Wilbur Mack

Who was Wilbur Mack?

Wilbur Mack was an American film actor and early vaudeville performer from the 1920s through the 1960s. His film acting career began during the silent film era.

Mack was born and raised in Binghamton, New York, and married fellow vaudeville performer and later actress Constance Purdy, forming the husband and wife vaudeville team, "Mack and Purdy". He and Purdy divorced not far into the marriage, and he married vaudeville performer and also future actress Nella Walker. The couple saw considerable success in their vaudeville act, and in 1925 Mack entered into a film acting career. His first film appearance was Gold and Grit, alongside Buddy Roosevelt and Ann McKay. He would appear in twenty films from 1925 to 1929, and his wife entered into her own film acting career in 1929.

Mack made a smooth transition to "talking films", and in 1930 appeared in thirteen films. He and Walker divorced not long after the start of her career, but she saw ongoing success as a supporting and minor role actress, whereas he would continually have film appearances, but with limited success. From 1931 through 1933 Mack would appear in twenty four films. From 1934 until the end of the 1930s era in 1939, Mack would appear in fifty five films. However, as successful as that sounds, forty five of those appearances were uncredited. His most notable credited roles during that period was Million Dollar Baby alongside Ray Walker and Arline Judge, in 1934, and the 1936 crime drama The Crime Patrol, also alongside Ray Walker.