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Johnny Mack Brown

Johnny Mack Brown

Birthday: 1904-09-01 | Place of Birth: Dothan, Alabama, USA

An All-American halfback while attending the University of Alabama, Johnny Mack Brown chose the silver screen over the green grass of the football field when he graduated. Signed to a contract with MGM in 1926, Brown debuted in Slide, Kelly, Slide (1927) with William Haines in a film about - baseball. This was followed by The Bugle Call (1927), which starred the fading Jackie Coogan. In 1928 he appeared in the last Norma Shearer silent film, A Lady of Chance (1928). After that, he worked with Greta Garbo, Marion Davies and Mary Pickford. His muscular good looks only carried him so far in films, however, and by 1930 he had yet to find his place. At MGM Clark Gable was taking the roles that Brown was up for, so he went into a western for director King Vidor, Billy the Kid (1930). While Vidor did not want him for the part to begin with, the picture was successful; however, Brown's career at MGM soon ended. By 1933 he was still making westerns, but they were for low-rung studios like Mascot. More westerns at even lower-rung Supreme Pictures followed, as well as serials like Wild West Days (1937) at Universal. In 1943 Brown took his boots over to Monogram Pictures, where he made over 60 westerns. He started off as "Nevada Jack McKenzie" in the Rough Riders series, but the name soon changed to Johnny. As with most of the early cowboy stars, he was a hero to millions of young children and consistently among the top ten money-makers in westerns from 1942-50. The bubble burst, though, just as it did for Allan Lane, in 1953, as the days of the "B" western came to an end.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1994
Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her

as    Self (archive footage)

1976
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

as    (archive footage)

1965
Requiem for a Gunfighter

as    Enkoff

1965
The Bounty Killer

as    Sheriff Green

1953
The Marshal's Daughter

as    Johnny Mack Brown - Poker-Game Player

1952
Man from the Black Hills

as    Johnny Mack Brown

1951
Blazing Bullets

as    Johnny Mack Brown

1951
Whistling Hills

as    Johnny Mack Brown

1951
Texas Lawmen

as    Marshal Johnny Mack Brown

1950
Outlaw Gold

as    Johnny Mack Brown

1950
Six Gun Mesa

as    Johnny Mack Brown

1950
Short Grass

as    Sheriff Ord Keown

1949
Stampede

as    Sheriff Aaron Ball

1948
Crossed Trails

as    Johnny Mack

1947
Land of the Lawless

as    Johnny Mack

1946
The Gentleman from Texas

as    Johnny Macklin

1945
Gun Smoke

as    Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie

1944
Partners of the Trail

as    Jack McKenzie

1944
Raiders of the Border

as    Nevada Jack McKenzie