Murdock MacQuarrie

Murdock MacQuarrie (August 25, 1878 – August 20, 1942) was an American silent film actor and director. His name was also seen as Murdock McQuarrie. MacQuarrie was born in San Francisco, California, and attended school there. He was the brother of actors Albert MacQuarrie, Frank MacQuarrie, and George MacQuarrie. After acting on stage, MacQuarrie began acting in films in 1902 with Biograph. Around 1912-1913, he was acting for the Kinemacolor Company of America. His film work included The Count of Monte Cristo (1913), before becoming a director at Universal. He is perhaps best-remembered by modern audiences as J. Widdecombe Billows, the eccentric inventor of the eating machine, in Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times (1936). In the 1910s, MacQuarrie directed at Universal, and in the early 1920s he returned to acting. He diversified his activities in 1919, joining his wife in her real-estate business in Hollywood. On August 20, 1942, MacQuarrie died in Los Angeles, California, aged 63. ()