Barton MacLane graduated from Wesleyan University, where he displayed a notable aptitude for sports, in particular football and basketball. Not surprisingly, his physical prowess led to an early role in The Quarterback (1926) with Richard Dix. MacLane once commented that, as an actor, he needed to have the physical strength to tear the bad guys "from limb to limb", if necessary. Ironically, it was usually Barton himself who was destined to be at the end of a hiding (when not getting shot, instead), typically as snarling henchmen, outlaws and other assorted dubious or abrasive types throughout most of his 40-year acting career. In fact, Barton became so typecast that his name was for a time used proverbially, to generally describe a shouting, hard-nosed ruffian. After training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, MacLane joined a stock company in Brooklyn. In 1927 he had his first part on Broadway, a brief moment as an assistant district attorney, in the melodrama "The Trial of Mary Dugan". He then played a small featured role as a police officer in "Subway Express" (1929-30), a drama enacted in the interior of a subway car. In mid-1932 MacLane tried his hand at writing his own starring vehicle for the stage, entitled "Rendezvous". While the play closed after just 21 performances, it led to a contract with Warner Brothers. Barton had already appeared in bit roles for Paramount at their Astoria Studios, including The Marx Brothers' debut film The Cocoanuts (1929). He portrayed mobster Brad Collins in 'G' Men (1935) (with James Cagney), which set the tone for most of his future assignments. Brawny, with squinty eyes and a rasping voice, MacLane was the ideal surly tough guy, particularly suitable for westerns and the type of films noir Warner Brothers excelled at. He was often cast as cops, be they bent or honest. Some of his most representative performances include gangster Al Kruger in Bullets or Ballots (1936), which won him some of the best critical notices of his career; outlaw Jack Slade in Western Union (1941); crooked construction boss Pat McCormick, who gets beaten up by Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt over past-due wages in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); hard-nosed cops Detective Dundy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Lt. Reece in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950). MacLane, on loan to Universal, also had a starring role in Prison Break (1938) as an innocent tuna fisherman who is framed for murder. He was prominent as a tough but sympathetic cop, foil to sleuthing girl reporter Glenda Farrell in the "Torchy Blaine" series of the mid- to late 1930s. In the 1960s Barton began to cultivate a good-guy image as Marshal Frank Caine in the NBC western series Outlaws (1960) as well as showing up in a small recurring role as Air Force Gen. Martin Peterson in I Dream of Jeannie (1965). Barton was married to the actress Charlotte Wynters, who appeared with him in six of his films. When not on the set, the couple spent time on their 2000-acre cattle ranch in Madera County, California. For his work in television, Barton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
153 movies · 21 shows
Bogart: The Untold Story
1997·0.0
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983·7.0
It's Showtime
1976·7.5
Buckskin
1968·5.5
Arizona Bushwhackers
1968·4.3
Town Tamer
1965·6.8
The Rounders
1965·5.5
Law of the Lawless
1964·6.5
Pocketful of Miracles
1961·7.3
Noose for a Gunman
1960·6.0
Gunfighters of Abilene
1960·5.3
The Geisha Boy
1958·6.3
Frontier Gun
1958·6.8
Girl on the Run
