PICTURE STARS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 270, 4 February 1928, Page 16

PICTURE STARS

J. FARRELL MACDONALD Winfield Sheehan, vice-president of Fox Films, announces that he nas resigned Farrell Macdonald, well Known character comedian, to a new five-year coil tract, and that Macdonald would be starred by that company. With the signing of his new contract, Macdonald drops the prefix “J.” from his name for the purposes of billing convenience, and will be known in the future as just Farrell Macdonald His first starring vehicle will follow “The Four Devils,” F. W. Murnau’s current production, in which Macdonald has what is said to be the biggest role of his screen career Macdonald, in addition to being one of the most beloved and gifted character actor on the screen, was at one time one of its foremost directors. He has been associated with motion pictures for more than 15 years Prior to that he was on the speaking stage. The new Fox star first attracted world-wide attention with his characterisation of Corporal Casey in John Ford’s “The Iron Horse.” Later he appeared as one of the “Three Bad Men.” Other parts of prominence were in “Kentucky Pride,” “Thank You,” “The Dixie Merchant,” and Murnaus “Sunrise.” Recently Mr. Sheehan loaned Macdonald to other companies for the featured roles in “Bringing Up Father,” “The Cohens and Kellys in Paris,” and “Abie’s Irish Rose.” He will begin work in “The Four Devils” about the first of the year. Macdonald is a graduate of Yale University, and before beginning his dramatic career was a newspaper man and artist. While at Yale he studied in Sheffield scientific school to be a civil engineer.