Albert Austin (13 December 1881 or 1885 – 17 August 1953) was an actor, film star, director and script writer, noted mainly for his work in Charlie Chaplin films. He was the brother of actor William Austin. He was born in Birmingham, England, and was a music hall performer before coming to the U.S. with Chaplin, both as members of the Fred Karno troupe, in 1910. Noted for his painted handlebar mustache and acerbic manner, he worked for Chaplin's stock company and played supporting roles in many of his films, often as a foil to the star, and working as his assistant director. After the development of sound films, he moved into scriptwriting, directing and acting, chiefly in comedy short subjects. Among other things, he assisted Chaplin in developing the plot of The Adventurer (1917). However, he only received screen credit as a collaborator once, for City Lights. As an actor, he appeared in Chaplin's comedies for the Mutual Film Corporation. Later he had two brief, uncredited roles in one of Chaplin's 'silent' comedies made in the sound era, City Lights (1931). Austin is also seen very briefly (as a cab driver) at the beginning of Chaplin's short film One A.M.. He also appeared in movies starring Jackie Coogan and Mack Sennett. Austin's best known performance may be in Chaplin's short The Pawnshop. Austin enters the shop with an alarm clock, hoping to pawn it. To establish the clock's value, Chaplin dissects it. Austin maintains a deadpan expression as Chaplin progressively destroys his clock, then hands the pieces back to Austin. He had the leading role in Mary Pickford's Suds (1920), where he co-stars as a customer leaving his shirt at her laundry. In that film he appears without his comic mustache. In his final years he worked as a police officer at the Warner Brothers studios, according to a New York Times obituary. Description above from the Wikipedia article Albert Austin licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- December 13, 1882
- August 17, 1953 (aged 70)
- Birmingham, England, UK
- Actor and writer
- 13 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
What are Albert Austin's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 9
Light 10 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 3 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 3
Gentle 8 · Charged 3 · Intense 0
Steady 8 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 10
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0
Casual 11 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 11 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet6
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Albert Austin's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (10).
Subscription and free streaming for Albert Austin's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
38 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Laurel & Hardy: Hats Off(2005)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Chaplin Revue(1959)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Charlie Chaplin Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
Bonnie Scotland(1935)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all filmsGood Time Henry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
City Lights(1931)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Circus(1928)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Should Men Walk Home? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
Keep Smiling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
The Gold Rush(1925)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Misfit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)
A Prince of a King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)
Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)
Pay Day(1922)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
My Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
Grief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)
The Kid(1921)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Suds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)
Sunnyside(1919)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
The Professor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)
Shoulder Arms(1918)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Bond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)
Triple Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)
A Dog's Life(1918)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
How to Make Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)
The Adventurer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
The Immigrant(1917)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Cure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
Easy Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
The Rink(1916)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Behind the Screen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
The Pawnshop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
The Count (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
One A.M. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
The Vagabond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
The Fireman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
The Floorwalker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
Career shape
Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 35 titles from 1916 to 1959.
Film career
Top draw in 4 MovieCove titles.
- 1916Screen debut· The Floorwalker
- 1921Career best· The Kid
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Albert Austin's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 92nd percentile, the median of all 13; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 84th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up10
- 50th to 74th3
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 13 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved7
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 86/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 89, detractors 62. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Albert Austin's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Albert Austin work with?
People who share at least 2 of Albert Austin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Charles Chaplin shares the most, 10.
Directors
- Charles ChaplinShared titles: Laurel & Hardy: Hats Off (2005), The Chaplin Revue (1959), The Circus (1928), The Gold Rush (1925), Pay Day (1922), The Kid (1921), Sunnyside (1919), Shoulder Arms (1918), The Immigrant (1917), The Rink (1916)See all 10 shared titles with Charles Chaplin
Writers
- Maverick TerrellShared titles: The Immigrant (1917), The Rink (1916)See all 2 shared titles with Maverick Terrell
- Vincent BryanShared titles: The Immigrant (1917), The Rink (1916)See all 2 shared titles with Vincent Bryan
Actors
- Henry BergmanShared titles: The Chaplin Revue (1959), The Circus (1928), The Gold Rush (1925), Pay Day (1922), The Kid (1921), Sunnyside (1919), Shoulder Arms (1918), The Immigrant (1917), The Rink (1916)See all 9 shared titles with Henry Bergman
- Edna PurvianceShared titles: The Chaplin Revue (1959), Pay Day (1922), The Kid (1921), Sunnyside (1919), Shoulder Arms (1918), The Immigrant (1917), The Rink (1916)See all 7 shared titles with Edna Purviance
- Eric CampbellShared titles: Laurel & Hardy: Hats Off (2005), The Immigrant (1917), The Rink (1916)See all 3 shared titles with Eric Campbell
- Kitty BradburyShared titles: The Chaplin Revue (1959), The Kid (1921), The Immigrant (1917)See all 3 shared titles with Kitty Bradbury
Cinematographers
- Roland TotherohShared titles: The Circus (1928), The Gold Rush (1925), Pay Day (1922), The Kid (1921), Sunnyside (1919), Shoulder Arms (1918), The Immigrant (1917), The Rink (1916)See all 8 shared titles with Roland Totheroh
- William C. FosterShared titles: The Immigrant (1917), The Rink (1916)See all 2 shared titles with William C. Foster
Producers
- Henry P. CaulfieldShared titles: The Immigrant (1917), The Rink (1916)See all 2 shared titles with Henry P. Caulfield