1958·7.0
Girl in the Woods
1958·10.0
Naked In The Sun
1957·7.4
Sierra Stranger
1957·5.0
Hell's Crossroads
1957·5.6
Three Violent People
1956·5.9
Naked Gun
1956·6.4
The Man Is Armed
1956·5.2
Wetbacks
1956·5.9
Backlash
1956·6.5
Jaguar
1956·7.5
Last of the Desperados
1955·7.5
Jail Busters
1955·6.7
Foxfire
1955·6.7
The Silver Star
1955·5.5
Treasure of Ruby Hills
1955·5.0
Hell's Outpost
1954·5.5
Jubilee Trail
1954·5.2
Rails Into Laramie
1954·6.5
The Glenn Miller Story
1954·7.0
Jack Slade
1953·7.0
Sea of Lost Ships
1953·7.0
Captain Scarface
1953·4.8
Cow Country
1953·4.6
Kansas Pacific
1953·5.0
Thunderbirds
1952·6.0
The Half-Breed
1952·7.0
Bugles in the Afternoon
1952·5.4
Drums in the Deep South
1951·5.3
Best of the Badmen
1951·6.5
The Bandit Queen
1950·4.4
Let's Dance
1950·6.1
Rookie Fireman
1950·7.5
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
1950·6.8
Red Light
1949·5.9
The Walls of Jericho
1948·5.6
Angel in Exile
1948·5.5
Unknown Island
1948·5.2
Relentless
1948·6.4
The Dude Goes West
1948·5.9
Silver River
1948·6.2
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1948·8.0
Jungle Flight
1947·5.9
Cheyenne
1947·7.0
Tarzan and the Huntress
1947·5.7
San Quentin
1946·6.3
Santa Fe Uprising
1946·7.0
Mysterious Intruder
1946·5.9
The Spanish Main
1945·6.4
Scared Stiff
1945·4.7
Tarzan and the Amazons
1945·6.3
Gentle Annie
1944·5.7
Cry of the Werewolf
1944·4.8
Secret Command
1944·6.6
Marine Raiders
1944·6.8
The Mummy's Ghost
1944·5.6
Nabonga
1944·4.4
The Crime Doctor’s Strangest Case
1943·5.2
The Underdog
1943·8.0
Song of Texas
1943·6.3
Bombardier
1943·5.7
Man of Courage
1943·5.6
Highways by Night
1942·7.3
The Big Street
1942·5.8
All Through the Night
1942·6.7
The Maltese Falcon
1941·7.7
Wild Geese Calling
1941·6.5
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1941·6.5
Manpower
1941·6.5
Hit the Road
1941·7.0
Barnacle Bill
1941·7.8
Western Union
1941·6.0
Come Live with Me
1941·6.8
High Sierra
1941·7.1
Melody Ranch
1940·6.2
The Secret Seven
1940·10.0
Men Without Souls
1940·6.7
Gangs of Chicago
1940·5.8
Breakdowns of 1939
1939·6.5
Mutiny in the Big House
1939·5.3
Torchy Runs for Mayor
1939·5.9
Big Town Czar
1939·7.0
I Was a Convict
1939·6.5
Torchy Blane in Chinatown
1939·6.8
Stand Up and Fight
1939·6.0
Torchy Gets Her Man
1938·5.9
The Storm
1938·7.0
Prison Break
1938·6.1
You and Me
1938·6.6
Gold Is Where You Find It
1938·7.0
The Kid Comes Back
1938·6.5
Blondes at Work
1938·6.3
Breakdowns of 1937
1937·6.0
The Adventurous Blonde
1937·5.3
Wine, Women and Horses
1937·5.3
Ever Since Eve
1937·5.8
Born Reckless
1937·5.4
Fly Away Baby
1937·6.3
San Quentin
1937·6.6
Draegerman Courage
1937·7.3
The Prince and the Pauper
1937·6.8
You Only Live Once
1937·7.1
God's Country and the Woman
1937·5.2
Smart Blonde
1937·6.4
Breakdowns of 1936
1936·0.0
Jailbreak
1936·6.7
Bengal Tiger
1936·4.8
Bullets or Ballots
1936·6.6
Times Square Playboy
1936·4.8
The Walking Dead
1936·6.3
Ceiling Zero
1936·5.9
A Dream Comes True
1935·6.3
Man of Iron
1935·7.0
Frisco Kid
1935·7.0
I Found Stella Parish
1935·7.3
Dr. Socrates
1935·6.6
The Case of the Lucky Legs
1935·6.0
Page Miss Glory
1935·6.7
Stranded
1935·6.0
Black Fury
1935·6.3
'G' Men
1935·6.6
Go Into Your Dance
1935·7.2
The Case of the Curious Bride
1935·6.0
The Last Round-up
1934·8.0
All of Me
1934·7.0
Lone Cowboy
1933·4.0
Big Executive
1933·7.0
Tillie and Gus
1933·7.8
To the Last Man
1933·5.9
Man of the Forest
1933·6.3
Let's Dance
1933·8.0
Buffalo Stampede
1933·4.1
The Acid Test
1932·0.0
Naughty-Cal
1932·9.0
His Woman
1931·4.3
The Gigolo Racket
1931·0.0
Crimes Square
1931·0.0
Politics
1930·0.0
The Cocoanuts
1929·6.5
The Quarterback
1926·6.5