Kenneth MacDonald (born Kenneth Dollins; September 8, 1901 â€" May 5,
1972) was an American film actor. Born in Portland, Indiana, MacDonald
made more than 220 film and television appearances between 1931 and
1970. His name is sometimes seen as Kenneth McDonald.MacDonald began
his career as a stage actor. In 1923 he appeared in his first feature
film, Slow as Lightning. He came to Hollywood in the early 1930s,
where he played small roles in low-budget, independent productions.In
1939 Kenneth MacDonald was signed by Columbia Pictures for the
studio's Charles Starrett westerns. MacDonald perfected a cool,
debonair demeanor, which usually masked an evil side as a con man,
outlaw, or thief. His speaking voice was rich and well modulated,
often being gentle and ominous at the same time, in the Boris Karloff
manner. Also, like Karloff, he seldom raised his voice, making his
characters both dominant and dangerous. This quality made MacDonald an
effective villain in Columbia's adventure serials (like Mandrake the
Magician and The Phantom). He was also adept at playing sympathetic
roles, usually as calm authority figures (police official, prison
psychiatrist, judges, etc.).Actors in Columbia's stock company almost
always worked in the studio's two-reel comedy shorts as well as
features and serials, but Kenneth MacDonald did not join the
short-subject fraternity until 1945, when he appeared opposite comedy
stars Gus Schilling and Richard Lane. He is probably best known today
for his work with The Three Stooges.
1972) was an American film actor. Born in Portland, Indiana, MacDonald
made more than 220 film and television appearances between 1931 and
1970. His name is sometimes seen as Kenneth McDonald.MacDonald began
his career as a stage actor. In 1923 he appeared in his first feature
film, Slow as Lightning. He came to Hollywood in the early 1930s,
where he played small roles in low-budget, independent productions.In
1939 Kenneth MacDonald was signed by Columbia Pictures for the
studio's Charles Starrett westerns. MacDonald perfected a cool,
debonair demeanor, which usually masked an evil side as a con man,
outlaw, or thief. His speaking voice was rich and well modulated,
often being gentle and ominous at the same time, in the Boris Karloff
manner. Also, like Karloff, he seldom raised his voice, making his
characters both dominant and dangerous. This quality made MacDonald an
effective villain in Columbia's adventure serials (like Mandrake the
Magician and The Phantom). He was also adept at playing sympathetic
roles, usually as calm authority figures (police official, prison
psychiatrist, judges, etc.).Actors in Columbia's stock company almost
always worked in the studio's two-reel comedy shorts as well as
features and serials, but Kenneth MacDonald did not join the
short-subject fraternity until 1945, when he appeared opposite comedy
stars Gus Schilling and Richard Lane. He is probably best known today
for his work with The Three Stooges.
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