J. Farrell MacDonald

born: 14 April 1875
Northridge, California,
United States of America
died: 02 August 1952
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California,
United States of America
(coronary artery arteriosclerosis, age 77)

Balding American actor. Directing "Samson" and the early Oz films he "brought together" Harold Lloyd and Hal Roach in 1914 but had started acting in New York in 1906 and began directing too. In 1912 he moved to Hollywood with Carl Laemmle as a director when Carl formed Universal Pictures. After serving in WWI, he started acting exclusively.

He has a mini-biography at the Waterbury, CT "Hall of Fame" linked below with a few highlights here:
-Graduated from Yale University Law School in 1903:
-Played football and later earned graduate certificates in geology and mining engineering:
-Worked as a reporter:
-Sang grand opera in London.
-Entered a Catholic seminary but "left for a musician's job in the Orient"
-Performed in minstrel shows and touring stage productions for almost 20 years
-Worked at Biograph (NY) with Griffith, Sennett, and Mary Pickford:
-Exhibited his paintings at an LA art gallery:
-Taught an acting course at USC:
-Opened a film school in 1937:
-Acted in a few early TV shows:
-Acted in approximately 850 films and directed 53:

You may notice that his WWI Draft Card says Joseph "Henry" MacDonald. This is "our man" as everything else matches including his wife, Edith Eldredge (Bostwick). There is another card for Joseph Henry "McDonald" born 1875, June 06 in CT but nothing else matches "our man" and is the source of the erroneous June 6th birthday at another site.
Real name: Joseph Henry MacDonald
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography;
plus 1 film with Laurel & Hardy.

6


1937
Topper
Policeman

1938
There Goes My Heart
Officer

1939
Zenobia
Judge

1939
The Housekeeper's Daughter
Police captain

1941
Broadway Limited
RR Line Superintendent Mulcahey

1942
The McGuerins From Brooklyn
Cop
NON-HAL ROACH FILMS

1931
The Stolen Jools
Policeman

DEATH CERTIFICATE
(click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements:
http://www.bronsonlibrary.org/filestorage/1521/1545/J._Farrell_mcdonald.pdf (Waterbury, CT "Hall of Fame" bio)
http://theluckycorner.com/crew/roach.html (1914 Early Roach / Lloyd acting)
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/GSG9-5P3 (Edith "Eldredge" Bostwick fam. tree)
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/1111119?pId=35562802 (1897 City Dir Joseph "H." MacDonald music tchr)
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7371885:7602 (1900 C Ansonia CT Joseph "H" MacDonald: student)
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/35484377:2469 (1901 City Dir Ansonia, CT: Joseph "H." MacDonald law student)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZVN-JKZ (1918 Sep LA: WWI: "Joseph Henry MacDonald" b. 1875 Apr. 14)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP71-ND9B (1952 Aug 2 Northridge, LA Co. CA: Death Certificate)
Jim Jarvis (bio notes and research)

This page was last updated on: 13 June 2024