Max Davidson (May 23, 1875 – September 4, 1950) was a German-American film

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

known for his comedic Jewish

persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatr ...

during the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

era. With a career spanning over thirty years, Davidson appeared in over 180 films.

Career

Born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

to Jewish parents, Davidson emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the 1890s where he began working in stock theater and

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

. He entered silent movies in 1912. He made a series of films featuring the character Izzy for

Reliance Pictures Company Reliance may refer to: Companies * Reliance Controls, an American electrical products company founded in 1909 in Wisconsin * Reliance Home Comfort, a Canadian water heater rental and HVAC service company * Reliance Industries, an Indian cong ...

in 1914. The films included ''Izzy Gets the Wrong Bottle'', ''Izzy and His Rival'', ''Izzy and the Diamond'', ''How Izzy Stuck to His Post'', ''How Izzy Was Saved'', ''Izzy, the Detective'', ''Izzy's Night Out'', ''Izzy, the Operator'', and ''Izzy and the Bandit''. By the mid-teens, Davidson had appeared in his first feature film, Edward Dillon's ''Don Quixote'' (1915), followed by

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

's ''

Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction or intolerance) refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity. They are usual ...

'', and

Tod Browning Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of vari ...

's ''

Puppets A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to mov ...

'' (both 1916). In the 1920s, he began working for

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter, ...

, appearing in numerous two-reeler comedies including '' Call of the Cuckoo'' with

Charley Chase Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...

, '' Get 'Em Young'' with Stan Laurel, and '' Why Girls Say No'' and '' Love 'Em and Feed 'Em'' with Oliver Hardy, as well as the early talkie Our Gang short '' Moan and Groan, Inc.'' (1929), as the crazy old man who haunts a house. He starred alongside a young Jackie Coogan in a pair of silent features, '' The Rag Man'' (1923) and '' Old Clothes'' (1925). In 1923, he appeared in the

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

feature ''

The Extra Girl ''The Extra Girl'' is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by F. Richard Jones and starring Mabel Normand.

'' with Mabel Normand, and in 1927 made a rare starring feature at Columbia, ''

Pleasure Before Business ''Pleasure Before Business'' is a 1927 silent film comedy directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Max Davidson and Virginia Brown Faire. The film was produced and distributed by then upstart studio Columbia Pictures. Preserved at the Library ...

'', as well as playing a somewhat more serious role as a servant in the

Pola Negri Pola Negri (; born Apolonia Chalupec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienne and femm ...

WW1 vehicle ''

Hotel Imperial The Hotel Imperial, also known as The Imperial, is a five-star luxury hotel in Vienna, Austria. It is located on the Vienna Ring Road (''Ringstraße'') at Kärntner Ring 16, in the Innere Stadt district. Description The Hotel Imperial's faça ...

''. He also received the colorization treatment as an irate shopkeeper in

the Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

film ''

No Census, No Feeling ''No Census, No Feeling'' is a 1940 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 50th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring ...

'' (1940). His 1928 short '' Pass the Gravy'' was deemed "culturally significant" by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

and selected for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

Later career and death

Davidson made the transition to

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

, but ended his career by playing mostly uncredited roles. He made his final screen appearance in the 1945

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

film ''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...

''. Davidson died on September 4, 1950 in

Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...

Partial filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Max 1875 births 1950 deaths German emigrants to the United States German male film actors German male silent film actors 19th-century German Jews Hal Roach Studios actors Male actors from Berlin Silent film comedians Vaudeville performers Hal Roach Studios short film series 20th-century German male actors Jewish American male actors Jewish German male actors 20th-century American comedians Comedians from California