Victor McLaglen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Victor McLaglen
McLaglen in The Informer (1935)
Born	Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (1886-12-10)10 December 1886 Stepney, East London, England, UK
Died	7 November 1959(1959-11-07) (aged 72) Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Burial place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1920–1959
Spouse(s)	Enid Lamont ​ ​ (m. 1919; died 1942)​ Suzanne M. Brueggeman ​ ​ (m. 1943; div. 1948)​ Margaret Pumphrey ​ ​ (m. 1948)​
Children	3

Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (born December 10, 1886 – died November 7, 1959) was a British actor who started as a boxer. He became famous in Hollywood, especially for his roles in Western movies. He worked with famous director John Ford and actor John Wayne on seven films. McLaglen won an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1935 for his role in the movie The Informer.

Victor McLaglen's Early Life

Victor McLaglen was born in Stepney, East London, England. His father, Andrew Charles Albert McLaglen, was a missionary and later a bishop in the church. The McLaglen family originally came from Scotland.

Victor was one of ten children; he had eight brothers and one sister. Four of his brothers also became actors: Arthur, Clifford, Cyril, and Kenneth. Another brother, Sydney Temple Leopold McLaglen, was known as a showman and a jujutsu champion before World War I. Victor and his family lived in South Africa for a while when he was young.

Army Service and Boxing Career

When Victor was 14, he tried to join the British Army to fight in the Second Boer War. However, he was too young and was later discharged.

Four years later, he moved to Winnipeg, Canada. There, he became well-known as a wrestler and heavyweight boxer, winning many fights. He even worked briefly as a police officer in Winnipeg in 1907.

One of his most famous boxing matches was an exhibition fight against heavyweight champion Jack Johnson in 1909. Between fights, McLaglen traveled with a circus, offering money to anyone who could last three rounds with him in the ring.

He returned to Britain in 1913. During World War I, he served as a captain in the British Army and was even named the heavyweight boxing champion of the British Army in 1918. After the war, he continued boxing but retired in 1920 with a record of 16 wins, eight losses, and one draw.

Acting Career Begins

Acting in Britain

Victor McLaglen started his acting career by chance. A film producer saw him at a sports club and thought he would be perfect for the lead role in the movie The Call of the Road (1920). Even though Victor had never acted before, he got the part!

He then appeared in several adventure films like Corinthian Jack (1921) and The Prey of the Dragon (1921). He played lead roles in many British films, including M'Lord of the White Road (1923) and The Boatswain's Mate (1923). He also worked on The Passionate Adventure (1924), which was partly written by the famous director Alfred Hitchcock.

Moving to Hollywood

In 1925, McLaglen's career changed when he moved to Hollywood. He became a popular character actor, often playing Irishmen, which made many people think he was Irish, not English. He appeared in The Unholy Three (1925) and Winds of Chance (1925).

His career took a big step forward when he made The Fighting Heart (1925) with director John Ford. Ford would become a very important person in McLaglen's acting life.

Becoming a Star

Edmund Lowe, Dolores del Río, and McLaglen in What Price Glory? (1926)

McLaglen became a top star after playing the main character in the World War I movie What Price Glory? (1926). This film was a huge success, earning over $2 million. Because of this, Fox Studios signed McLaglen to a long-term contract.

He starred in many more films for Fox, including The Loves of Carmen (1927) and Mother Machree (1928), which was directed by John Ford. He also starred in A Girl in Every Port (1928) with Louise Brooks. McLaglen made two more films with John Ford: Strong Boy (1929) and The Black Watch (1929).

Talking Movies

With Lili Damita in The Cock-Eyed World (1929), an early talkie

When movies started having sound, McLaglen continued to be popular. He appeared in the musical Happy Days (1929) and reunited with his co-star Edmund Lowe for The Cock-Eyed World (1929), a very successful sequel to What Price Glory?.

He made several more films, including A Devil with Women (1931) with Humphrey Bogart and Dishonored (1931) with Marlene Dietrich. McLaglen and Lowe teamed up again for two more What Price Glory? sequels: Women of All Nations (1931) and Hot Pepper (1933).

