1876-02-15 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.
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Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists | Big Jim McKay (archive footage) | 1998-01-01 |
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The Chaplin Revue | Various (archive footage) | 1959-09-01 |
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Yesterday and Today | (archive footage) | 1953-12-02 |
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Happy Times and Jolly Moments | (archive footage) | 1943-01-01 |
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Bad Boy | Man on Rowing Machine | 1935-10-25 |
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The Midnight Patrol | 1932-04-10 | |
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Lighthouse Love | Captain Wiggins - the Lighthouse Keeper | 1932-05-06 |
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Stout Hearts and Willing Hands | 1931-06-15 | |
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Finn and Hattie | Le Bottin | 1931-02-04 |
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Cleaning Up | Mack | 1930-09-27 |
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Redemption | Magistrate | 1930-04-05 |
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The Sea Bat | Dutchy | 1930-07-05 |
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Soup to Nuts | First Fat Diner (uncredited) | 1930-09-28 |
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The Locked Door | Hotel Proprietor | 1929-11-16 |
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Tillie's Punctured Romance | Tillie's Father | 1928-03-03 |
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Caught in the Fog | Detective Ryan | 1928-08-25 |
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The Girl from Nowhere | Wilbur Ashcraft | 1928-08-05 |
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Sir Francis Beekman | 1928-01-22 |
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The Last Warning | Robert Bunce | 1928-12-25 |
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Becky | Irving Spiegelberg | 1927-11-12 |
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The Shamrock and the Rose | Mike Kelly | 1927-04-14 |
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Mockery | Vladimir Gaidaroff | 1927-08-13 |
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My Best Girl | Judge | 1927-10-31 |
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The Beloved Rogue | Nicholas | 1927-03-12 |
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The Girl from Everywhere | Wilfred Ashcraft - Director | 1927-12-11 |
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A Texas Steer | Bragg | 1927-12-04 |
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The Devil's Circus | 1926-02-14 | |
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Whispering Wires | McCarthy | 1926-10-24 |
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The Nervous Wreck | Jerome Underwood | 1926-10-09 |
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Sea Horses | Bimbo-Bomba | 1926-02-22 |
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Footloose Widows | Ludwig | 1926-06-19 |
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Her Big Night | Myers, film producer | 1926-10-12 |
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Kiki | Pastryman (uncredited) | 1926-04-04 |
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Torrent | Don Matías | 1926-02-21 |
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Hands Up! | Silas Woodstock | 1926-01-11 |
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The Gold Rush | Big Jim McKay | 1925-07-13 |
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The Eagle | Innkeeper (uncredited) | 1925-11-08 |
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This Way Out | The Girl's Father | 1923-05-27 |
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The Pilgrim | Deacon | 1923-02-19 |
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Pitfalls of a Big City | The Vamp's Husband | 1923-09-02 |
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Pay Day | Foreman | 1922-04-02 |
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The Idle Class | Edna's Father (uncredited) | 1921-09-25 |
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Innocent Ambrose | Ambrose Schnitz | 1920-01-11 |
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Full o' Spirits | 1920-08-15 | |
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Oh, What a Knight | The Sheriff | 1919-01-25 |
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Her First False Hare | Unknown | 1919-05-01 |
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Heroic Ambrose | Ambrose Schnitz | 1919-06-07 |
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Adventurous Ambrose | Ambrose | 1918-04-17 |
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His Naughty Thought | Walter Ambrose | 1917-05-06 |
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The Pullman Bride | Rover Peabody - the Chosen One | 1917-01-01 |
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The Late Lamented | Boarder (unconfirmed) | 1917-09-23 |
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Thirst | Ambrose | 1917-07-29 |
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Lost: A Cook | Farmer Ambrose | 1917-08-12 |
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Madcap Ambrose | Ambrose | 1916-07-16 |
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His Bitter Pill | Jim - a Big Hearted Sheriff | 1916-04-30 |
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A Movie Star | Handsome Jack | 1916-01-26 |
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Ambrose's Fury | Ambrose | 1915-03-24 |
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Willful Ambrose | Pa Ambrose | 1915-03-01 |
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Mabel Lost and Won | Mabel's Rival's Husband | 1915-06-02 |
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When Ambrose Dared Walrus | Ambrose | 1915-07-11 |
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Ye Olden Grafter | The Grafter | 1915-02-18 |
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That Little Band Of Gold | Audience Member (uncredited) | 1915-03-14 |
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Caught in a Park | The Bartender | 1915-02-06 |
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Fatty's New Role | Ambrose Schnitz | 1915-02-01 |
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Ambrose's Nasty Temper | Ambrose | 1915-04-16 |
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Love, Speed and Thrills | Ambrose | 1915-01-18 |
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Hogan's Romance Upset | Fight Spectator | 1915-02-13 |
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Ambrose's Lofty Perch | Ambrose | 1915-04-02 |
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Saved by Wireless | The Spy | 1915-11-21 |
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Ambrose's Little Hatchet | Ambrose | 1915-03-15 |
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Ambrose's Sour Grapes | Ambrose | 1915-03-01 |
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The Home Breakers | Ambrose | 1915-02-01 |
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Mabel’s Nerve | 1914-05-16 | |
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Hello, Mabel | The Married Flirt | 1914-10-08 |
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A Gambling Rube | (unconfirmed) | 1914-06-15 |
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Double Crossed | The Belle's Boyfriend | 1914-01-25 |
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Tillie's Punctured Romance | Tillie's Father | 1914-12-21 |
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The Sea Nymphs | Ambrose | 1914-11-23 |
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A Rowboat Romance | (unconfirmed) | 1914-07-06 |
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Fatty's Wine Party | Restaurant Proprietor | 1914-11-21 |
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Love and Gasoline | 1914-02-21 | |
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The Fatal Mallet | Rival Suitor (uncredited) | 1914-06-01 |
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Laughing Gas | Patient | 1914-07-09 |
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His Prehistoric Past | King Lowbrow | 1914-12-07 |
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A Thief Catcher | Crook (uncredited) | 1914-02-19 |
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Mabel at the Wheel | Race Spectator (uncredited) | 1914-04-18 |
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Caught in a Cabaret | Tough Patron / Party Guest / Boy's Father (uncredited) | 1914-04-27 |
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A Robust Romeo | 1914-02-12 | |
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The Under-Sheriff | Villager | 1914-01-08 |
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Leading Lizzie Astray | Cafe Patron - In from the Mines | 1914-11-30 |
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A Missing Bride | 1914-06-18 | |
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Gussle, the Golfer | Ambrose | 1914-12-27 |
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The Knockout | Gambler (uncredited) | 1914-06-11 |
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Ambrose's First Falsehood | Ambrose | 1914-12-12 |
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His Trysting Places | Ambrose | 1914-11-09 |
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Caught in the Rain | Husband (uncredited) | 1914-05-04 |
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A Busy Day | Husband | 1914-05-07 |
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His Musical Career | Mike, Charlie's Partner | 1914-11-07 |
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Mabel's Married Life | Wellington, a Ladykiller | 1914-06-20 |
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Gentlemen of Nerve | Mr. Walrus | 1914-10-29 |
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Getting Acquainted | Ambrose | 1914-12-05 |
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Other People's Business | 1914-12-07 | |
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Fatty Joins the Force | Cop at Station House | 1913-11-23 |
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A Muddy Romance | Desk Sergeant / Park Attendant | 1913-11-19 |
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The Gusher | Villager / Cop | 1913-12-14 |
