Skip to content
MovieCove
Al Ernest Garcia

Al Ernest Garcia

Actor · Died September 4, 1938, aged 51 · San Francisco, California, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Al Ernest Garcia (11 March 1887 – 4 September 1938) was an American actor, best known for his long association with Charlie Chaplin. He acted with Chaplin in six films between 1921 and 1936, cast mostly in clinical or villainous supporting roles. Garcia portrayed the brutal circus director in The Circus (1928), the snobbish butler of the millionaire in City Lights (1931), and the factory owner in Modern Times (1936). He was also a casting director for Chaplin on The Circus, City Lights, and Modern Times. Garcia was co-founder of the Motion Picture Extras and Supporting Players Association, founded in 1933.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 11, 1887
Died
September 4, 1938 (aged 51)
From
San Francisco, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 41 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 13% in 30 days

What are Al Ernest Garcia's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Power.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
32%
Power
25%
Morality
23%
Self
16%
Survival
3%
Romantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 7 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 6

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles
  • Shapeshifteras The Circus Proprietor and Ring Master in The Circus (1928)
  • Shadowas President of the Electro Steel Corp. in Modern Times (1936)

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
6
Romantic
3
Absurd
3
Hopeful
2
Thrilling
2
Other
5

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet3
  • 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 Al Ernest Garcia's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Al Ernest Garcia'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

41 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page.

  • In Old Mexico(1938)

    as Don Carlos Gonzalez

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Blossoms On Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Opera Patron (uncredited)

  • I'll Take Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Allan Garcia

  • The Last Train from Madrid(1937)

    as 3rd Hotel Clerk (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Gay Desperado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Police Captain

  • Modern Times(1936)

    Casting · as President of the Electro Steel Corp.

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The California Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Sgt. Florez (as Allan Garcia)

  • One Way Passage(1932)

    as Honolulu Cigar Store Proprietor (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Gay Caballero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Bandit

  • South of Santa Fe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as (as Capt. Garcia) Felipe Anunciado Menendez Gonzales Rodriguez

  • The Cisco Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Orderly (uncredited)

  • City Lights(1931)

    Casting · as His Butler

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Big Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Flack aka El Rojo

  • Morgan's Last Raid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Morgan

  • The Circus(1928)

    Casting · as The Circus Proprietor and Ring Master

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Gold Rush(1925)

    as Prospector (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Power God (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Weston Dore

  • Pay Day(1922)

    as Drinking Companion and Policeman

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Idle Class(1921)

    as Cop in Park / Guest (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Golden Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as Jean the Half-Breed

  • The Trail of the Octopus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Wang

  • Six Feet Four (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Ben Broderick

  • The Lamb and the Lion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Red Baxter

  • A Gentleman's Agreement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as Manager of Mine

  • Baree, Son of Kazan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as 'Bush' McTaggart (as Al Garcia)

  • Restitution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as Lucifer and Satan

  • Sunlight's Last Raid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Pedro

  • Her Atonement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    Actor

  • Under Two Flags (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Rockingham (as Al E. Garcia)

  • The Unafraid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Joseph

  • The Country Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Jimmy Michaelson

  • Young Romance(1915)

    as Spagnoli (as Al Garcia)

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Rose of the Rancho(1914)

    as Henchman

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Valley of the Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as Bart

  • The Flight of the Crow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1913)

    as Philip Moore - the Legal Advisor (as Al Garcia)

  • Indian Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1913)

    as Jim

  • Pierre of the North (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1913)

    as Baptiste

  • Bounder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)

    as Pete Lopez

  • Shipwrecked (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1911)

    as Pierre Binbeau

  • Their Only Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1911)

    Actor

  • The Still Alarm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1911)

    as William Manley

Career shape

Star power in the 92nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 41 titles from 1911 to 1938.

Biggest box office

Modern Times (1936)

$470K worldwide

Highest rated

Modern Times (1936)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting41 of 41: 38 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score89thOther crew3 of 41: 0 only other crew, 3 with another role

41 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and other crew overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1910s21 · acting1920s7 · 7 acting · 1 crew1930s13 · 13 acting · 2 crew

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 6 roles

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.

How do Al Ernest Garcia's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 89th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 82nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 11 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · actor

Rose of the Rancho (1914)

51st percentile spread · 74% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Modern Times (1936)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 83/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 86, detractors 66. 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 Al Ernest Garcia's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 22 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 9 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 2 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 17 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Al Ernest Garcia work with?

People who share at least 2 of Al Ernest Garcia's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Charles Chaplin shares the most, 5.

Directors

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Mixed roles