In 1934, McLaglen starred in John Ford's The Lost Patrol (1934), a movie about soldiers in the desert. He also appeared in Murder at the Vanities (1934) and The Captain Hates the Sea (1934).

Winning an Academy Award

With Margot Grahame in The Informer (1935)

A major moment in McLaglen's career was winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in John Ford's The Informer (1935). This movie was based on a novel by Liam O'Flaherty. McLaglen later joked that winning the Oscar didn't help his career financially and that his son used the award as a paperweight!

After his Oscar win, he made Professional Soldier (1935) and Klondike Annie (1936) with Mae West. He also starred in Under Two Flags (1936) and Wee Willie Winkie (1937) with Shirley Temple, which was also directed by John Ford.

Gunga Din and Later Films

McLaglen and Cary Grant in Gunga Din (1939)

McLaglen returned to Britain for We're Going to Be Rich (1938) before making Pacific Liner (1939) and the adventure epic Gunga Din (1939) in Hollywood. Gunga Din, co-starring Cary Grant and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., was inspired by a poem and later influenced movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

He continued to act in many films, including Let Freedom Ring (1939) and Full Confession (1939), which was similar to The Informer. He also starred in South of Pago Pago (1940) and Broadway Limited (1941).

During the early 1940s, McLaglen and Edmund Lowe played their famous roles from What Price Glory? in a radio show called Captain Flagg and Sergeant Quirt. They also played similar characters in the movie Call Out the Marines (1942). McLaglen appeared in China Girl (1942) and was a villain in Bob Hope's movie The Princess and the Pirate (1944).

Supporting Roles and Westerns

After the mid-1940s, McLaglen mostly took on supporting roles. He appeared in Whistle Stop (1946) and The Foxes of Harrow (1947).

He reunited with director John Ford and actor John Wayne for Fort Apache (1948). His role as a cavalry sergeant was so well-liked that he played similar characters in two more Ford-Wayne Westerns: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Rio Grande (1950).

McLaglen was nominated for another Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actor, for his role in The Quiet Man (1952), which also starred John Wayne. He continued to be a popular supporting actor in action films like Fair Wind to Java (1953) and Prince Valiant (1954). He tried to make a Scottish version of The Quiet Man called Trouble in the Glen (1954), but it wasn't as successful.

Later Career and Television

McLaglen had a rare lead role late in his career in City of Shadows (1955). He also starred in The Abductors (1957), which was directed by his son, Andrew V. McLaglen.

Toward the end of his life, Victor McLaglen made several guest appearances on television shows, especially Westerns like Have Gun, Will Travel and Rawhide. His son Andrew directed both of these episodes.

Activism

In 1933, Victor McLaglen started the California Light Horse Regiment. This group included a riding club, a polo team, and a motorcycle group. He said it was meant to promote "Americanism" and fight against those who were "opposed to the American ideal." He denied being a fascist and said he was a "patriot of the good old-fashioned American kind."

Personal Life

Fay Wray, Robert Warwick (left), and McLaglen in Not Exactly Gentlemen, also known as Three Rogues (1931)

In 1935, McLaglen spent a lot of money to build his own stadium in Los Angeles, which was used for football and other activities. However, a big flood in 1938 damaged the stadium, and it was no longer used.

Victor McLaglen was married three times. His first wife was Enid Lamont, and they had two sons, Andrew and Walter, and one daughter, Sheila. His son Andrew McLaglen became a famous television and film director, often working with John Wayne. Victor's grandchildren and great-grandchildren have also worked in film and television. Enid Lamont McLaglen died in 1942 after a horse-riding accident.

His second marriage was to Suzanne M. Brueggeman, which lasted from 1943 to 1948. His third and final marriage was to Margaret McNichols Pumphrey in 1948. They were married until his death from a heart attack in 1959.

Victor McLaglen became a naturalized U.S. citizen during his life. His remains are buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.

On February 8, 1960, Victor McLaglen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the movie industry. He was also known for speaking five languages, including Arabic.

Filmography

Promotional photo of McLaglen, with Greta Nissen and Edmund Lowe, for the 1931 comedy film Women of All Nations

See also

In Spanish: Victor McLaglen para niños

• List of actors with Academy Award nominations
• List of bare-knuckle boxers