Donald MacBride

Who was Donald MacBride?

Donald MacBride was an American character actor on stage, in films and on TV who launched his career as a teenage singer in vaudeville and went on to be an actor on Broadway. He appeared in nearly 140 films between 1914 and 1955. His year of birth is given variously as 1889 or 1893 in the standard reference books, but the latter seems to be the correct one as his New York Times obituary records his age as 63.

MacBride was best known for his portrayal of detectives in crime films. One such role was as Sgt. Roberts in the 1941 comedy Topper Returns, starring Roland Young. He also did several slapstick roles in films with comedians such as the Marx Brothers.

He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died in Los Angeles, California.