Victor McLaglen

Victor McLaglen
in Sea Devils (1937)
Born	Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen December 10, 1886(1886-12-10) Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
Died	November 7, 1959 (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 actor, boxer and World War I veteran.

Early life

McLaglen was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. His father, a bishop, moved the family to South Africa when McLaglen was a child. He had four brothers who also became actors, Arthur (1888-1972), an actor and sculptor and Clifford (1892-1978), Cyril (1899-1987) and Kenneth (c. 1901-1979).^[1] Other siblings included Frederick (b. c1882), Sydney (b. ca1884), Lewis (b. ca1889), and a sister, Lily (b. ca1893). Another brother, Leopold McLaglen, who appeared in one film, gained notoriety prior to World War I as a showman and self-proclaimed World Ju-jutsu Champion,^[2] who authored a book on the subject.^[3]

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.^[4] (This bout 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 England in 1913 and claimed to have served with the Royal Irish Fusiliers during World War I although he actually served as a Captain (acting) with the 10th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, now part of the The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires). He served for a time as military Provost Marshal for the city of Baghdad.^[5] He also continued boxing, and was named Heavyweight Champion of the British Army in 1918.^[4] After the war, he began taking roles in British silent films.

Film career

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. 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. Near the end of his career, 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. 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.

Personal life

McLaglen was married three times. His first marriage was to Enid Lamont in 1919. The couple had one daughter, Sheila, and one son, Andrew, a television and film director, the father of his grandchildren, Mary and Josh McLaglen, who are both film producers and directors. Enid Lamont McLaglen died in 1942 as a result of a horse riding accident. McLaglen married twice more, to Suzanne M. Brueggeman from 1943 until 1948 and to Margaret Pumphrey, whom he married in 1948 and remained so 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

See also

• List of bare-knuckle boxers

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Victor McLaglen

Victor McLaglen at Find a Grave

• Victor McLaglen at the Internet Movie Database
• McLaglen's Record at Cyber Boxing Zone
• Photographs of Victor McLaglen