Name
Albert Austin
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1882-12-13
Deathday
1953-08-17 (71 years old)
Place of Birth
Birmingham, England, UK
Biography
Albert Austin (13 December 1881 or 1885 – 17 August 1953) was an actor, film star, director and script writer, noted mainly for his work in Charlie Chaplin films. He was the brother of actor William Austin. He was born in Birmingham, England, and was a music hall performer before coming to the U.S. with Chaplin, both as members of the Fred Karno troupe, in 1910. Noted for his painted handlebar mustache and acerbic manner, he worked for Chaplin's stock company and played supporting roles in many of his films, often as a foil to the star, and working as his assistant director. After the development of sound films, he moved into scriptwriting, directing and acting, chiefly in comedy short subjects. Among other things, he assisted Chaplin in developing the plot of The Adventurer (1917). However, he only received screen credit as a collaborator once, for City Lights. As an actor, he appeared in Chaplin's comedies for the Mutual Film Corporation. Later he had two brief, uncredited roles in one of Chaplin's 'silent' comedies made in the sound era, City Lights (1931). Austin is also seen very briefly (as a cab driver) at the beginning of Chaplin's short film One A.M.. He also appeared in movies starring Jackie Coogan and Mack Sennett. Austin's best known performance may be in Chaplin's short The Pawnshop. Austin enters the shop with an alarm clock, hoping to pawn it. To establish the clock's value, Chaplin dissects it. Austin maintains a deadpan expression as Chaplin progressively destroys his clock, then hands the pieces back to Austin. He had the leading role in Mary Pickford's Suds (1920), where he co-stars as a customer leaving his shirt at her laundry. In that film he appears without his comic mustache. In his final years he worked as a police officer at the Warner Brothers studios, according to a New York Times obituary.
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Known For
8.253
A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl. His on-and-off friendship with a...
7.928
Charlie, a wandering tramp, becomes a circus handyman - soon the star of the show - and fa...
7.967
A gold prospector in Alaska struggles to survive the elements and win the heart of a dance...
7.3
The Tramp and his dog companion struggle to survive in the inner city....
6.844
An American doughboy, stationed in France during the Great War, goes on a daring mission b...
7.4
Three Chaplin silent comedies "A Dog's Life", "Shoulder Arms", and "The Pilgrim" are strun...
7.067
A derelict, huddled under the steps of a missionary church, feels enlightened by the sermo...
6.887
The daring convict no. 23, known as The Eel, escapes from prison and, after mocking his in...
- 1916 The Rink as The Cook
- 1916 The Pawnshop as Clock Client
- 1916 The Count as Guest (uncredited)
- 1921 The Kid as Car Thief / Man in Shelter (uncredited)
- 1917 The Adventurer as The Butler
- 1917 The Immigrant as A Diner / Immigrant
- 1918 Triple Trouble as A Man
- 1918 Shoulder Arms as American Soldier / Clean Shaven German Soldier / Bearded German Soldier
- 1922 Pay Day as Workman
- 1916 One A.M. as Le chauffeur de taxi
- 1916 The Floorwalker as Shop Assistant
- 1916 The Fireman as Fireman
- 1919 The Professor as Man in flophouse
- 1920 Suds as Horace Greensmith
- 1917 The Cure as Sanitarium Attendant
- 1996 Chaplin's Goliath as Self (archive footage)
- 1916 Behind the Screen as Stagehand (uncredited)
- 1917 Easy Street as Policeman / Preacher (uncredited)
- 1916 The Vagabond as Trombonist (uncredited)
- 1931 City Lights as Street Sweeper / Burglar (uncredited)
- 1925 The Gold Rush as Prospector (uncredited)
- 1928 The Circus as Clown (uncredited)
- 1918 The Bond as Friend
- 1918 A Dog's Life as Crook (uncredited)
- 1959 The Chaplin Revue as Various (archive footage)
- 1941 The Charlie Chaplin Festival as Various Roles (archive footage)
- 1921 Grief
- 1918 How to Make Movies as The Genie/Laboratory Supervisor/Golfer(uncredited)
- 1923 A Prince of a King as (uncredited)
- 1983 Unknown Chaplin ( 3 episodes ) as Self & In Out-Takes
