1902-12-25 Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Barton MacLane graduated from Wesleyan University, where he displayed a notable aptitude for sports, in particular football and basketball. Not surprisingly, his physical prowess led to an early role in The Quarterback (1926) with Richard Dix. MacLane once commented that, as an actor, he needed to have the physical strength to tear the bad guys "from limb to limb", if necessary. Ironically, it was usually Barton himself who was destined to be at the end of a hiding (when not getting shot, instead), typically as snarling henchmen, outlaws and other assorted dubious or abrasive types throughout most of his 40-year acting career. In fact, Barton became so typecast that his name was for a time used proverbially, to generally describe a shouting, hard-nosed ruffian. After training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, MacLane joined a stock company in Brooklyn. In 1927 he had his first part on Broadway, a brief moment as an assistant district attorney, in the melodrama "The Trial of Mary Dugan". He then played a small featured role as a police officer in "Subway Express" (1929-30), a drama enacted in the interior of a subway car. In mid-1932 MacLane tried his hand at writing his own starring vehicle for the stage, entitled "Rendezvous". While the play closed after just 21 performances, it led to a contract with Warner Brothers. Barton had already appeared in bit roles for Paramount at their Astoria Studios, including The Marx Brothers' debut film The Cocoanuts (1929). He portrayed mobster Brad Collins in 'G' Men (1935) (with James Cagney), which set the tone for most of his future assignments. Brawny, with squinty eyes and a rasping voice, MacLane was the ideal surly tough guy, particularly suitable for westerns and the type of films noir Warner Brothers excelled at. He was often cast as cops, be they bent or honest. Some of his most representative performances include gangster Al Kruger in Bullets or Ballots (1936), which won him some of the best critical notices of his career; outlaw Jack Slade in Western Union (1941); crooked construction boss Pat McCormick, who gets beaten up by Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt over past-due wages in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); hard-nosed cops Detective Dundy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Lt. Reece in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950). MacLane, on loan to Universal, also had a starring role in Prison Break (1938) as an innocent tuna fisherman who is framed for murder. He was prominent as a tough but sympathetic cop, foil to sleuthing girl reporter Glenda Farrell in the "Torchy Blaine" series of the mid- to late 1930s. In the 1960s Barton began to cultivate a good-guy image as Marshal Frank Caine in the NBC western series Outlaws (1960) as well as showing up in a small recurring role as Air Force Gen. Martin Peterson in I Dream of Jeannie (1965). Barton was married to the actress Charlotte Wynters, who appeared with him in six of his films. When not on the set, the couple spent time on their 2000-acre cattle ranch in Madera County, California. For his work in television, Barton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Bogart: The Untold Story | Self (archive footage) | 1997-01-05 |
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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-02-25 |
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It's Showtime | Self (archive footage) | 1976-03-31 |
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Arizona Bushwhackers | Sheriff Grover | 1968-03-01 |
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Buckskin | Dr. H. 'Doc' Raymond | 1968-05-01 |
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Town Tamer | James Fell | 1965-07-07 |
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The Rounders | Tanner | 1965-01-08 |
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Law of the Lawless | Big Tom Stone | 1964-05-13 |
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Pocketful of Miracles | Police Commissioner | 1961-12-18 |
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Noose for a Gunman | Carl Avery | 1960-05-01 |
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Gunfighters of Abilene | Seth | 1960-01-01 |
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Girl on the Run | Francis J. Brannigan | 1958-10-10 |
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Frontier Gun | Simon Crayle | 1958-10-31 |
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The Geisha Boy | Major Ridgley | 1958-11-02 |
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Girl in the Woods | Big Jim | 1958-06-01 |
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Naked In The Sun | Wilson | 1957-09-20 |
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Hell's Crossroads | Clyde O'Connell | 1957-03-08 |
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Sierra Stranger | Lem Gotch | 1957-05-01 |
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Jaguar | Steve Bailey | 1956-01-19 |
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The Man Is Armed | Det. Lt. Dan Coster | 1956-10-19 |
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Naked Gun | Joe Barnum | 1956-11-01 |
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Backlash | Sergeant George Lake | 1956-03-14 |
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Wetbacks | Karl Shanks | 1956-05-04 |
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Three Violent People | Yates | 1956-12-01 |
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The Silver Star | Henry 'Tiny' Longtree | 1955-04-07 |
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Last of the Desperados | Mosby, Gang Leader | 1955-10-31 |
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Foxfire | Jim Mablett | 1955-07-13 |
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Treasure of Ruby Hills | Chalk Reynolds | 1955-01-23 |
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Jail Busters | Captain Jenkins | 1955-09-18 |
