He was born in Glasgow, Scotland on July 14, 1878 (some sources say 1880) and, like so many actors, began performing at a very early age..8 yrs old. He came to America at age 14 with an acrobatic troupe but an injury turned him towards acting. He contracted a tropical fever while serving in the Spanish American War and lost his hair at age 18 causing him to turn towards character roles. His film debut was in 1923 in "Six Cylinder Love" as Richard Burton.
He appeared in a series of murder mysteries in the early 1930s as Dr. Crabtree. Among his 100 plus films were: "The Symphony Murder Mystery" (1931) as Dr. Crabtree; "The Merry Widow" (1934) as Valet; "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch" (1934) as Mr. Wiggs; "Barbary Coast" (1935) as Sawbuck McTavish; "The Informer" (1935) with Victor McLaglen, as Peter Mulligan; "Captain Blood" (1935) as Dr. Whacker; "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1938) with Tommy Kelly, as Sunday School Superintendent; "Little Miss Broadway" (1938) with Shirley Temple, as Willoughby Wendling; "You Can't Take It With You" (1938) as Poppins; "Stagecoach" (1939) as Mr. Samuel Peacock, probably one of his most memorable roles; "Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939) with Henry Fonda, as John Felder; "My Little Chickadee" (1940) as Amos Budge; "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet" (1940) as Mittelmeyer; "Tortilla Flat" (1942) as Paul Cummings; "Air Raid Wardens" (1943) with Laurel & Hardy, as Eustace Midding and "Magic Town" (1947) as Mr. Twiddle, his last film. He died on November 18, 1946 in Los Angeles, California at age 68.