Mack Swain
Acting
Born February 15, 1876, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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
- 1998Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists — Big Jim McKay (archive footage)
- 1959The Chaplin Revue — Various (archive footage)
- 1953Yesterday and Today — (archive footage)
- 1943Happy Times and Jolly Moments — (archive footage)
- 1935Bad Boy — Man on Rowing Machine
- 1932Lighthouse Love — Captain Wiggins—the Lighthouse Keeper
- 1932The Midnight Patrol
- 1931Finn and Hattie — Le Bottin
- 1931Love, Be with Humanity: Part 1 — Doctor
- 1931Love, Be with Humanity: Part 2 — Doctor
- 1931Stout Hearts and Willing Hands — Kop(as the Original Keystone Kops)
- 1930Cleaning Up — Mack
- 1930Redemption — Magistrate
- 1930Soup to Nuts — First Fat Diner (uncredited)
- 1930The Sea Bat — Dutchy
- 1929The Cohens and Kellys in Atlantic City — Mr. Tom Kelly
- 1929The Locked Door — Hotel Proprietor
- 1928Caught in the Fog — Detective Ryan
- 1928Gentlemen Prefer Blondes — Sir Francis Beekman
- 1928The Girl from Nowhere — Wilbur Ashcraft
- 1928The Last Warning — Robert Bunce
- 1928Tillie's Punctured Romance — Tillie's Father
- 1927A Texas Steer — Bragg
- 1927Becky — Irving Spiegelberg
- 1927Finnegan's Ball — Patrick Flannigan
- 1927Mockery — Vladimir Gaidaroff
- 1927My Best Girl — Judge
- 1927See You in Jail — Slossom
- 1927The Beloved Rogue — Nicholas
- 1927The Girl from Everywhere — Wilfred Ashcraft - Director
- 1927The Shamrock and the Rose — Mike Kelly
- 1926Footloose Widows — Ludwig
- 1926Hands Up! — Silas Woodstock
- 1926Her Big Night — Myers, film producer
- 1926Kiki — Pastryman (uncredited)
- 1926Sea Horses — Bimbo-Bomba
- 1926The Devil's Circus
- 1926The Nervous Wreck — Jerome Underwood
- 1926Torrent — Don Matías
- 1926Whispering Wires — McCarthy
- 1925The Eagle — Innkeeper (uncredited)
- 1925The Gold Rush — Big Jim
- 1923Pitfalls of a Big City — The Vamp's Husband
- 1923The Pilgrim — Deacon
- 1923This Way Out — The Girl's Father
- 1922Pay Day — Foreman
- 1921The Idle Class — Edna's Father (uncredited)
- 1920Full o' Spirits
- 1920Innocent Ambrose — Ambrose Schnitz, Director
- 1919Her First False Hare — Unknown
- 1919Heroic Ambrose — Ambrose Schnitz, Director
- 1919Oh, What a Knight — The Sheriff
- 1918Adventurous Ambrose — Ambrose
- 1917His Naughty Thought — Walter Ambrose
- 1917Lost: A Cook — Farmer Ambrose
- 1917The Late Lamented — Boarder (unconfirmed)
- 1917The Pullman Bride — Rover Peabody - the Chosen One
- 1917Thirst — Ambrose
- 1916A Movie Star — Handsome Jack
- 1916His Bitter Pill — Jim - a Big Hearted Sheriff
- 1916Madcap Ambrose — Ambrose
- 1915Ambrose's Fury — Ambrose
- 1915Ambrose's Little Hatchet — Ambrose
- 1915Ambrose's Lofty Perch — Ambrose
- 1915Ambrose's Nasty Temper — Ambrose
- 1915Ambrose's Sour Grapes — Ambrose
- 1915Caught in a Park — The Bartender
- 1915Fatty's New Role — Ambrose Schnitz
- 1915Hogan's Romance Upset — Fight Spectator
- 1915Love, Speed and Thrills — Ambrose
- 1915Mabel Lost and Won — Mabel's Rival's Husband
- 1915Saved by Wireless — The Spy
- 1915That Little Band Of Gold — Audience Member (uncredited)
- 1915The Home Breakers — Ambrose
- 1915When Ambrose Dared Walrus — Ambrose
- 1915Willful Ambrose — Pa Ambrose
- 1915Ye Olden Grafter — The Grafter
- 1914A Busy Day — Husband
- 1914A Gambling Rube — (unconfirmed)
- 1914A Missing Bride
- 1914A Robust Romeo
- 1914A Rowboat Romance — (unconfirmed)
- 1914A Thief Catcher — Crook (uncredited)
- 1914Ambrose's First Falsehood — Ambrose
- 1914Caught in a Cabaret — Tough Patron / Party Guest / Boy's Father (uncredited)
- 1914Caught in the Rain — Husband (uncredited)
- 1914Double Crossed — The Belle's Boyfriend
- 1914Fatty's Wine Party — Restaurant Proprietor
- 1914Gentlemen of Nerve — Mr. Walrus
- 1914Getting Acquainted — Ambrose
- 1914Gussle, the Golfer — Ambrose
- 1914Hello, Mabel — The Married Flirt
- 1914His Musical Career — Mike, Charlie's Partner
- 1914His Prehistoric Past — King Lowbrow
- 1914His Trysting Places — Ambrose
- 1914Laughing Gas — Patient
- 1914Leading Lizzie Astray — Cafe Patron - In from the Mines
- 1914Love and Gasoline
- 1914Mabel at the Wheel — Race Spectator (uncredited)
- 1914Mabel's Married Life — Wellington, a Ladykiller
- 1914Mabel’s Nerve
- 1914Other People's Business
- 1914The Fatal Mallet — Rival Suitor (uncredited)
- 1914The Knockout — Gambler (uncredited)
- 1914The Sea Nymphs — Ambrose
- 1914The Under-Sheriff — Villager
- 1914Tillie's Punctured Romance — Tillie's Father
- 1913A Muddy Romance — Desk Sergeant / Park Attendant
- 1913Fatty Joins the Force — Cop at Station House
- 1913The Gusher — Villager / Cop