Frank McGlynn Sr. (October 26, 1866 – May 18, 1951) was an American stage and screen actor who, in a career that spanned more than half a century, is best known for his convincing

impersonation An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone: *Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...

s and performances as

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

in both plays and films.

Early life

McGlynn was born in 1866 in San Francisco, the eldest of four children of Mary and Frank McGlynn.FRANK M'GLYNN, 84, LINCOLN ON STAGE...""> "FRANK M'GLYNN, 84, LINCOLN ON STAGE..."
''The New York Times'', May 19, 1951; p. 12. Federal census records indicate that McGlynn, in addition to having two younger sisters, had a younger brother, George, who died sometime between 1870 and 1880."The Tenth Census of the United States: 1880"
San Francisco, California, June 3, 1880. Family Search. Retrieved January 17, 2019. Those records show too that McGlynn's mother, a native of Australia, immigrated to the United States with her Irish parents around the time of the California Gold Rush. His father, also of Irish ancestry, moved to California and supported the family there as a carpenter and later by working in

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

. Originally McGlynn studied to be a lawyer. He received his law degree from the

University of California, Hastings College of the Law The University of California, Hastings College of the Law (UC Hastings) is a public law school in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1878 by Serranus Clinton Hastings, UC Hastings was the first law school of the University of California as ...

, and was admitted to the bar in 1894.

Career

By 1896, however, McGlynn had turned to a career entirely different from law. That year he began appearing on stage in New York at the Casino Theatre, performing in ''The Gold Bug'', a burlesque musical comedy written by

Glen MacDonough Glen MacDonough (1870 – March 30, 1924) was an American writer, lyricist and librettist. He was the son of theater manager Thomas B. MacDonough and actress/author Laura Don. Glen MacDonough married Margaret Jefferson in 1896 in Buzzard's Bay, ...

with music from

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is bes ...

. Later that year McGlynn toured in a road production of ''Under the Red Robe'', a story based on Stanley Weyman's novel that was adapted for the stage by

Edward Everett Rose Edward Everett Rose (February 11, 1862 - April 2, 1939) was an American playwright. He adapted a number of popular novels into plays, including '' Janice Meredith'', ''Richard Carvel'', ''David Harum'', ''Eben Holden'', '' The Battle of the Stro ...

. Over the next two decades McGlynn performed mostly in supporting roles with stock companies and in early silent films. Frank McGlynn in

McGlynn's first film role in which he impersonated Abraham Lincoln was in 1915 in ''The Life of Abraham Lincoln'' directed by Langdon West for the Edison Studios in New York."Frank McGlynn Sr."
biographical sketch and filmography,

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

(IMDb), a subsidiary of

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

, Seattle, Washington. Retrieved January 16, 2019. Four years later the actor's big break came when, at age fifty-three, the six-foot four-inch actor earned the starring role to portray the former president again in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of John Drinkwater's play ''

''. That stage production had a run of 193 performances at the

Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was built in ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and then toured the country for over two years. In 1924, McGlynn also performed in an excerpt from Drinkwater's play that was actually recorded. Lee de Forest and

J. Searle Dawley James Searle Dawley (October 4, 1877 – March 30, 1949) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, stage actor, and playwright. Between 1907 and the mid-1920s, while working for Edison, Rex Motion Picture Company, Famous Player ...

produced a two-reel

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

of ''Abraham Lincoln'' using De Forest's

Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film proce ...

sound-on-film process. Unfortunately, with the exceptions of some film stills that survive, no full copy or partial reels of that motion picture have been found. McGlynn went on to play in seven more Broadway plays; his last as Johnnie, in ''Frankie and Johnnie'' at the Theatre Republic in 1930. McGlynn's 1919 performance as Lincoln had rejuvenated his film career, which lasted into the late 1940s. In at least ten films he portrayed " The Great Emancipator"; and in one other film, '' Are We Civilized?'', he was cast as an actor named Felix Bockner who in the plot performs as Lincoln.

Death

McGlynn died at the age of eighty-four on May 18, 1951, at his daughter's residence in

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...

. He was survived by four daughters—Grace, Helen, Virginia, and Mary Rose—and by a son, Reverend Thomas McGlynn. His wife, Rose (née Sheridan), and son, Frank Jr. (also an actor), preceded him in death. He is interred in

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries is an American corporation that owns and operates a chain of cemeteries and mortuaries in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in Southern California. History The company was founded by a group of ...

Selected filmography

* ''Who Will Marry Mary?'' (1913) * ''The Pines of Lorey'' (1914) - John Boyd * ''Through Troubled Waters'' (1915) - Bill Ford * ''The Way Back'' (1915) - Samuel Kingman * '' Vanity Fair'' (1915) - Captain William Dobbin * ''

Gloria's Romance ''Gloria's Romance'' is a 1916 American silent film serial starring Billie Burke. Serial films, also called chapter plays, were shorter films that were typically run before the main feature film, each of which was part of a longer story, and ende ...