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Rails Into Laramie | Lee Graham | 1954-04-14 |
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The Glenn Miller Story | General Arnold | 1954-01-04 |
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Jubilee Trail | Deacon Bartlett | 1954-05-15 |
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Hell's Outpost | Sheriff Olson | 1954-12-15 |
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Sea of Lost Ships | Capt. Jack Matthews | 1953-10-24 |
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Kansas Pacific | Cal Bruce | 1953-02-22 |
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Jack Slade | Jules Reni | 1953-11-08 |
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Captain Scarface | Captain Scarface | 1953-10-15 |
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Cow Country | Marvin Parker | 1953-04-25 |
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Bugles in the Afternoon | Capt. Myles Moylan | 1952-03-04 |
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Thunderbirds | Sgt. Durkee | 1952-11-20 |
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The Half-Breed | Marshal Cassidy | 1952-05-03 |
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Best of the Badmen | Joad | 1951-08-09 |
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Drums in the Deep South | Sgt. Mac McCardle | 1951-09-01 |
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Let's Dance | Larry Channock | 1950-11-29 |
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The Bandit Queen | Sheriff Jim Harden | 1950-12-22 |
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Rookie Fireman | Captain Jess Henshaw | 1950-09-08 |
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Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye | Lieutenant John Reece | 1950-08-19 |
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Red Light | Detective Strecker | 1949-09-30 |
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The Dude Goes West | Texas Jack Barton | 1948-05-30 |
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Angel in Exile | Max Giorgio | 1948-10-20 |
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Relentless | Tex Brandow | 1948-06-15 |
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Silver River | 'Banjo' Sweeney | 1948-05-20 |
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The Treasure of the Sierra Madre | Pat McCormick | 1948-01-15 |
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Unknown Island | Capt. Tarnowski | 1948-10-15 |
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The Walls of Jericho | Rufus J. "Gotch" McCurdy | 1948-11-22 |
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Cheyenne | Webb Yancey | 1947-06-06 |
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Tarzan and the Huntress | Paul Weir | 1947-04-05 |
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Jungle Flight | Case Hagin | 1947-08-22 |
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San Quentin | Nick Taylor | 1946-12-16 |
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Santa Fe Uprising | Crawford | 1946-11-15 |
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Mysterious Intruder | Detective Taggart | 1946-04-11 |
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The Spanish Main | Capt. Benjamin Black | 1945-10-01 |
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Scared Stiff | George 'Deacon' Markham | 1945-06-22 |
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Tarzan and the Amazons | Ballister | 1945-04-29 |
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The Mummy's Ghost | Inspector Walgreen | 1944-06-30 |
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Cry of the Werewolf | Lt. Barry Lane | 1944-08-17 |
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Gentle Annie | Sheriff Tatum | 1944-12-05 |
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Marine Raiders | Sgt. Maguire | 1944-07-11 |
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Nabonga | Carl Hurst | 1944-01-25 |
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Secret Command | Red Kelly | 1944-07-30 |
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Song of Texas | Jim Calvert | 1943-06-14 |
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The Underdog | John Tate | 1943-10-17 |
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The Crime Doctor’s Strangest Case | Detective Rief | 1943-12-09 |
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Bombardier | Archie Dixon | 1943-05-14 |
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Man of Courage | John Wallace | 1943-01-04 |
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The Big Street | Case Ables | 1942-08-13 |
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Highways by Night | Leo Bronson | 1942-10-02 |
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All Through the Night | Marty Callahan | 1942-01-10 |
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Wild Geese Calling | Pirate Kelly | 1941-08-15 |
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Sam Higgins | 1941-08-12 |
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Hit the Road | James J. Ryan | 1941-06-27 |
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High Sierra | Jake Kranmer | 1941-01-23 |
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The Maltese Falcon | Lt. of Detectives Dundy | 1941-10-18 |
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Come Live with Me | Barney Grogan | 1941-01-31 |
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Western Union | Jack Slade | 1941-02-21 |
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Manpower | Smiley Quinn | 1941-08-09 |
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Barnacle Bill | John Kelly | 1941-04-07 |
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Men Without Souls | Blackie Drew | 1940-05-20 |
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Melody Ranch | Mark Wildhack | 1940-09-15 |
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The Secret Seven | Sam O'Donnell | 1940-08-15 |
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Gangs of Chicago | Jim Ramsey | 1940-05-18 |
