People active in the silent era and people who keep the silent era alive. Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

Photograph by Max Munn Autrey; Silent Era image collection.

Victor McLaglen

Born 10 December 1886 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, United Kingdom,
as Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen.
Died 7 November 1959 in Newport Beach, California, USA, of heart failure.

Brother of actor Clifford McLaglen, actor Cyril McLaglen, actor Kenneth McLaglen, actor and sculptor Arthur McLaglen, Frederick McLaglen, Sydney McLaglen, Lewis McLaglen, actor Leopold McLaglen, and Lily McLaglen.

Married Enid Mary Lamont, 28 November 1919; until Enid’s death in a horse riding accident, 2 April 1942;
son, director Andrew Victor McLaglen, born 28 July 1920; daughter, Sheila McLaglen, born 1 March 1923.
Married Suzanne Marie Brueggeman, 20 November 1943; divorced, 10 December 1948.
Married Margaret Pumphrey, 19 December 1948; until Victor’s death, 7 November 1959.

Victor McLaglen was born into a family steeped in the Free Protestant Episcopal Church of England. The McLaglen family moved to South Africa for a time when Victor was a child. At age fourteen, Victor joined the British Army but was expelled when his true age was uncovered. When he was eighteen, Victor moved to Canada where he earned a living as a professional wrestler and boxer — including a six-round exhibition bout against boxing champion Jack Johnson. McLaglen returned to England in 1913 and served with honor in World War I.

Victor McLaglen began his acting career in motion pictures in England shortly after the war. In 1924, Victor moved his family to Hollywood, California, with the intent of increasing the number of acting options available to him. McLaglen excelled in a number of charactor roles, both supporting and starring, including The Unholy Three (1925) with Lon Chaney, and What Price Glory? (1926). With his appearances in Hangman’s House (1928) and Mother Machree (1928), Victor began a decades-long association with film director John Ford, who would later lead McLaglen through his Academy Award® winning role in The Informer (1935).

References: Website-IMDb; Website-Wikipedia.