'' (1916, Serial) - Gideon Trask * ''The Argyle Case'' (1917) - John Argyle * ''

The Poor Little Rich Girl ''The Poor Little Rich Girl'' is a 1917 American comedy-drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur. Adapted by Frances Marion from the 1913 play by Eleanor Gates. The Broadway play actually starred future screen actress Viola Dana. The film star ...

'' (1917) - The Plumber * ''

The Mad Lover ''The Mad Lover'' is a Jacobean stage play, a tragicomedy by John Fletcher. It was initially published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. Fletcher's sole authorship was specified during the 17th century by his friend Sir Aston ...

'' (1917) - Lawyer Robertson * '' Rough and Ready'' (1918) - The Siwash * '' The Accidental Honeymoon'' (1918) - Farmer Perkins * ''Why America Will Win'' (1918) - John F. Pershing * ''The Caillaux Case'' (1918) - Emperor William of Germany * ''The A.B.C. of Love'' (1919) - Innkeeper (uncredited) * ''

'' (1924, Short) -

* ''Good News'' (1930) - Prof. Kenyon * ''

The Jazz Cinderella ''The Jazz Cinderella'' is a 1930 American romantic drama film directed by Scott Pembroke and starring Myrna Loy, Jason Robards Sr. and Nancy Welford.Leider p.323 In Britain it was released under the alternative title of ''Love Is Like That''. ...

'' (1930) - Henry Murray * ''

Min and Bill ''Min and Bill'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code comedy-drama film, directed by George W. Hill and starring Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery. Adapted by Frances Marion and Marion Jackson from Lorna Moon's 1929 novel, ''Dark Star'', the film tells ...

'' (1930) - Mr. Southard * ''

The Great Meadow ''The Great Meadow'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code adventure film, produced and distributed by MGM with direction by Charles Brabin. The film starred Eleanor Boardman and Johnny Mack Brown. It is based on the novel ''The Great Meadow'' by Elizabe ...

'' (1931) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' The Secret 6'' (1931) - Judge * ''

Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...

'' (1931) - Second teacher (uncredited) * '' Polly of the Circus'' (1932) - Head of Parish Board (uncredited) * ''

The Wet Parade ''The Wet Parade'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Robert Young, Myrna Loy, Walter Huston, Lewis Stone and Jimmy Durante. It is based on the 1931 novel by Upton Sinclair. The film shows how two ...

'' (1932) - Food Control Speaker (uncredited) * ''

Lady and Gent ''Lady and Gent'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Stephen Roberts for Paramount, featuring a young Charles ("Durango Kid") Starrett, Syd ("Three Mesquiteers") Saylor and an early supporting role by John Wayne. Plot A young b ...

'' (1932) - Principal * ''

Frisco Jenny ''Frisco Jenny'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film starring Ruth Chatterton and Louis Calhern, and directed by William A. Wellman. Its storyline bears a resemblance to Chatterton's previous hit film, ''Madame X''. Plot In 1906 San Fran ...

'' (1932) - Good Book Charlie (uncredited) * ''

Employees' Entrance ''Employees' Entrance'' is a 1933 pre-Code film about the devious manager of a New York department store (Warren William) and his romantic involvement with a reluctant new employee (Loretta Young). It was directed by Roy Del Ruth. In 2019, the f ...

'' (1933) - The Editor (scenes deleted) * ''

Hello, Everybody! ''Hello, Everybody!'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code musical film directed by William A. Seiter and written by Lawrence Hazard, Fannie Hurst, and Dorothy Yost. The film stars Kate Smith, Randolph Scott, Sally Blane, Charley Grapewin, George Ba ...

'' (1933) - Jonathan Reed * ''

Unknown Valley ''Unknown Valley'' is a 1933 American pre-Code Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Buck Jones, Cecilia Parker and Wade Boteler.Balio, p. 334 It was shot at the Iverson Ranch in California. Cast * Buck Jones as Joe Gordon (as ...

'' (1933) - Head Elder * '' Charlie Chan's Greatest Case'' (1933) - Amos Winterslip * ''

Massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

'' (1934) - Missionary * ''

Search for Beauty ''Search for Beauty'' is a 1934 American pre-Code dramedy film, with some musical Busby Berkeley-esque athletic sequences, directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Buster Crabbe and Ida Lupino (the film was released shortly before Lupino's 16th ...

'' (1934) - Rev. Rankin * '' Little Miss Marker'' (1934) - Doc Chesley * '' Are We Civilized?'' (1934) - Felix Bockner and Lincoln * ''

Wild Gold Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 Am ...

