Harry McCoy (December 10, 1893 – September 1, 1937) was an American film actor and screenwriter. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1912 and 1935.

Early years

McCoy was born on December 10, 1893, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, the firstborn of George Washington McCoy and Alberta Keel. His family moved to California in 1910. His had a sister, Alberta.

Career

McCoy's early experience in entertainment was in vaudeville, where he played a piano and sang. He joined Universal's Joker Comedy brand in 1912, and the following year teamed with Max Asher to form Mike and Jake for Joker. In 1913, he worked at Universal and Keystone at the same time and was one of the original Keystone Cops. At Triangle Keystone, McCoy directed 15 films. He stayed with the post-Sennett Keystone until August 1917, then made a brief return to vaudeville with the Pantages circuit. In 1920, He played opposite Sid Smith as one of CBC/Federated's "Hall-room Boys" before being replaced by Jimmy Adams. He appeared in the Stern Bros. Century Comedies for Universal from 1924 to 1925, but he soon became Mack Sennett's writer. He sued Sennett over some music he wrote in 1930, but the dispute apparently was settled before it came to court. In the mid-1930s, he played piano at Frank Kerwin's Merry-Go-Round nightclub. McCoy joined Disney studio just months before his death.

Personal life and death

McCoy married Frances Josephine Anton in 1923 but the marriage did not go well. After a divorce, he married Mercedes Williams in 1927. He died on September 1, 1937, in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

Selected filmography

Mike and Jake at the Beach - A Pictorial History of the Silent Screen

* ''

He Would a Hunting Go ''He Would a Hunting Go'' is a 1913 American Short film, short comedy film directed by George Nichols (actor), George Nichols and starring Roscoe Arbuckle, Fatty Arbuckle. Cast * Roscoe Arbuckle, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle * Alice Davenport * Bill ...

'' (1913) * ''

Fatty and Minnie He-Haw ''Fatty and Minnie He-Haw'' is a 1914 American short comedy film directed by and starring Roscoe Arbuckle. Cast * Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle as Fatty * Minnie Devereaux as Minnie He-Haw * Edward Dillon (as Eddie Dillon) * Minta Durfee as Minta * ...

'' (1914) * ''

Fatty's Magic Pants ''Fatty's Magic Pants'' is a 1914 American Short film, short comedy film directed by and starring Roscoe Arbuckle, Fatty Arbuckle. The film is also known as ''Fatty's Suitless Day''. Cast * Roscoe Arbuckle, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle - Fatty * Cha ...

'' (1914) * '' Getting Acquainted'' (1914) * ''

His New Profession ''His New Profession'' is a 1914 American comedy silent film made at the Keystone Studios and starring Charlie Chaplin. The film involves Chaplin taking care of a man in a wheelchair. It is also known as "The Good for Nothing". Synopsis The T ...

'' (1914) * '' The Masquerader'' (1914) * '' The Face on the Bar Room Floor'' (1914) * ''

The Property Man ''The Property Man'' is a short 1914 American comedy silent film made by Keystone Studios starring Charlie Chaplin. Plot Charlie is in charge of stage props at a vaudeville theater. These are the performances for tonight: *The Goo-Goo Sisters ...

'' (1914) * ''

Mabel's Married Life ''Mabel's Married Life'' (1914) is an American comedy silent film made by Keystone Studios starring and co-written by Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand, and directed by Chaplin. As was so often the case during his first year in film, Chaplin' ...

'' (1914) * '' Mabel's Busy Day'' (1914) * ''

Mabel's Blunder ''Mabel's Blunder'' (1914) is a silent comedy film directed by, written by, and starring Mabel Normand, the most successful of the early silent screen comediennes. Plot ''Mabel's Blunder'' tells the tale of a young woman who is secretly engaged ...

'' (1914) * ''

Caught in a Cabaret ''Caught in a Cabaret'' is a 1914 short comedy film written and directed by Mabel Normand and starring Normand and Charles Chaplin. Plot Chaplin plays a waiter who fakes being the Prime Minister of Greenland to impress a girl. He then is inv ...

'' (1914) * ''

Mabel at the Wheel ''Mabel at the Wheel'' is a 1914 American motion picture starring Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand, and directed by Mabel Normand and Mack Sennett. The film is also known as ''Hot Finish''. Plot Charlie offers Mabel a ride on his two-seater ...

