Wikipedia

Hamilton MacFadden

Hamilton MacFadden (April 26, 1901 – January 1, 1977[citation needed]) was an American actor, screenwriter and film director.

Hamilton MacFadden
Born(1901-04-26)April 26, 1901
DiedJanuary 1, 1977(1977-01-01) (aged 75)
Alma materHarvard University
Occupation(s)Actor
Writer
Director
Years active1930–1945 (film)
Spouses
  • Violet Dunn
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1929; div. 1933)​
  • Ruth Channing
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1934; div. 1949)​
  • Vada Roberts Ward
    ​
    (m. 1949)​

Early years

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MacFadden's parents were Rev. Robert A. MacFadden and Edith Hamilton MacFadden. His father died in 1909, leaving his mother to support herself and four children. In 1928, she became the first woman to file papers to run for governor of Massachusetts.[1]

Career

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MacFadden was a 1925 graduate of Harvard University. Soon after graduating, he became producer of the American Theatre Company, which presented plays for 10 weeks in the Boston area. The project was backed by Michael Strange, a writer who made her professional stage debut in the productions.[2] He also served as director of the Community Arts Association in Santa Barbara, California, and the Theatre Guild School of Acting in New York.[3]

Plays that MacFadden produced on Broadway included Gods of the Lightning and La Gringa.[4] After starting out on Broadway in the 1920s, he moved into filmmaking in Hollywood. During the early 1930s he was a contract director at Fox. McFadden made a number of films for them including several early entries in the Charlie Chan series such as Charlie Chan Carries On (1931).[5] He was released from his Fox contract following the 1934 merger with Twentieth Century Pictures. Thereafter he mixed occasional directing jobs with a number of small supporting appearances in films.

Later in his career, MacFadden was associate chief of the United States Department of State's international motion picture division.[6]

Personal life

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MacFadden married actress Violet Dunn on March 30, 1929, in New York City.[4] She obtained a divorce from him on September 20, 1933.[7] On September 29, 1934, he married actress Ruth Channing in Santa Barbara, California;[8] they were divorced in 1949.[9] He married actress Vada Roberts Ward on October 29, 1949, in Fairfield, Connecticut.[6]

Selected filmographyP

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Director

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Actor

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References

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  1. ^ "Candidate Calls Tax Exemption Crying Evil". The Boston Globe. Massachusetts, Boston. July 31, 1928. p. 13.
  2. ^ "Mrs Barrymore to Go on Stage". The Boston Globe. Massachusetts, Boston. June 20, 1925. p. 18. Retrieved October 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Theatre Notes". Daily News. New York, New York City. April 9, 1926. p. 40. Retrieved October 28, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ a b "Hamilton MacFadden Wed: Theatrical Producer Is Married to Violet Dunn, Actress". The New York Times. April 2, 1929. p. 14. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  5. ^ Hanke, Ken (2011). Charlie Chan at the Movies: History, Filmography, and Criticism. McFarland. p. 6. ISBN 9780786486618. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Vada Ward becomes bride of motion picture official". Stockton Record. November 4, 1949. p. 28. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Violet Dunn, Actress, Wins Divorce from Her Husband". Chicago Tribune. September 22, 1933. p. 5. Retrieved May 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Lee, Henry (December 29, 1948). "State Aid's Pink Smear Was Lipstick, Says Wife". Daily News. New York, New York City. p. 6. Retrieved May 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Boy Wonder Shrinks To $46-a-Week Size". Daily News. New York, New York City. December 10, 1954. p. M 1. Retrieved May 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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