'' (1934) - Thompson the Storekeeper (uncredited) * ''

Belle of the Nineties ''Belle of the Nineties'' is a 1934 American Western film directed by Leo McCarey and released by Paramount Pictures. Mae West's fourth motion picture, it was based on her original story ''It Ain't No Sin'', which was also to be the film's t ...

'' (1934) - Justice of the Peace (uncredited) * ''

Lost in the Stratosphere ''Lost in the Stratosphere'' is a 1934 American aviation drama film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring William Cagney, Edward J. Nugent, and June Collyer. In one of his few roles in front of the cameras, Cagney was the lookalike younger ...

'' (1934) - Col. Worthington * ''

The Mighty Barnum ''The Mighty Barnum'' is a 1934 film starring Wallace Beery as P.T. Barnum. The movie was written by Gene Fowler and Bess Meredyth, adapted from their play of the same name, and directed by Walter Lang. Beery had played Barnum four years earlie ...

'' (1934) - Barnum's Butler (uncredited) * ''

Folies Bergère de Paris ''Folies Bergère de Paris'' is a 1935 American musical comedy film produced by Darryl Zanuck for 20th Century Films, directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Maurice Chevalier, Merle Oberon and Ann Southern. At the 8th Academy Awards, the “Str ...

'' (1935) - Joseph * ''

It's a Small World "It's a Small World" is a water-based boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks worldwide, including Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California; Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida; Tokyo D ...

'' (1935) - Snake Brown Jr. * ''

Goin' to Town ''Goin' To Town'' is a 1935 musical comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and written by Mae West. The film stars Mae West, Paul Cavanagh, Gilbert Emery, Marjorie Gateson, Tito Coral and Ivan Lebedeff. The film was released on April 25, 1935, ...

'' (1935) - Judge (uncredited) * ''

The Roaring West ''The Roaring West'' is a 1935 American Western film serial starring Buck Jones as Montana Larkin. It co-stars his horse, Silver, and Frank McGlynn Sr. as his trusty sidekick Jinglebob Morgan. The film was released by Universal. Plot Cast * ...

'' (1935, Serial) - Jinglebob Morgan * '' Outlawed Guns'' (1935) - Jingles * '' Captain Blood'' (1935) - Rev. Ogle * ''

The Littlest Rebel ''The Littlest Rebel'' is a 1935 American musical drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Edwin J. Burke was adapted from a play of the same name by Edward Peple. Cast * Shirley Temple as Virgie Cary * John Boles as Herbert Ca ...

'' (1935) - Abraham Lincoln * ''It's Up to You'' (1936) * ''

The Prisoner of Shark Island ''The Prisoner of Shark Island'' is a 1936 American drama film loosely based on the life of Maryland physician Samuel Mudd, who treated the injured presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth and later spent time in prison after his controversial c ...

'' (1936) - President Abraham Lincoln * '' The Trail of the Lonesome Pine'' (1936) - Preacher (uncredited) * ''

These Three ''These Three'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon, Joel McCrea, and Bonita Granville. The screenplay by Lillian Hellman is based on her 1934 play '' The Children's Hour''. A 1961 re ...

'' (1936) - Judge (uncredited) * ''

For the Service ''For the Service'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Buck Jones and written by Isadore Bernstein. The film stars Buck Jones, Phillip Trent, Edward Keane, Fred Kohler, Beth Marion, Frank McGlynn, Sr. and Ben Corbett. The film was rel ...

'' (1936) - Jim LaMont * '' Hearts in Bondage'' (1936) - Abraham Lincoln * ''

Parole! ''Parole!'' is a 1936 American crime film directed by Lew Landers and written by Kubec Glasmon and Horace McCoy. The film stars Henry Hunter, Ann Preston, Alan Dinehart, Alan Baxter, Alan Hale Sr. and Grant Mitchell. The film was released on ...

'' (1936) - A.R. Patton (uncredited) * ''

The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the ''Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinder ...

'' (1936) - David Gamut * ''

King of the Royal Mounted ''King of the Royal Mounted'' is an American comics series which debuted February 17, 1935 by Stephen Slesinger, based on popular Western writer Zane Grey's byline and marketed as ''Zane Grey's King of the Royal Mounted''. The series' protagonist ...

'' (1936, Serial) - Henry Dundas * '' North of Nome'' (1936) - U. S. Marshal * ''

The Plainsman ''The Plainsman'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. The film presents a highly fictionalized account of the adventures and relationships between Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jan ...

'' (1936) - Abraham Lincoln (prologue) * ''

Career Woman A career woman is a term which describes a woman whose main goal in life is to create a career for herself. At the time that the term was first used in the 1930s American context, it was specifically used to differentiate between women who either ...

