Mack Swain

Birthday: 1876-02-15
Deathday: 1935-08-25
Birthplace: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Gender: Male
Owned By: Unowned

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.

Credits

Year Title Character
1935-10-25 Bad Boy Man on Rowing Machine
1932-05-06 Lighthouse Love Captain Wiggins - the Lighthouse Keeper
1932-04-10 The Midnight Patrol
1931-06-15 Stout Hearts and Willing Hands
1931-02-04 Finn and Hattie Le Bottin
1930-09-28 Soup to Nuts First Fat Diner (uncredited)
1930-09-27 Cleaning Up Mack
1930-07-05 The Sea Bat Dutchy
1930-04-05 Redemption Magistrate
1929-11-16 The Locked Door Hotel Proprietor
1928-12-25 The Last Warning Robert Bunce
1928-08-25 Caught in the Fog Detective Ryan
1928-08-05 The Girl from Nowhere Wilbur Ashcraft
1928-03-03 Tillie's Punctured Romance Tillie's Father
1928-01-22 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Sir Francis Beekman
1927-12-11 The Girl from Everywhere Wilfred Ashcraft - Director
1927-12-04 A Texas Steer Bragg
1927-11-12 Becky Irving Spiegelberg
1927-10-31 My Best Girl Judge
1927-08-13 Mockery Vladimir Gaidaroff
1927-04-14 The Shamrock and the Rose Mike Kelly
1927-03-12 The Beloved Rogue Nicholas
1926-10-24 Whispering Wires McCarthy
1926-10-09 The Nervous Wreck Jerome Underwood
1926-06-19 Footloose Widows Ludwig
1926-04-04 Kiki Pastryman (uncredited)
1926-02-22 Sea Horses Bimbo-Bomba
1926-02-21 Torrent Don Matías
1926-01-11 Hands Up! Silas Woodstock
1925-11-08 The Eagle Innkeeper (uncredited)
1925-07-13 The Gold Rush Big Jim McKay
1923-09-02 Pitfalls of a Big City The Vamp's Husband
1923-05-27 This Way Out The Girl's Father
1923-02-19 The Pilgrim Deacon
1922-04-02 Pay Day Foreman
1921-09-25 The Idle Class Edna's Father (uncredited)
1920-08-15 Full o' Spirits
1920-01-11 Innocent Ambrose Ambrose Schnitz
1919-06-07 Heroic Ambrose Ambrose Schnitz
1919-05-01 Her First False Hare Unknown
1919-01-25 Oh, What a Knight The Sheriff
1918-04-17 Adventurous Ambrose Ambrose
1917-09-23 The Late Lamented Boarder (unconfirmed)
1917-08-12 Lost: A Cook Farmer Ambrose
1917-07-29 Thirst Ambrose
1917-05-06 His Naughty Thought Walter Ambrose
1917-01-01 The Pullman Bride Rover Peabody - the Chosen One
1916-07-16 Madcap Ambrose Ambrose
1916-04-30 His Bitter Pill Jim - a Big Hearted Sheriff
1916-01-26 A Movie Star Handsome Jack
1915-11-21 Saved by Wireless The Spy
1915-07-11 When Ambrose Dared Walrus Ambrose
1915-06-02 Mabel Lost and Won Mabel's Rival's Husband
1915-04-16 Ambrose's Nasty Temper Ambrose
1915-04-02 Ambrose's Lofty Perch Ambrose
1915-03-24 Ambrose's Fury Ambrose
1915-03-15 Ambrose's Little Hatchet Ambrose
1915-03-14 That Little Band Of Gold Audience Member (uncredited)
1915-03-01 Willful Ambrose Pa Ambrose
1915-03-01 Ambrose's Sour Grapes Ambrose
1915-02-18 Ye Olden Grafter The Grafter
1915-02-13 Hogan's Romance Upset Fight Spectator
1915-02-06 Caught in a Park The Bartender
1915-02-01 Fatty's New Role Ambrose Schnitz
1915-02-01 The Home Breakers Ambrose
1915-01-18 Love, Speed and Thrills Ambrose
1914-12-27 Gussle, the Golfer Ambrose
1914-12-21 Tillie's Punctured Romance Tillie's Father
1914-12-12 Ambrose's First Falsehood Ambrose
1914-12-07 Other People's Business
1914-12-07 His Prehistoric Past King Lowbrow
1914-12-05 Getting Acquainted Ambrose
1914-11-30 Leading Lizzie Astray Cafe Patron - In from the Mines
1914-11-23 The Sea Nymphs Ambrose
1914-11-21 Fatty's Wine Party Restaurant Proprietor
1914-11-09 His Trysting Places Ambrose
1914-11-07 His Musical Career Mike, Charlie's Partner
1914-10-29 Gentlemen of Nerve Mr. Walrus
1914-10-08 Hello, Mabel The Married Flirt
1914-07-09 Laughing Gas Patient
1914-07-06 A Rowboat Romance (unconfirmed)
1914-06-20 Mabel's Married Life Wellington, a Ladykiller
1914-06-15 A Gambling Rube (unconfirmed)
1914-06-11 The Knockout Gambler (uncredited)
1914-06-01 The Fatal Mallet Rival Suitor (uncredited)
1914-05-16 Mabel’s Nerve
1914-05-07 A Busy Day Husband
1914-05-04 Caught in the Rain Husband (uncredited)
1914-04-27 Caught in a Cabaret Tough Patron / Party Guest / Boy's Father (uncredited)
1914-04-18 Mabel at the Wheel Race Spectator (uncredited)
1914-02-21 Love and Gasoline
1914-02-19 A Thief Catcher Crook (uncredited)
1914-02-12 A Robust Romeo
1914-01-25 Double Crossed The Belle's Boyfriend
1914-01-08 The Under-Sheriff Villager
1913-12-14 The Gusher Villager / Cop
1913-11-23 Fatty Joins the Force Cop at Station House
1913-11-19 A Muddy Romance Desk Sergeant / Park Attendant