Johnny Mack Brown
Born
September 1, 1904
Died
November 14, 1974 (70 years old)
Known For
Acting
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.
Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs
(archive footage)
2000
Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her
Self (archive footage)
1994
Legends of the West
Billy the Kid in 'Billy the Kid'
1992
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
(archive footage)
1976
It's Showtime
Self (archive footage)
1976
Apache Uprising
Sheriff Ben Hall
1965
The Bounty Killer
Sheriff Green
1965
Requiem for a Gunfighter
Enkoff
1965
Perry Mason
Warner Griffith · (1 episode)
1957
Official Detective
(1 episode)
1957
The Marshal's Daughter
Johnny Mack Brown - Poker-Game Player
1953
Canyon Ambush
Johnny Mack Brown
1952
This Is Your Life
Self · (1 episode)
1952
Dead Man's Trail
Johnny Mack Brown
1952
Man from the Black Hills
Johnny Mack Brown
1952
Texas City
Johnny Mack Brown
1952
Texas Lawmen
Marshal Johnny Mack Brown
1951
Whistling Hills
Johnny Mack Brown
1951
Oklahoma Justice
Johnny Mack Brown
1951
Montana Desperado
Johnny Mack Brown
1951
Blazing Bullets
Johnny Mack Brown
1951
Man from Sonora
Johnny Mack Brown
1951
Colorado Ambush
Johnny Mack Brown
1951
Short Grass
Sheriff Ord Keown
1950
Outlaw Gold
Johnny Mack Brown
1950
Law of the Panhandle
U.S. Marshal Johnny Mack Brown
1950
Six Gun Mesa
Johnny Mack Brown
1950
Over the Border
Johnny Mack Brown
1950
West of Wyoming
Johnny Mack Brown
1950
Western Renegades
Johnny Mack Brown
1949
Range Justice
Johnny Mack Brown
1949
West of El Dorado
Johnny Mack
1949
Stampede
Sheriff Aaron Ball
1949
Trails End
Johnny Mack
1949
Law of the West
Federal Agent Johnny Mack
1949
Hidden Danger
Johnny Mack
1948
Gunning for Justice
Johnny Mack
1948
The Sheriff of Medicine Bow
Johnny Mack Brown
1948
The Fighting Ranger
Johnny Brown
1948
Back Trail
Johnny Mack
1948
Triggerman
Johnny Mack Brown
1948
Frontier Agent
Johnny Mack Brown
1948
Crossed Trails
Johnny Mack
1948
Overland Trails
Johnny Murdock
1948
Gun Talk
Johnny McVey
1947
Prairie Express
Johnny Hudson
1947
Valley of Fear
Johnny Williams
1947
Flashing Guns
Johnny Mack
1947
Code of the Saddle
John Macklin
1947
Trailing Danger
Johnny
1947
The Law Comes to Gunsight
Johnny Mackey
1947
Land of the Lawless
Johnny Mack
1947
Raiders of the South
Captain Brownell posing Johnny Langdon
1947
Silver Range
Johnny Bronton
1946
Shadows on the Range
Steve Mason posing as Steve Saunders
1946
Trigger Fingers
Sam Hurricane Benton
1946
The Gentleman from Texas
Johnny Macklin
1946
Under Arizona Skies
Dusty Smith
1946
The Haunted Mine
Nevada Jack McKenzie
1946
Drifting Along
Steve Garner
1946
Border Bandits
Marshal Nevada
1946
Frontier Feud
Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie
1945
The Lost Trail
Marshal 'Nevada Jack' McKenzie
1945
Flame of the West
Dr. John Poore
1945
Stranger from Santa Fe
U.S. Marshal Nevada McKenzie, posing as Roy Ferris
1945
Gun Smoke
Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie
1945
Forever Yours
Maj. Tex O'Connor
1945
The Navajo Trail
Marshal Nevada McKenzie
1945
Ghost Guns
Marshal Nevada McKenzie
1944
Law of the Valley
Marshal Nevada McKenzie
1944
Land of the Outlaws
Marshal Nevada McKenzie
1944
West of the Rio Grande
U.S. Marshal Nevada McKenzie
1944
Range Law
U. S. Marshal Nevada McKenzie
1944
Partners of the Trail
Jack McKenzie
1944
Law Men
U.S. Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie
1944
Raiders of the Border
Nevada Jack McKenzie
1944
The Texas Kid
Jack McKenzie
1943
Outlaws of Stampede Pass
Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie
1943
Crazy House
Johnny Mack Brown
1943
The Lone Star Trail
