Josef Swickard
He did NOT jump from the Hollywood Sign!

A distinguished stage actor who had toured with stock companies in Europe, South Africa, and South America, Josef Swickard lent a presence of old world charm to scores of silent films, dramas, and comedies alike, his iron-gray hair and noble bearing awarding him such roles as Rudolf Valentino's father in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), the Duke Della Varnese in Don Juan (1926), and the Spanish land owner in In Old San Francisco (1927), all extant.

The brother of actor/director Charles Swickard and the husband of Broadway actress Margaret Campbell, Josef Swickard entered films with D.W. Griffith in 1912 and by 1914 was playing supporting roles for Mack Sennett. Swickard can be seen in Charles Chaplin's Laughing Gas (1914; as one of the patients) and Caught in a Cabaret (1914; as the father). He remained with Sennett until 1917, when the versatile actor settled into his long career of playing mostly aristocratic characters.

Swickard weathered the transition to sound but his films were mostly in the low-budget category and included several action serials.

The scandal comes in 1939, when the veteran actor suffered a terrible tragedy when his son was killed by his former wife, Margaret Campbell.

There was a rumor that Swickard committed suicide in his grief by jumping from the Hollywood sign - but this is Hollywood lore. Rather, he died from natural causes the following year.

What is is about Hollywood scandals that they make things sound worse (or more dramatic) than they are, yet the truly horrible things they gloss over, and cover up?

