Born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. A character star of some British and innumerable Hollywood silent and sound films, appropriately billed as "The Beloved Brute" after the title of his first American films. The son of a clergyman (later Bishop of Clermont, South Africa), he was a boy soldier during the Boer War, then a prizefighter in Canada and a vaudeville and circus performer. (He was a "great white hope" to stop famed black boxer Jack Johnson but lost the much-promoted fight in six rounds.) He served as captain with the Irish Fusiliers during WW I and acted for a while as provost marshal of Bagdad. He starred in British films of the early 20s, then went to Hollywood, where he was cast in leads and supporting parts, typically as a big, savage, but soft-hearted man of action. He was a favorite of director John Ford, who used him to advantage in many of his films, often as a tough-soft cavalry sergeant. McLaglen appeared in over 100 films and continued acting into his seventies; he died of a heart attack not long after appearing in THE ABDUCTORS (1957), which was directed by his son Andrew V. McLaglen (b. 1920). Five of his brothers (Arthur, Clifford, Cyril, Kenneth, and Leopold) also were film actors.  Actor 1935: THE INFORMER  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1952: THE QUIET MAN 2 nominations, 1 Award