Kenneth MacDonald

Kenneth MacDonald was born Kenneth Dollins on September 8, 1901, in Portland, IN. He began his career as a stage actor in the 1920s and came to Hollywood in the early 1930s. He broke into motion pictures, but after several small roles, he found employment difficult to come by. He hit upon the idea of a little self-promotion, wrote a pamphlet called "The Case of Kenneth MacDonald" and distributed it to as many producers as he could find. The ploy worked; he started getting jobs at most of the studios in Hollywood, and became a regular fixture in Columbia's Charles Starrett series of "Durango Kid" westerns. However, he is probably best remembered as a foil for many of Columbia's comedy teams in the studio's two-reelers, particularly The Three Stooges. His suave demeanor and rich, booming voice perfectly fit the role of the con man, crooked lawyer or criminal gang leader he often played, and he showed a surprising flair for physical comedy, taking a two-finger poke in the eyes from Moe Howard, a pie in the face from Larry Fine or an iron bar on the head from Curly Howard with the best of them. He left the Columbia shorts department in 1955 and semi-retired from acting. From 1951-53 he was a frequent guest star, mostly as a sheriff, on the television series The Range Rider (1951). From 1957-66 he had a recurring role as Judge Carter on the television series Perry Mason (1957). He was also a frequent guest star as Col. Parker on the ABC television series Colt .45 (1957). Kenneth MacDonald died at age 70 at the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, CA, on May 5, 1972 from a combination of brain and lung cancer.