In the early 1900s, Swain had his own
stock theater company, the Mack Swain Co., which performed in the western and midwestern United States. His most notable residency, was in
Santa Cruz, California, where at one point he was bringing in 6,000 patrons a week to see his performances; over two-thirds the population of the city at the time. On June 24, 1907, the Mack Swain Co. had its 61st show in 50 days, breaking the record by any theater company ever appearing in Santa Cruz. That same year Swain bought the Alisky Theatre, and changed its name to Swain’s Theatre. By 1913, audience attendance had begun to dry up and with it Swain's theatrical career. Mack was initially hesitant to work in the film industry, viewing it as an "inferior art form to theater," but eventually gave in after many of his fellow actors and peers had done the same. productions His first foray into
silent film began at
Keystone Studios under
Mack Sennett. His first dressing room was shared with
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Shortly after arriving at Keystone,
Charlie Chaplin too joined the studio and the two quickly teamed up. Swain would later recall that Sennett initially saw him and Chaplin as a burden, and encouraged the two to work together. These early films, such as
Laughing Gas (1914) and ''
Mabel's Married Life'' (1914), would forge a friendship between the two that would endure until Swain's death. Chaplin would later state that his idea for his infamous character, The Tramp, came from him rummaging through Swain's and Arbuckle's dressing room; the baggy clothes from Arbuckle and the iconic mustache from one of Swain's own fake mustaches. Swain and Chaplin would eventually star in the world's first feature-length comedy, ''
Tillie's Punctured Romance'' (1914). Chaplin soon left Keystone, and Swain paired up with
Chester Conklin to make a series of
comedy films. Swain played "Ambrose" and Conklin the grand mustachioed "Walrus" in several films, including
The Battle of Ambrose and Walrus and
Love, Speed and Thrills, both made in 1915. Besides these comedies, the two appeared together in a variety of other films, 26 all told including some early sound shorts. They also appeared separately and/or together in films starring
Mabel Normand,
Charles Chaplin,
Roscoe Arbuckle and most of the rest of the roster of Keystone players. Swain later took his Ambrose character with him to the
L-KO Kompany. Having already worked with Charles Chaplin at Keystone, Swain began working with Chaplin again at
First National in 1921, appearing in
The Idle Class,
Pay Day, and
The Pilgrim. He is also remembered for his large supporting role as Big Jim McKay in the
1925 film
The Gold Rush, for
United Artists, written by and starring Chaplin. ==Personal life==