'' (1914) * ''

Mabel's Strange Predicament ''Mabel's Strange Predicament'' is a 1914 American film starring Mabel Normand and Charles Chaplin, notable for being the first film for which Chaplin donned the costume of The Tramp, although his appearance in the costume in Kid Auto Races a ...

'' (1914) * ''

In the Clutches of the Gang ''In the Clutches of the Gang'' (also known as ''In the Clutches of a Gang'') is a 1914 American short comedy film featuring Roscoe Arbuckle. The majority of the film is believed to be lost. However, a fragment of the film exists and is held by ...

'' (1914) * '' Tillie's Punctured Romance'' (1914) * ''

Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day ''Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day'' is a 1915 American silent comedy short or "one-reeler" directed by Fatty Arbuckle and co-starring Arbuckle and Mabel Normand. Plot This short begins with Mabel toiling in the kitchen, handwashing clothes while ...

'' (1915) * ''

Fatty's Reckless Fling ''Fatty's Reckless Fling'' is a 1915 American short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. Cast * Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle as Fatty * Edgar Kennedy as Neighbor * Minta Durfee as Neighbor's Wife * Katherine Griffith as Fatty's Wife ...

'' (1915) * ''

Fatty's Chance Acquaintance ''Fatty's Chance Acquaintance'' is a 1915 American short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. Plot summary Cast * Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle as Fatty * Billie Bennett as Fatty's wife * Harry McCoy as Pickpocket * Minta Durfee a ...

'' (1915) * ''

That Little Band of Gold ''That Little Band of Gold'' is a 1915 American short comedy film directed by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and starring Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, and Ford Sterling. Plot As described in a film magazine, Hubby decides to steal a night off away from ...

'' (1915) * '' A Village Scandal'' (1915) * ''

A Hoosier Romance ''A Hoosier Romance'' is a 1918 Selig Polyscope silent film, featuring actress Colleen Moore. Plot Pretty Patience Thompson, a "girl with a singing soul," lives with her cold-hearted and avaricious father, Jeff Thompson, on their Indiana farm. H ...

'' (1918) * ''

Fair Enough ''Fair Enough'' is a 1918 American silent comedy film directed by Edward Sloman and starring Margarita Fischer, Eugenie Forde, and Alfred Hollingsworth.Katchmer p. 509 Cast * Margarita Fischer as Ann Dickson * Eugenie Forde as Mrs. Ellen Dickso ...

'' (1918) * '' The Garage'' (1920) * ''

Skirts A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts are fi ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Fatal Mistake ''The Fatal Mistake'' is a 1924 American silent crime film directed by Scott R. Dunlap and starring William Fairbanks, Eva Novak and Wilfred Lucas. Synopsis A sacked newspaper reporter and a policewoman join forces to battle a gang of criminals ...

'' (1924) * ''

Heir-Loons ''Heir-Loons'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Grover Jones and starring Wallace MacDonald, Edith Roberts and Stuart Holmes.Munden p.336 Cast * Wallace MacDonald as Geoge Brockton * Edith Roberts as Mary Dale * Cecille Eva ...

'' (1925) * '' Heads Up'' (1925) * '' Stick Around'' (1925) * ''

The Girl from Everywhere ''The Girl from Everywhere'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and starring Daphne Pollard, Dot Farley, Mack Swain and Carole Lombard.Kiriakou, Olympia. ''Becoming Carole Lombard: Stardom, Comedy, and Legacy''. ...

'' (1927) * ''

Hearts of Men ''Hearts of Men'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Mildred Harris, Thelma Hill and Warner Richmond.Munden p.335 Cast * Mildred Harris as Alice Weston * Thelma Hill as Doris Weston * Cornelius Keefe ...

'' (1928) * '' A Little Bit of Fluff'' (1928) * ''

Midnight Daddies ''Midnight Daddies'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Mack Sennett and starring Andy Clyde, Harry Gribbon, and Rosemary Theby.Balducci, p. 99 It was the last feature film that Sennett directed: his remaining six films were B ...

'' (1930) * '' One More Chance'' (1931) (writer) * ''

Won by a Neck ''Won by a Neck'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle and starring Lloyd Hamilton. Cast * Lloyd Hamilton * Ruth Hiatt * Addie McPhail See also * Fatty Arbuckle filmography __NOTOC__ These are the films of the ...

'' (1930)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Harry 1893 births 1937 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors American male screenwriters Male actors from Philadelphia Male actors from Hollywood, Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors Screenwriters from Pennsylvania Screenwriters from California 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters Vaudeville performers