired Ferryboat Captain
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
1997
as Self (archive footage)
Whispering Smith
1948
as Bill Baggs
Action
1921
as Mormon Peters
Desperate Youth
1921
Pillow of Death
1945
Show Boat
1936
as Windy MacLaine
Dark Command
1940
as Dave
The Great Lie
1941
as Dr. Ferguson
The Iron Horse
1925
as Corporal Casey
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
1951
as Mr. Kroeger
The Hurricane Express
1932
as Jim Baker
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
1944
as Sheriff (uncredited)
Hostile Country
1950
as Mr. Lane (uncredited)
Fighting Youth
1935
as Coach Parker
Broadway Limited
1941
as Mulcahey
70,000 Witnesses
1932
as State Coach
Trouble Preferred
1948
as Apartment House Manager (uncredited)
The Maltese Falcon
1931
as Det. Sgt. Tom Polhaus
Coast Guard
1939
as Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
Scandal for Sale
1932
as Treadway
The Healer
1935
as Applejack
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
1947
as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
When Willie Comes Marching Home
1950
as Gilby - Pharmacist (uncredited)
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
1932
as Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
Untamed
1940
as Dr. Billar
The Dalton Gang
1949
as Judge Price
Men Are Such Fools
1932
as Prison Warden Randolph
Tiger Fangs
1943
as Geoffrey MacCardle
Prairie Law
1940
as Sheriff Jim Austin
Once to Every Woman
1934
as Flannigan
Belle Starr's Daughter
1948
as Doc Benson
While Paris Sleeps
1923
I Loved a Woman
1933
as Shuster
Submarine Patrol
1938
as CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
1942
as Henry Hathaway
Bowery at Midnight
1942
as Capt. Mitchell
Other Men's Women
1931
as Peg-Leg
The Painted Desert
1931
as Jeff Cameron
Stormy
1935
as Trinidad Dorn
Streets of San Francisco
1949
as Pop Lockhart
Romance in Manhattan
1935
as Murphy
The Power and the Glory
1933
as Mulligan
They Shall Have Music
1939
as Police Chief (uncredited)
No Man of Her Own
1932
as "Dickie" Collins
The Dixie Merchant
1926
as Jean Paul Fippany
Keeper of the Bees
1947
as Postmaster
Man of Two Worlds
1934
as Michael
The Living Ghost
1942
as Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
Heritage of the Desert
1932
as Adam Naab
True to Life
1943
as Man (uncredited)
Week-End Marriage
1932
as Mr. Davis
Under Eighteen
1932
as Pop Evans
The Stolen Jools
1931
as Policeman
Smoky
1946
as Jim, the Cook
Gang Bullets
1938
as Chief Reardon
The Housekeeper's Daughter
1939
as Captain
4 Devils
1928
as The Clown
The Crime Doctor
1934
as Kemp
Abie's Irish Rose
1928
as Patrick Murphy
Roaring Timber
1937
as Andrew MacKinley
In Old Arizona
1928
as Stage Passenger (uncredited)
A Sporting Chance
1919
as Luther Ripley aka Kennedy
You're My Everything
1949
as Doorman (uncredited)
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 HinFlix, 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)
- The Ape Man (1943) — as Captain O'Brien
- Topper (1937) — as Policeman
- Slim (1937) — as Pop
- Drifting (1923) — as Murphy
Where to Watch J. Farrell MacDonald Films
Most J. Farrell MacDonald movies and series are available to stream on HinFlix 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.