Curiosidades

He became a bodyguard for an Indian rajah. After one of his employer's guests accidentally shot him in the leg during a hunt, he was promoted to food taster. Luckily for McLaglen he quit the job--before the rajah was poisoned to death.

In spite of being a powerful hulk his whole life (his huge shoulders making even John Wayne's look small), he was 64 and in declining health by the time he was in El hombre tranquilo (1952). Even prickly John Ford had to be sensitive to McLaglen's condition while shooting that movie's grueling fight sequence.

He and brother Fred did a strongman/boxer vaudeville act in Canada and were billed as "The Romano Brothers." They posed as "living statue", recreated the boxing styles of well-known pugilists and Fred crushed rocks on Victor's chest using a sledgehammer.

Boxed and wrestled under the nickname 'Sharkey' McLaglen, as well as under his real name, prior to his movie career. His lifetime boxing record (as far as is known) was 11-6-1, with 9 KOs. His 1909 bout with legendary champion Jack Johnson in Vancouver was a six-round exhibition bout. Two years later, he boxed Jess Willard, the "Great White Hope" who eventually beat Johnson in a heavyweight title bout in 1915.

Prospected for gold and silver during strikes in Cobalt, Ontario, Canada, just after the turn of the century.

Before becoming an actor, he worked as a carnival boxer. If anyone could stay in the ring with him for one round and not be knocked down, they won a box of cigars.

During the British administration of the League of Nations mandate of Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in the 1920s, McLaglen, who was a sergeant in the British army, was appointed provost marshal--chief of military police--for Baghdad.

He died about a month after his final role in an episode of Cuero crudo (1959), directed by his son Andrew V. McLaglen.

Donald Crisp delivered the eulogy at his funeral.

In 1932, while still a British citizen, he captained a band called the Hollywood Light Horse, described as "a military organization formed to promote Americanism and combat Communism and radicalism subversive to Constitutional government." For the most part, McLaglen and his troopers marched around in their specially tailored military uniforms to their favorite restaurants and bars. When that bid for social attention began to wane, Hollywood Light Horse members began drifting over to a parallel organization known as the Hollywood Hussars. The more serious purpose of the Hussars was to invade the Soviet Republic of Georgia to secure drilling rights for an American oil millionaire who was bankrolling their enterprise. At one point, McLaglen was a member along with George Brent, the sheriff of Los Angeles County and the city police chief. Gary Cooper was described as one of the sponsors, but that assertion was withdrawn following protests by Cooper's representatives. In any event the Hussars never got to invade Georgia - their most conspicuous public outing was a march one afternoon down to the Los Angeles newspaper offices of William Randolph Hearst, where they serenaded the publisher from the sidewalk in a group song, in gratitude for his anti-Communist editorials.

When he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for El hombre tranquilo (1952), he became the first male actor to be nominated for a supporting role after having already won an Oscar for a leading role, having won the Best Actor Oscar for El delator (1935) seventeen years earlier. The first performer to do this was Jennifer Jones, who won the Best Actress Oscar for La canción de Bernadette (1943) and was a Supporting Actress nominee for Desde que te fuiste (1944).

He formed a uniformed private army in the early 1930s made up of British and Irish World War I veterans. He called it the California Light Horse Troop and gave himself the rank of colonel. At one point it numbered 800 members, with 150 airmen. Public opinion at the time was very negative but, according to writer Philip Blzeibfred, the entire group volunteered for service during World War II and was accepted.

He left home at 14 to join the British army with the intention of fighting in the Second Boer War. However, much to his disappointment, he was stationed at Windsor Castle and was later forced to leave the army when his true age was discovered.

Was nearly 50 before he became a bankable actor in films like La patrulla perdida (1934) and El delator (1935).

Claimed he was four years older than he really was so he could enlist in the London Life Guards and fight in the Boer War.

Born British, he became a U.S. citizen in January 1933.

Toured in a wild west show and around Australia and America in vaudeville.

He was cast mostly as Irishmen, particularly by John Ford, but he was actually an Englishman of Scottish ancestry.

He has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: El delator (1935), Gunga Din (1939) and El hombre tranquilo (1952).

He has appeared in three films that have been nominated for the Oscar Best Picture: El delator (1935), El hombre tranquilo (1952) and La vuelta al mundo en ochenta días (1956). The latter won in the category.

Under the pseudonym Paul Romano, he boxed future heavyweight champion Jess Willard in a four-round exhibition match in Springfield, MO, on 26 September 1911.

Father of film director Andrew V. McLaglen.

According to a 1912 newspaper report, he participated in a fencing duel with one Carl Brosius in Milwaukee, WI, prior to that date.

His hobbies were boxing, wrestling, swimming, horse riding and golf.

Was a Professional Wrestler.

Had brown hair and blue- grey eyes and was 6ft 5.

First performer to win an Oscar for a performance in a remake. El delator (1935), the movie that won him an Oscar, was a remake of El delator (1929).

His son, Andrew, directed him in The Abductors (1957).

McLaglen and brother Arthur at one time hunted lions in Africa,.

Although he claimed to have been born in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, his birth records show he was actually born thirty-five or so miles away in the East End of London.

Brother of actor and sculptor Arthur McLaglen.

During the 1930s he was accused of holding fascist views.

He was the tallest and most famous of 8 brothers.

Brother of actor Kenneth McLaglen

Brother of actor Clifford McLaglen.

Interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, CA.

He and his brother Cyril made their film debuts in 'Call of the Wild (1920).

Father-in-law of actress Veda Ann Borg.

Grandfather of assistant director / executive producer Josh McLaglen.

Mentioned in Un paseo bajo el sol (1945).

Joined the army during WWII and later transferred to the Royal Air Force. During one flight he crashed from a great height but escaped almost unhurt.

Daughter Sheila McLaglen born 1920.

Made over 100 films.

Brother of actor Leopold McLaglen.

Grandfather of director Gwyneth Horder-Payton.

Was a champion boxer of Eastern Canada.

Brother of actor Cyril McLaglen.

Grandfather of Mary McLaglen.

John Ford owned eight acres in Reseda, which became a rehabilitation center for both veterans of Ford's movies and veterans of U.S. wars. Syd Kronenthal was the supervisor - he was also hired to help Marlon Brando play a paraplegic in his first film role - and he remembered the Ford team getting drunk all the time: "They were all very right-wing, and when they got loaded they'd start spewing anti-Semitic remarks. The worst of them was Victor McLaglen, and Ward Bond was anti-Semitic as hell. They either didn't know I was Jewish or they forgot.".

Younger brother of boxer Fred McLaglen, aka Fred McKay (lifetime boxing record 6-11-2)