He is best known for his role as the villainous leading man, McTeague,
in Greed (1924).
Worked as first mate on a ship, then prospected for diamonds in South Africa. Came to the USA via Canada, arriving in Hollywood on a train in 1914. Employed for some time as a movie extra or bit player, earning a mere $2 a day.
He often played oversized brutes and thugs of an unsympathetic nature.