Victor McLaglen

Victor McLaglen
in Sea Devils (1937)
Born	Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (1886-12-10)10 December 1886 Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, UK
Died	7 November 1959(1959-11-07) (aged 72) Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1920–1958
Spouse(s)	Enid Lamont (1919-1942) Suzanne M. Brueggeman (1943-1948) Margaret Pumphrey (1948-1959)

Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (10 December 1886 – 7 November 1959) was an English boxer and World War I veteran who became a successful film actor. Towards the end of his life he was naturalised as a U.S. citizen.

Early life

McLaglen was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. His father, later a bishop of the Free Protestant Episcopal Church of England, moved the family to South Africa when McLaglen was a child. He had eight brothers and a sister. Four of his brothers also became actors: Arthur (1888–1972), an actor and sculptor, and Clifford (1892–1978), Cyril (1899–1987) and Kenneth (circa 1901-1979). Other siblings included Frederick (b. circa 1882), Sydney (b. circa 1884), Lewis (b. circa 1889), and a sister, Lily (b. circa 1893). Another brother, Leopold McLaglen, who appeared in one film, gained notoriety prior to World War I as a showman and self-proclaimed World Jujutsu Champion, who authored a book on the subject.

Before Hollywood

He left home at fourteen to join the British Army with the intention of fighting in the Second Boer War. However, much to his chagrin, he was stationed at Windsor Castle with the Life Guards and was later forced to leave the army when his true age was discovered.

Four years later, he moved to Canada, where he earned a living as a wrestler and heavyweight boxer, with several notable wins in the ring. One of his most famous fights was against Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson, in a 6 round exhibition bout. This was Johnson's first bout since winning the heavyweight title from Tommy Burns. Between bouts, McLaglen toured with a circus, which offered $25 to anyone who could go three rounds with him. He returned to Britain in 1913 and during World War I served as a Captain (acting) with the 10th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, part of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires). Later he claimed to have served with the Royal Irish Fusiliers. He served for a time as military Provost Marshal for the city of Baghdad. He also continued boxing, and was named Heavyweight Champion of the British Army in 1918. After the war, he began taking roles in British silent films.

Film career

McLaglen and Cary Grant in Gunga Din

McLaglen's career took a surprise turn in the 1920s, when he moved to Hollywood. He became a popular character actor, with a particular knack for playing drunks. He also usually played Irishmen, leading many film fans to mistakenly assume he was Irish rather than English. McLaglen played one of the titular Unholy Three in Lon Chaney, Sr.'s original silent version of the macabre crime drama. The highlight of his career was an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The Informer (1935), based on a novel by Liam O'Flaherty; Frank Tashlin's 1938 cartoon Have You Got Any Castles? features a caricature of McLaglen emerging from the novel and literally informing someone about some shady characters. Arguably his most famous film remains Gunga Din (1939) with Cary Grant and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., an adventure epic loosely based on Rudyard Kipling's poem and partially remade decades later as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). McLaglen was nominated again, this time for Best Supporting Actor for his role opposite John Wayne in The Quiet Man (1952). He was especially popular with director John Ford, who frequently included McLaglen in his films, often as comedy relief. Toward the end of his career, McLaglen made several guest appearances on television, particularly in Western series such as Have Gun, Will Travel and Rawhide. The episodes of those series in which McLaglen guest-starred were both directed by his son, Andrew V. McLaglen, who later was a film director frequently directing John Wayne.

Personal life

Victor McLaglen was the elder brother of the actor Cyril McLaglen.

Victor McLaglen was married three times. His first marriage was to Enid Lamont in 1919. The couple had one daughter, Sheila, and one son, Andrew. Andrew McLaglen was a television and film director. Andrew's children, Mary and Josh McLaglen, are both film producers and directors. Sheila's daughter, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, is a television director. Enid Lamont McLaglen died in 1942 as a result of a horse riding accident.

