Mack Swain (born Moroni Swain; February 16, 1876 – August 25, 1935) was an early American film

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, who appeared in many of

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

’s comedies at Keystone Studios, including the

Keystone Cops The Keystone Cops (often spelled "Keystone Kops") are fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. History The idea for th ...

series. He also appeared in major features by Charlie Chaplin.

Early years

Swain was born on February 16, 1876 to Robert Henry Swain and Mary Ingeborg Jensen in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

and was educated in Salt Lake City's public schools. He ran away from home at age 15, joining a

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spec ...

. His mother took him home after one performance, but he persuaded her to let him continue in entertainment.

Career

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 A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

at Keystone Studios under

. While with Keystone, he was teamed up with

Chester Conklin Chester Cooper Conklin (January 11, 1886 – October 11, 1971) was an early American film comedian who started at Keystone Studios as one of Mack Sennett’s Keystone Cops, often paired with Mack Swain. He appeared in a series of films with Ma ...

to make a series of

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

s. 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. Ambrose's Day Off (1919) - Ad 1

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 Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consid ...

, 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 The L-KO Kompany, or L-KO Komedies, was an American motion picture company founded by Henry Lehrman that produced silent one-, two- and very occasionally three-reel comedy shorts between 1914 and 1919. The initials L-KO stand for "Lehrman KnockOu ...

. Having already worked with Charles Chaplin at Keystone, Swain began working with Chaplin again at First National in 1921, appearing in ''

The Idle Class ''The Idle Class'' is a 1921 American silent comedy film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin for First National Pictures. Plot summary The "Little Tramp" (Charlie Chaplin) heads to a resort for warm weather and golf. At the golf course, ...

'', '' Pay Day'', and '' The Pilgrim''. He is also remembered for his large supporting role as Big Jim McKay' in the

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...

film ''

The Gold Rush ''The Gold Rush'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film written, produced, and directed by Charlie Chaplin. The film also stars Chaplin in his Little Tramp persona, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman, and Malcolm Waite. Chapl ...

'', for

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

, written by and starring Chaplin.

Personal life

Swain was married to actress Cora King.

Death

Swain died in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...

, on August 25, 1935, following an illness that only lasted a few hours.

Legacy

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Swain received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1500 Vine Street.

Partial filmography

Images

File:Getting acquainted.jpg, Clockwise from top:

Phyllis Allen Phyllis Allen (November 25, 1861 – March 26, 1938) was an American vaudeville and silent screen comedian. She worked with Charles Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and Mack Sennett during a film career spanning 74 movies in the ...

, Mack Swain,

and Mabel Normand in '' Getting Acquainted'' (1914) File:Gentlemen of nerve.jpg, With Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand in '' Gentlemen of Nerve'' (1914)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swain, Mack 1876 births 1935 deaths Male actors from Salt Lake City American male film actors American male silent film actors Silent film comedians Vaudeville performers 20th-century American male actors Articles containing video clips 20th-century American comedians Comedians from Utah American male comedy actors