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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Buckskin | Dr. H. 'Doc' Raymond | 1968-05-01 |
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Arizona Bushwhackers | Sheriff Grover | 1968-03-01 |
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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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Girl in the Woods | Big Jim | 1958-06-01 |
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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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Hell's Crossroads | Clyde O'Connell | 1957-03-08 |
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Sierra Stranger | Lem Gotch | 1957-05-01 |
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Naked In The Sun | Wilson | 1957-09-20 |
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Backlash | Sergeant George Lake | 1956-03-14 |
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Three Violent People | Yates | 1956-12-01 |
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Naked Gun | Joe Barnum | 1956-11-01 |
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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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Wetbacks | Karl Shanks | 1956-05-04 |
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Treasure of Ruby Hills | Chalk Reynolds | 1955-01-23 |
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The Silver Star | Henry 'Tiny' Longtree | 1955-04-07 |
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Foxfire | Jim Mablett | 1955-07-13 |
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Last of the Desperados | Mosby, Gang Leader | 1955-10-31 |
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Jail Busters | Captain Jenkins | 1955-09-18 |
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Hell's Outpost | Sheriff Olson | 1954-12-15 |
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Jubilee Trail | Deacon Bartlett | 1954-05-15 |
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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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Jack Slade | Jules Reni | 1953-11-08 |
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Sea of Lost Ships | Capt. Jack Matthews | 1953-10-24 |
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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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Kansas Pacific | Cal Bruce | 1953-02-22 |
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Thunderbirds | Sgt. Durkee | 1952-11-20 |
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Bugles in the Afternoon | Capt. Myles Moylan | 1952-03-04 |
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The Half-Breed | Marshal Cassidy | 1952-05-03 |
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Drums in the Deep South | Sgt. Mac McCardle | 1951-09-01 |
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Best of the Badmen | Joad | 1951-08-09 |
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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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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 Walls of Jericho | Rufus J. "Gotch" McCurdy | 1948-11-22 |
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Unknown Island | Capt. Tarnowski | 1948-10-15 |
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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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The Dude Goes West | Texas Jack Barton | 1948-05-30 |
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Jungle Flight | Case Hagin | 1947-08-22 |
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Tarzan and the Huntress | Paul Weir | 1947-04-05 |
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Cheyenne | Webb Yancey | 1947-06-06 |
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San Quentin | Nick Taylor | 1946-12-16 |
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Mysterious Intruder | Detective Taggart | 1946-04-11 |
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Santa Fe Uprising | Crawford | 1946-11-15 |
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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 Spanish Main | Capt. Benjamin Black | 1945-10-01 |
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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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Cry of the Werewolf | Lt. Barry Lane | 1944-08-17 |
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The Mummy's Ghost | Inspector Walgreen | 1944-07-07 |
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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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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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Song of Texas | Jim Calvert | 1943-06-14 |
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The Underdog | John Tate | 1943-10-17 |
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All Through the Night | Marty Callahan | 1942-01-10 |
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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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Hit the Road | James J. Ryan | 1941-06-27 |
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Wild Geese Calling | Pirate Kelly | 1941-08-15 |
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Barnacle Bill | John Kelly | 1941-04-07 |
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Sam Higgins | 1941-08-12 |
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Come Live with Me | Barney Grogan | 1941-01-31 |
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Manpower | Smiley Quinn | 1941-08-09 |
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Western Union | Jack Slade | 1941-02-21 |
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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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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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Melody Ranch | Mark Wildhack | 1940-09-15 |
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Men Without Souls | Blackie Drew | 1940-05-20 |
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Stand Up and Fight | Crowder | 1939-01-06 |
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I Was a Convict | Ace King | 1939-03-06 |
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Mutiny in the Big House | Red Manson | 1939-10-24 |
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Big Town Czar | Phil Daley | 1939-05-03 |
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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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You and Me | Mickey | 1938-06-01 |
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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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Blondes at Work | Lt. Steve McBride | 1938-02-05 |
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The Storm | Captain Cogswell | 1938-10-28 |
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Prison Break | Joaquin Shannon | 1938-07-12 |
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Wine, Women and Horses | Jim Turner | 1937-09-11 |
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San Quentin | Lt. Druggin | 1937-05-24 |
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Draegerman Courage | Andrew Beaupre | 1937-05-15 |
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Ever Since Eve | Al McCoy | 1937-07-15 |
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You Only Live Once | Stephen Whitney | 1937-01-23 |
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Smart Blonde | Steve McBride | 1937-01-02 |
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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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Fly Away Baby | Steve McBride | 1937-06-19 |
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Breakdowns of 1937 | Self | 1937-12-31 |
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The Prince and the Pauper | John Canty | 1937-04-30 |
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Born Reckless | Jim Barnes | 1937-06-25 |
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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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Bullets or Ballots | Al Kruger | 1936-06-06 |
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Breakdowns of 1936 | Self | 1936-12-30 |
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The Walking Dead | Loder | 1936-03-01 |
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Ceiling Zero | Al Stone | 1936-01-16 |
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Times Square Playboy | Casey (Vic's Butler/Trainer) | 1936-05-09 |
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A Dream Comes True | Himself (uncredited) | 1935-12-31 |
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'G' Men | Collins | 1935-05-04 |
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I Found Stella Parish | Clifton Jeffords | 1935-11-16 |
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Man of Iron | Chris Bennett | 1935-12-21 |
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Frisco Kid | Spider Burke | 1935-11-30 |
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Dr. Socrates | Red Bastian | 1935-10-19 |
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Stranded | Sharkey | 1935-06-29 |
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Go Into Your Dance | Duke Hutchinson | 1935-04-20 |
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Black Fury | McGee | 1935-05-18 |
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The Case of the Lucky Legs | Bisonette | 1935-10-05 |
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The Case of the Curious Bride | Detective Lucas | 1935-04-13 |
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Page Miss Glory | Blackie | 1935-09-07 |
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All of Me | First Cop (uncredited) | 1934-02-01 |
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The Last Round-up | Charley Benson | 1934-05-01 |
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Big Executive | Harry the Guide | 1933-10-19 |
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To the Last Man | Neil Stanley | 1933-09-15 |
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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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Lone Cowboy | Policeman Baxter | 1933-12-02 |
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Man of the Forest | Mulvey | 1933-08-24 |
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Naughty-Cal | Sailor | 1932-02-19 |
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The Acid Test | 1932-11-27 | |
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Crimes Square | Detective with Handcuffs | 1931-03-26 |
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His Woman | Crewman | 1931-11-20 |
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The Gigolo Racket | Cafe Customer | 1931-06-15 |
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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 |