Victor McLaglen married twice more. His second marriage was to Suzanne M. Brueggeman. That marriage lasted from 1943 until 1948. His third and final marriage was to Margaret Pumphrey, whom he married in 1948. He remained married to Margaret, a Seattle socialite, until his death of a heart attack in 1959. He had by that time become a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1920	Call of the Road, TheThe Call of the Road	Alf Truscott
1921	Carnival
1921	Corinthian Jack	Jack Halstead
1921	Sport of Kings, TheThe Sport of Kings	Frank Rosedale
1921	Prey of the Dragon, TheThe Prey of the Dragon	Brett 'Dragon' Mercer
1922	Glorious Adventure, TheThe Glorious Adventure	Bulfinch
1922	Romance of Old Baghdad, AA Romance of Old Baghdad	Miski
1922	Crimson Circle, TheThe Crimson Circle
1922	Sailor Tramp, AA Sailor Tramp	Sailor Tramp, TheThe Sailor Tramp
1922	Little Brother of God	King Kennidy
1923	Woman to Woman	Nubian slave	uncredited
1923	M'Lord of the White Road	Lord Annerley/John
1923	Heartstrings	Frank Wilson
1923	In the Blood	Tony Crabtree
1923	Romany, TheThe Romany	Chief, TheThe Chief
1924	Passionate Adventure, TheThe Passionate Adventure	Herb Harris
1924	Beloved Brute, TheThe Beloved Brute	Charles Hinges
1924	Gay Corinthian, TheThe Gay Corinthian	Squire Hardcastle
1924	Boatswain's Mate, TheThe Boatswain's Mate	Ned Travers
1924	Women and Diamonds	Brian Owen
1925	Fighting Heart, TheThe Fighting Heart	Soapy Williams
1925	Winds of Chance	Poleon Doret
1925	Percy	Reedy Jenkins
1925	Hunted Woman, TheThe Hunted Woman	Quade
1925	Unholy Three, TheThe Unholy Three	Hercules, the strongman
1926	Men of Steel	Pete Masarick
1926	Isle of Retribution, TheThe Isle of Retribution	Doomsdorf
1926	What Price Glory?	Capt. Flagg
1926	Beau Geste	Hank
1927	The Loves of Carmen	Escamillo
1928	River Pirate, TheThe River Pirate	Sailor Fritz
1928	Girl in Every Port, AA Girl in Every Port	Spike Madden
1928	Mother Machree	Giant of Kilkenny (Terence O'Dowd), TheThe Giant of Kilkenny (Terence O'Dowd)
1928	Hangman's House	Citizen Denis Hogan
1929	Hot for Paris	John Patrick Duke
1929	Cock-Eyed World, TheThe Cock-Eyed World	Top Sergeant Flagg
1929	Strong Boy	Strong Boy
1929	Captain Lash	Captain Lash
1929	Black Watch, TheThe Black Watch	Capt. Donald Gordon King
1930	Devil with Women, AA Devil with Women	Jerry Maxton
1930	On the Level	Biff Williams
1931	Dishonored	Col. Kranau
1931	Wicked	Scott Burrows
1931	Annabelle's Affairs	John Rawson aka Hefly Jack
1931	Women of All Nations	Capt ain Jim Flagg
1931	Stolen Jools, TheThe Stolen Jools	Sergeant Flagg
1931	Three Rogues	Bull Stanley
1932	Rackety Rax	'Knucks' McGloin
1932	Guilty as Hell	Detective Capt. T.R. McKinley
1932	While Paris Sleeps	Jacques Costaud
1932	Devil's Lottery	Jem Meech
1932	Gay Caballero, TheThe Gay Caballero	Don Bob Harkness aka El Coyote
1933	Hot Pepper	Jim Flagg
1933	Dick Turpin	Dick Turpin