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Stand Up and Fight | Crowder | 1939-01-06 |
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Torchy Runs for Mayor | Steve McBride | 1939-05-13 |
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Torchy Blane in Chinatown | Det. Lt. Steve 'Mac' McBride | 1939-02-02 |
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Breakdowns of 1939 | Self | 1939-12-31 |
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Mutiny in the Big House | Red Manson | 1939-10-24 |
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I Was a Convict | Ace King | 1939-03-06 |
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Big Town Czar | Phil Daley | 1939-05-03 |
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Torchy Gets Her Man | Detective Steve McBride | 1938-11-12 |
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Gold Is Where You Find It | Slag Martin | 1938-02-12 |
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The Kid Comes Back | Gunner Malone | 1938-02-12 |
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Prison Break | Joaquin Shannon | 1938-07-12 |
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Blondes at Work | Lt. Steve McBride | 1938-02-05 |
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You and Me | Mickey | 1938-06-01 |
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The Storm | Captain Cogswell | 1938-10-28 |
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Ever Since Eve | Al McCoy | 1937-07-15 |
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Draegerman Courage | Andrew Beaupre | 1937-05-15 |
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Breakdowns of 1937 | Self | 1937-12-31 |
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Wine, Women and Horses | Jim Turner | 1937-09-11 |
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You Only Live Once | Stephen Whitney | 1937-01-23 |
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God's Country and the Woman | Bullhead | 1937-01-16 |
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The Adventurous Blonde | Det. Lt. Steve McBride | 1937-11-13 |
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San Quentin | Lt. Druggin | 1937-05-24 |
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The Prince and the Pauper | John Canty | 1937-04-30 |
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Smart Blonde | Steve McBride | 1937-01-02 |
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Born Reckless | Jim Barnes | 1937-06-25 |
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Fly Away Baby | Steve McBride | 1937-06-19 |
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Jailbreak | Detective Captain Rourke | 1936-08-05 |
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Bengal Tiger | Cliff Ballenger | 1936-07-29 |
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Times Square Playboy | Casey (Vic's Butler/Trainer) | 1936-05-09 |
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The Walking Dead | Loder | 1936-02-29 |
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Bullets or Ballots | Al Kruger | 1936-06-06 |
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Breakdowns of 1936 | Self | 1936-12-30 |
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Ceiling Zero | Al Stone | 1936-01-16 |
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The Case of the Lucky Legs | Bisonette | 1935-10-05 |
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A Dream Comes True | Himself (uncredited) | 1935-12-31 |
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Black Fury | McGee | 1935-05-18 |
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Frisco Kid | Spider Burke | 1935-11-30 |
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Go Into Your Dance | Duke Hutchinson | 1935-04-20 |
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Man of Iron | Chris Bennett | 1935-12-21 |
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'G' Men | Collins | 1935-05-04 |
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The Case of the Curious Bride | Detective Lucas | 1935-04-13 |
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I Found Stella Parish | Clifton Jeffords | 1935-11-16 |
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Dr. Socrates | Red Bastian | 1935-10-19 |
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Stranded | Sharkey | 1935-06-29 |
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Page Miss Glory | Blackie | 1935-09-07 |
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The Last Round-up | Charley Benson | 1934-05-01 |
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All of Me | First Cop (uncredited) | 1934-02-01 |
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Man of the Forest | Mulvey | 1933-08-24 |
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Big Executive | Harry the Guide | 1933-10-19 |
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Let's Dance | 1933-03-17 | |
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Tillie and Gus | Commissioner McLennan | 1933-10-13 |
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Buffalo Stampede | Henchman Pruitt | 1933-03-01 |
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To the Last Man | Neil Stanley | 1933-09-15 |
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Lone Cowboy | Policeman Baxter | 1933-12-02 |
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Naughty-Cal | Sailor | 1932-02-19 |
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The Acid Test | 1932-11-27 | |
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The Gigolo Racket | Cafe Customer | 1931-06-15 |
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His Woman | Crewman | 1931-11-20 |
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Crimes Square | Detective with Handcuffs | 1931-03-26 |
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Politics | 1930-11-14 | |
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The Cocoanuts | Bather | 1929-05-23 |
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The Quarterback | Football Player (uncredited) | 1926-10-11 |