Swickards Long Filmography

Pal from Texas, The (1939) .... Texas Malden
$1000 a Touchdown (1939) (uncredited) .... Hamilton McGlen Sr.
Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939) (uncredited) .... Presidente Huenemo Mendoza
Mexicali Rose (1939) (uncredited) .... Gonzales
Say It in French (1938) (uncredited) .... Old Man
You Can't Take It with You (1938) .... Professor
Secret of Treasure Island, The (1938) (uncredited) .... Passenger ship doctor [Ch. 1]
Lash of the Penitentes (1937) .... Dr. Robert Taylor
Zorro Rides Again (1937) (uncredited) .... Dam watchman
Girl Said No, The (1937) .... Jonesy
Renfrew of the Royal Mounted (1937) (uncredited)
Sheik Steps Out, The (1937) (uncredited)
Fit for a King (1937) (uncredited)
Sandflow (1937) .... Mr. Porter
Boss Rider of Gun Creek (1936) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Lafe Turner
Under Your Spell (1936) .... Amigo
Black Coin, The (1936) .... Don Pedro Navarro [Chs. 2-4, 13-15]
Custer's Last Stand (1936/II) .... Henry Trent
Caryl of the Mountains (1936) .... Jean Foray
Millionaire Kid, The (1936) .... The Tutor
Custer's Last Stand (1936/I) .... Maj. Henry Trent
Chandu on the Magic Island (1935) .... Tyba (the White Magician)
Crusades, The (1935) (uncredited) .... Buyer
Dog of Flanders, A (1935) .... Monsieur de LaTour
Lost City, The (1935/I) .... Dr. Manyus
Lost City, The (1935/II) .... Dr. Manyus
Night Is Young, The (1935) (uncredited) .... Doctor
Perils of Pauline (1934) .... Foreign Consul
Man Who Reclaimed His Head, The (1934) (uncredited) .... Citizen
Return of Chandu, The (1934/I) .... Tyba, the White Magician
Cross Streets (1934) .... Dean Todd
All Men Are Enemies (1934) (uncredited) .... Katha's Father
Hello, Prosperity (1934)
Narcotic (1934) .... Federal narcotics agent
Beloved (1934/I) .... Revolutionist
Narrow Corner, The (1933) (uncredited) .... Dutch Constable
Phantom of the Desert (1930) .... Colonel Van Horn
Song of the Caballero (1930/I) .... Manuel
Mamba (1930) .... Count von Linden
Lone Defender, The (1930) .... Juan Valdez
Street Corner (1929)
Dark Skies (1929) .... Señor Moreno
Times Square (1929) .... Professor Carrillo
Phantom of the North, The (1929) .... Colonel Rayburn
Frozen River (1929) .... Hazy
Veiled Woman, The (1929) .... Col. De Selincourt
Three Pals (1929) .... Col. Girard
Eternal Woman, The (1929) .... Ovaldo
Devil's Chaplain, The (1929) .... The King
Bachelor's Club (1929)
Comrades (1928) .... John Burton
Eagle of the Night (1928)
Toy Shop, The (1928) (as Joseph Swickard) .... The toymaker
Turn Back the Hours (1928) .... Colonel Torreon
Sharp Shooters (1928) .... Grandpère
Compassion (1927) .... Judge Henning
Get Your Man (1927) .... Duc deBellecontre
Old San Francisco (1927) .... Don Hernandez de Vasquez
Time to Love (1927) .... Elvire's father
Señorita (1927) .... Don Francisco Hernandez
False Morals (1927)
King of Kings, The (1927)
Golden Stallion, The (1927)
One Increasing Purpose (1927) .... Old Gand
Kentucky Handicap (1926)
Border Whirlwind (1926) .... Senor Jose Cordova
Unknown Cavalier, The (1926) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Lingo
Devil's Dice (1926) .... Judge Casper Paine
High Flyer, The (1926)
Officer Jim (1926)
Don Juan (1926) .... Duke Della Varnese
Senor Daredevil (1926) .... Juan Estrada
Whispering Canyon (1926) .... Eben Beauregard
Desert Gold (1926) .... Sebastian Castaneda
Night Patrol, The (1926) .... John Pendleton
Stop, Look and Listen (1926) .... Old Actor
Battling Romeo (1925)
Mac's Beth (1925)
Northern Code (1925) .... Père Le Blanc
Taming of the Shrewd (1925)
Keeper of the Bees, The (1925) .... Bee master
Off the Highway (1925) .... Master
Mysterious Stranger, The (1925) .... Raoul Lesage
Wizard of Oz (1925) .... Prime Minister Kruel
Playing with Souls (1925) .... Monsieur Jomier
Fifth Avenue Models (1925) .... Joseph Ludant
She Wolves (1925) .... De Goncourt
Verdict, The (1925) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Pierre Ronsard
Sign of the Cactus, The (1925) .... Old Man Hayes
Easy Money (1925)
Dante's Inferno (1924) .... Eugene Craig
Defying the Law (1924) .... Michelo Brescia
Untamed Youth (1924) .... Pietro
Men (1924) .... Cleo's Father
Boy of Flanders, A (1924) .... Jan Van Dullan
Pal o' Mine (1924) .... Verdugo
Poisoned Paradise (1924) .... Prof. Durand
North of Nevada (1924) .... Mark Ridgeway
Shadow of the East, The (1924) (as Joseph Swickard) .... John Locke
Maytime (1923) .... Colonel Van Zandt
Prince of a King, A (1923) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Urbano
Eternal Struggle, The (1923) .... Pierre Grange
Age of Desire, The (1923) .... Marcio
Forgive and Forget (1923) .... John Standing
Mothers-in-Law (1923) .... Newton Wingate
Cricket on the Hearth, The (1923) .... Caleb Plummer
Daughters of the Rich (1923) .... Maud's Father
Bavu (1923) .... Prince Markoff
Mr. Billings Spends His Dime (1923) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Estaban Juárez
Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, The (1922)
My American Wife (1922) .... Don Fernando DeContas
Pawned (1922) .... Paul Veniza
Young Rajah, The (1922) .... Narada
Another Man's Shoes (1922) .... Gouret
Storm, The (1922) .... Jacques Fachard
Golden Gift, The (1922) .... Leonati
Across the Deadline (1922) .... Abel
Cheated Hearts (1921) .... Colonel Fairfax Gordon
No Woman Knows (1921) .... The Great Schabelitz
Opened Shutters (1921) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Sam Lacey
Serenade (1921) .... Domingo Maticas
Who Am I? (1921) .... Jacques Marbot
Beach of Dreams (1921) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Monsieur de Brie
Sowing the Wind (1921) .... Petworth
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The (1921) .... Marcelo Desnoyers
Trumpet Island (1920) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Jacques de Merincourt
Moon Madness (1920) .... Latour
Blind Youth (1920) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Pierre Monnier
Third Generation, The (1920) .... Colonel Alden Van Dusen
Beggar Prince, The (1920) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Nodo
Last of His People, The (1919) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Baron Bonart
Woman of Pleasure, A (1919) .... Rev. Mr. Goddard
Girl In Bohemia, A (1919) .... Professor Bryce
Snares of Paris (1919) (as Joseph Swickard) .... De Brionne
Pretty Smooth (1919) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Judge
Lady of Red Butte, The (1919) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Delicate Hanson
Trick of Fate, A (1919) (as Joe Swickard) .... Raoul Garson
When a Woman Sins (1918) .... Mortimer West
Light of the Western Stars, The (1918) .... Padre Marcos
White Man's Law, The (1918) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Suliman Ghengis
Treasure of the Sea, The (1918) .... Thomas Elkins
Keys of the Righteous (1918) .... Paul Manning
Soul of Satan, The (1917) .... Chicago Stone
His Mother's Boy (1917) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Tom Glenny
Because of a Woman (1917) .... Colonel Gwynne
To Honor and Obey (1917) (as Joseph Swickard) .... James Hollis
Book Agent, The (1917) (as Joseph Swickard) .... Dr. Newdope
Aerial Joy Ride, An (1917) (as Joe Swickard) .... Inventor
American Methods (1917) .... Baron de Prefont
Maiden's Trust, A (1917)
Tale of Two Cities, A (1917) .... Dr. Alexandre Manette
Haystacks and Steeples (1916)
His Wild Oats (1916)
Love Will Conquer (1916)
Village Vampire, The (1916)
Ambrose's Cup of Woe (1916)
Better Late Than Never (1916)
Love, Speed and Thrills (1915) .... Chief of the Keystone Kops
Mabel and Fatty's Married Life (1915)
Mabel and Fatty's Simple Life (1915)
When Ambrose Dared Walrus (1915) .... Customer
Best of Enemies, The (1915)
Home Breaking Hound, A (1915)
Love, Loot and Crash (1915)
Mabel, Fatty and the Law (1915)
Caught in a Cabaret (1914) .... Father
Noise of Bombs, The (1914)
Plumber, The (1914)
Twenty Minutes of Love (1914) .... Victim
Laughing Gas (1914) .... Patient
Rowboat Romance, A (1914)
Thief and the Book, The (1914)
Ten of Spades, The (1914)
Cupid in the Dental Parlor (1913)
Iola's Promise (1912)

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