1933	Laughing at Life	Dennis P. McHale aka Burke aka Captain Hale
1934	Captain Hates the Sea, TheThe Captain Hates the Sea	Schulte
1934	Wharf Angel	Turk
1934	No More Women	Forty-Fathoms
1934	Lost Patrol, TheThe Lost Patrol	Sergeant, TheThe Sergeant
1934	Murder at the Vanities	Police Lt. Bill Murdock
1935	Professional Soldier	Michael Donovan
1935	Great Hotel Murder, TheThe Great Hotel Murder	Andrew W. 'Andy' McCabe
1935	Under Pressure	Jumbo Smith
1935	Informer, TheThe Informer	Gypo Nolan	Academy Award for Best Actor
1936	Magnificent Brute	'Big Steve' Andrews	as Victor McLaglen - Academy Award Winner
1936	Under Two Flags	J.C. Doyle
1936	Klondike Annie	Bull Brackett
1937	This Is My Affair	Jock Ramsay
1937	Nancy Steele Is Missing!	Dannie O'Neill
1937	Sea Devils	CPO William 'Medals' Malone
1937	Wee Willie Winkie	Sgt. Donald MacDuff
1938	We're Going to Be Rich	Dobbie
1938	Battle of Broadway	Big Ben Wheeler
1938	Devil's Party	Marty Malone
1939	Big Guy, TheThe Big Guy	Warden Bill Whitlock
1939	Rio	Dirk
1939	Full Confession	McGinnis
1939	Captain Fury	Jerry Black aka Blackie
1939	Ex-Champ	Tom 'Gunner' Grey
1939	Pacific Liner	J.B. 'Crusher' McKay, Chief Engineer
1939	Gunga Din	Sgt. 'Mac' MacChesney
1939	Let Freedom Ring	Chris Mulligan
1940	Diamond Frontier	Terrence Regan
1940	South of Pago Pago	Bucko Larson
1941	Broadway Limited	Maurice 'Mike' Monohan
1942	Powder Town	Jeems O'Shea
1942	Call Out the Marines	Sgt. Jimmy McGinnis
1942	China Girl	Major Weed
1943	Forever and a Day	Archibald Spavin (hotel doorman)
1944	Princess and the Pirate, TheThe Princess and the Pirate	Captain Barrett ak The Hook
1944	Roger Touhy, Gangster	Herman 'Owl' Banghart
1944	Tampico	Fred Adamson
1945	Love, Honor and Goodbye	Terry O'Farrell
1945	Rough, Tough and Ready	Owen McCare
1946	Whistle Stop	Gitlo
1947	Foxes of Harrow, TheThe Foxes of Harrow	Captain Mike Farrell
1947	Michigan Kid, TheThe Michigan Kid	Curley
1947	Calendar Girl	Matthew O'Neil
1948	Fort Apache	Sgt. Festus Mulcahy
1949	She Wore a Yellow Ribbon	Top Sgt. Quincannon
1950	Rio Grande	Sgt. Maj. Timothy Quincannon
1952	Quiet Man, TheThe Quiet Man	Squire 'Red' Will Danaher	Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1953	Fair Wind to Java	O'Brien
1954	Prince Valiant	Boltar
1954	Trouble in the Glen	Parlan
1955	Bengazi	Robert Emmett Donovan
1955	City of Shadows	Big Tim Channing
1955	Many Rivers to Cross	Mr. Cadmus Cherne
1955	Lady Godiva of Coventry	Grimald
1956	Around the World in 80 Days	Helmsman of the 'Henrietta'
1957	Abductors, TheThe Abductors	Tom Muldoon
1958	Gli Italiani sono matti
1958	Sea Fury	Captain Bellew

See also

• List of bare-knuckle boxers

External links

• "Milestones.". Time Magazine. 27 December 1948. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,886507,00.html. Retrieved 19 January 2010. 
• Victor McLaglen at the Internet Movie Database
• McLaglen's Record at Cyber Boxing Zone
• Photographs of Victor McLaglen