Blaze Barker
1943
Six Gun Gospel
Marshal Jack McKenzie
1943
The Stranger From Pecos
Nevada Jack McKenzie
1943
Raiders of San Joaquin
Rocky Morgan aka The Black Rider
1943
Cheyenne Roundup
Buck Brandon & Gils Brandon
1943
The Ghost Rider
Nevada Jack McKenzie
1943
Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground
Wade Benson
1943
The Old Chisholm Trail
Dusty Gardner
1942
Little Joe, the Wrangler
Neal Wallace
1942
Deep in the Heart of Texas
Jim Mallory
1942
Boss of Hangtown Mesa
Steve Collins
1942
The Silver Bullet
Silver Jim Donovan
1942
Stagecoach Buckaroo
Steve Hardin
1942
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Alabam' Brewster
1942
Fighting Bill Fargo
Bill Fargo
1941
Arizona Cyclone
Tom Baxter
1941
The Masked Rider
Larry Prescott
1941
Man from Montana
Sheriff Bob Dawson
1941
Rawhide Rangers
Brand Calhoun
1941
Law of the Range
Steve Howard
1941
Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie
Joe Henderson
1941
Pony Post
Cal Sheridan
1940
Law and Order
Bill Ralston
1940
Ragtime Cowboy Joe
Steve Logan
1940
Son of Roaring Dan
Jim Reardon (Posing as Horace McPhail)
1940
Bad Man from Red Butte
Gils Brady / Buck Halliday
1940
Riders of Pasco Basin
Lee Jamison
1940
Boss of Bullion City
Tom Bryant
1940
West of Carson City
Jim Bannister
1940
Chip of the Flying U
'Chip' Bennett
1939
Oklahoma Frontier
Jeff McLeod
1939
Desperate Trails
Steve Hayden
1939
The Oregon Trail
Jeff Scott
1939
Land of Liberty
Billy the Kid (edited from 'Billy the Kid')
1939
Flaming Frontiers
Tex Houston
1938
Wells Fargo
Talbot Carter
1937
Born to the West
Tom Fillmore
1937
Boothill Brigade
Lon Cardigan
1937
Wild West Days
Kentucky Wade
1937
A Lawman Is Born
Tom Mitchell
1937
Guns in the Dark
Johnny Darrel
1937
Bar-Z Bad Men
Jim Waters
1937
Lawless Land
Ranger Jeff Hayden
1937
Trail of Vengeance
Dude Ramsay
1937
The Gambling Terror
Jeff Hayes
1937
Undercover Man
Steve McLain
1936
The Crooked Trail
Jim Blake
1936
Everyman's Law
Johnny- aka The Dog Town Kid
1936
Rogue of the Range
Dan Doran
1936
Desert Phantom
Billy Donovan
1936
Valley of the Lawless
Bruce Reynolds
1936
The Courageous Avenger
Kirk Baxter
1935
Between Men
Johnny Wellington Jr.
1935
Starlit Days at the Lido
Self
1935
Branded a Coward
Johnny Hume
1935
Rustlers of Red Dog
Jack Wood
1935
Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove
Self
1934
Against the Law
Steve Wayne
1934
Belle of the Nineties
Brooks Clayburn
1934
Cross Streets
Adam Blythe
1934
St. Louis Woman
Jim Warren
1934
Three on a Honeymoon
Chuck Wells
1934
Son of a Sailor
'Duke'
1933
Female
George P. Cooper
1933
Saturday's Millions
Alan Barry
1933
Fighting With Kit Carson
Kit Carson
1933
The Vanishing Frontier
Kirby Tornell
1933
Malay Nights
Jim Wilson
1932
70,000 Witnesses
Wally Clark
1932
Flames
Charlie
1932
Hollywood Halfbacks
1931
Lasca of the Rio Grande
Miles Kincaid
1931
The Last Flight
Bill Talbot
1931
The Secret Six
Hank Rogers
1931
The Great Meadow
Berk Jarvis (as John Mack Brown)
1931
Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
1930
Montana Moon
Larry
1930
Undertow
Paul Whalen
1930
Jazz Heaven
Barry Holmes
1929
Hurricane
Dan
1929
The Single Standard
Tommy Hewlett
1929
The Valiant
Robert Ward
1929
Coquette
Michael Jeffery
1929
A Woman of Affairs
David Furness
1928
A Lady of Chance
Steve Crandall
1928
Annapolis
Bill
1928
Our Dancing Daughters
Ben Blaine
1928
The Play Girl
Bradley Lane
1928
Soft Living
Stockney Webb
1928
The Divine Woman
Jean Lery
1928
The Fair Co-Ed
Bob
1927
After Midnight
Party Boy (uncredited)
1927
Mockery
Russian Officer (uncredited)
1927
The Bugle Call
Bit (uncredited)
1927
Slide, Kelly, Slide
Johnny Mack Brown
1927