Wilbur Mack
(for non-related playwright and fellow actor Willard Mack, see Willard Mack)
Wilbur Mack | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 29, 1873 Binghamton, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 13, 1964 (aged 90) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) |
| Spouse(s) | Nella Walker (divorced) Gertrude Purdy |
Wilbur Mack (July 29, 1873 – March 13, 1964) was an American film actor and early vaudeville performer from the 1920s through the 1960s. His film acting career began during the silent film era.
Biography
Mack was born and raised in Binghamton, New York, and found success performing vaudeville with first wife Nella Walker ("Mack and Walker"). The couple divorced not far into the marriage and Walker subsequently found success as a supporting actress in the "talkies."
Mack, meantime, found a new partner: Gertrude Purdy, with whom he reprised his popular husband and wife vaudeville routine (this time headlined "Mack and Purdy"). In 1925 Mack entered into a film acting career. His first film appearance was Gold and Grit, alongside Buddy Roosevelt and Ann McKay. With wife Gertrude, he also wrote and performed in a Vitaphone romantic comedy pantomime An Everyday Occurrence (1928).
Mack made a smooth transition to talking films, but despite racking up an impressive number of appearances had less success finding lead or even featured roles. In 1930 he made thirteen films; from 1931 through 1933 he appeared in twenty-four; and from 1934 until 1939, he was cast fifty-five times. However, forty-five of those appearances were uncredited. His most notable credited role during that period was the 1936 crime drama The Crime Patrol, alongside Ray Walker.
Mack's career in subsequent decades was similar to his career up until that point, with moviegoers seeing him play mostly uncredited roles. Of the seventy-six film appearances he made from 1940 to 1949, only seven were credited. He would continue to appear in both films and television throughout the 1950s and into 1962, with his last being an uncredited partin the 1962 movie Who's Got the Action? starring Dean Martin, Lana Turner, Eddie Albert, and Walter Matthau.
Mack was living in Hollywood when he died on March 13, 1964, and was survived by his wife Gertrude (1896-1967).
Selected filmography
- Straight Shootin' (1927)
- Scarlet Pages (1930)
- Paid (1930)
- The Lawyer's Secret (1931)
- Annabelle's Affairs (1931)
- The Crime Patrol (1936) as Vic Santell
- That Gang of Mine (1940)
- Who's Got the Action? (1962)
References
External links
- Wilbur Mack at IMDb