'' (1936) - Sheriff Duncan * '' The Great Barrier'' (1937) - Sir John Macdonald - Prime Minister of Canada * ''

That I May Live ''That I May Live'' is a 1937 American crime film directed by Allan Dwan, written by Ben Markson and William M. Conselman, and starring Rochelle Hudson, Robert Kent, J. Edward Bromberg, Jack La Rue, Frank Conroy and Fred Kelsey. It was releas ...

'' (1937) - Dr. Curtis (uncredited) * '' Parnell'' (1937) - Pat Hogan (uncredited) * '' Sing and Be Happy'' (1937) - Sheriff * '' Saratoga'' (1937) - Ed Kenyon (uncredited) * ''

Broadway Melody of 1938 ''Broadway Melody of 1938'' is a 1937 American musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film is essentially a backstage musical revue, featuring high-budget sets and cinematography in the MGM musical trad ...

'' (1937) - Boardinghouse Resident (uncredited) * '' Western Gold'' (1937) - Abraham Lincoln * '' Sudden Bill Dorn'' (1937) - Cap Jinks * ''

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...

'' (1937) - Abraham Lincoln * ''

The Bad Man of Brimstone ''The Bad Man of Brimstone'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by J. Walter Ruben and starring Wallace Beery, Virginia Bruce and Dennis O'Keefe. The screenplay was written by Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum, from a story by Ruben and Maur ...

'' (1937) - Minister at Wedding (uncredited) * ''

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the no ...

'' (1938) - Minister (uncredited) * ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'' (1938, Serial) - Lincoln h. 1(deleted scene) * '' The Girl of the Golden West'' (1938) - Pete - Gambler (uncredited) * '' Lincoln in the White House'' (1939, Short) - Lincoln"Lincoln in the White House (1939)"
summary and production details, IMDb. Retrieved January 16, 2019. * '' Love Affair'' (1939) - Orphanage Superintendent (uncredited) * '' Second Fiddle'' (1939) - Lincolnesque Actor (uncredited) * '' The Honeymoon's Over'' (1939) - Thin Man * '' The Mad Empress'' (1939) - President Abraham Lincoln * ''

Boom Town A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...

'' (1940) - Deacon * '' Third Finger, Left Hand'' (1940) - Judge Holman (uncredited) * ''

A Girl, a Guy and a Gob ''A Girl, a Guy and a Gob'' is a 1941 film produced by Harold Lloyd and starring George Murphy, Lucille Ball, and Edmond O'Brien. Plot summary When Stephen Herrick, a sedate, mild-mannered shipping magnate, loses his opera tickets, Mrs. Grange, ...

'' (1941) - Panky * '' Sergeant York'' (1941) - Mountaineer (uncredited) * ''

Three Girls About Town ''Three Girls About Town'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Joan Blondell, Binnie Barnes and Janet Blair (in her film debut). It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The story was written by Rich ...

'' (1941) - Josephus Wiegal * ''

Marry the Boss's Daughter ''Marry the Boss's Daughter'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Thornton Freeland and written by Jack Andrews. The film stars Brenda Joyce, Bruce Edwards, George Barbier, Hardie Albright, Ludwig Stössel and Bodil Rosing. The film was ...

'' (1941) - Hoffman * '' Syncopation'' (1942) - Simon Goodwill (uncredited) * '' In Old California'' (1942) - Old Miner (uncredited) * ''

Delinquent Daughters ''Delinquent Daughters'', or ''Accent on Crime'', is a 1944 American drama film directed by Albert Herman and starring June Carlson, Fifi D'Orsay and Margia Dean. An exploitation film, it is about a police investigation into the suicide death of ...

'' (1944) - Judge Craig * ''

Rogues' Gallery A rogues' gallery (or rogues gallery) is a police collection of mug shots or other images of criminal suspects kept for identification purposes. History In 1855, Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, established a ...

'' (1944) - Blake * ''I Was a Criminal'' (1945) - Prison Warden * ''

Slightly Scandalous ''Slightly Scandalous'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Will Jason and written by Erna Lazarus, David Mathews, Joel Malone and Jerry Warner. The film stars Frederick Brady, Sheila Ryan, Paula Drew, Walter Catlett, Lita Baron, Louis D ...

'' (1946) - Graves (uncredited) * '' Trail Street'' (1947) - Tim McKeon (uncredited) * '' Hollywood Barn Dance'' (1947) - Pa (Hiram) Tubb

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGlynn, Frank Sr. 1866 births 1951 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors American male stage actors American people of Australian descent American people of Irish descent Male actors from San Francisco Abraham Lincoln University of California, Hastings College of the Law alumni Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male actors