From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a 41-year career from 1911 to 1951, and directed forty-four silent films from 1912 to 1917.
MacDonald was the principal director of L. Frank Baum's Oz Film Manufacturing Company, and he can frequently be seen in the films of Frank Capra, Preston Sturges and, especially, John Ford.
Early in his career, MacDonald was a singer in minstrel shows, and he toured the United States extensively for two years with stage productions. He made his first silent film in 1911, a dramatic short entitled The Scarlett Letter made by Carl Laemmle's Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP), the forerunner of Universal Pictures,. He continued to act in numerous films each year from that time on, and by 1912 he was directing them as well. The first film he directed was The Worth of a Man, another dramatic short, again for IMP, and he was to direct 43 more films until his last in 1917, Over the Fence, which he co-directed with Harold Lloyd. MacDonald had crossed paths with Lloyd several years earlier, when Lloyd was an extra and MacDonald had given him much-needed work – and he did the same with Hal Roach, both of whom appearing in small roles in The Patchwork Girl of Oz, which MacDonald directed in 1914. When Roach set up his own studio, with Lloyd as his principal attraction, he hired MacDonald to direct.
By 1918, MacDonald, who was to become one of the most beloved character men in Hollywood, had given up directing and was acting full-time, predominantly in Westerns and Irish comedies. He first worked under director John Ford in 1919's A Fight for Love. In all, Ford would use MacDonald on twenty-five films between 1919 and 1950.
With a voice that matched his personality, MacDonald made the transition to sound films easily, with no noticeable drop in his acting output – if anything, it went up. In 1931, for instance, MacDonald appeared in 14 films – among them the first version of The Maltese Falcon, in which he played "Detective Tom Polhaus" – and in 22 of them in 1932. Although he played laborers, policemen, military men and priests, among many other characters, his roles were usually a cut above a "bit part". His characters usually had names, and he was most often credited for his performances. A highlight of this period was his performance as the hobo "Mr. Tramp" in Our Little Girl with Shirley Temple (1935).
In the 1940s, MacDonald was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in seven films written and directed by Sturges. MacDonald appeared in Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The Great Moment, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, Unfaithfully Yours and The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend, Sturges' last American film. Earlier, MacDonald had also appeared in The Power and the Glory, which Sturges wrote. His work on Sturges' films was generally uncredited. He was notable in 1946 in John Ford's My Darling Clementine in which he played "Mac," the bartender in the town saloon. MacDonald also had uncredited roles in It's a Wonderful Life and Here Comes The Groom.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0531759
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3038280
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Filmography (Movies)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:12/05/1997
Superman and the Mole Men
Character:Pop Shannon
Release Date:23/11/1951
Here Comes the Groom
Character:Husband on Airplane (uncredited)
Release Date:20/09/1951
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
Character:Mr. Kroeger
Release Date:01/08/1951
Woman on the Run
Character:Cap, the Retired Ferryboat Captain
Release Date:10/11/1950
Hostile Country
Character:Mr. Lane (uncredited)
Release Date:24/03/1950
The Daltons' Women
Character:Alvin
Release Date:25/02/1950
When Willie Comes Marching Home
Character:Gilby - Pharmacist (uncredited)
Release Date:17/02/1950
Dakota Lil
Character:Ellis
Release Date:17/02/1950
The Dalton Gang
Character:Judge Price
Release Date:20/10/1949
You're My Everything
Character:Doorman (uncredited)
Release Date:22/07/1949
Streets of San Francisco
Character:Pop Lockhart
Release Date:15/04/1949
Trouble Preferred
Character:Apartment House Manager (uncredited)
Release Date:31/12/1948
Whispering Smith
Character:Bill Baggs
Release Date:09/12/1948
Shep Comes Home
Character:Sheriff Cap Weatherby
Release Date:03/12/1948
The Walls of Jericho
Character:Bailiff (uncredited)
Release Date:22/11/1948
Belle Starr's Daughter
Character:Doc Benson
Release Date:13/11/1948
Fury at Furnace Creek
Character:Pops Murphy (uncredited)
Release Date:30/04/1948
Sitting Pretty
Character:Cop (uncredited)
Release Date:10/03/1948
Panhandle
Character:Doc Cooper
Release Date:22/02/1948
If You Knew Susie
Character:Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Release Date:07/02/1948
Thunder in the Valley
Character:McPherson - Innkeeper
Release Date:01/11/1947
Christmas Eve
Character:Policeman (uncredited)
Release Date:31/10/1947
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
Character:Mac, Bailiff (uncredited)
Release Date:01/09/1947
Keeper of the Bees
Character:Postmaster
Release Date:10/07/1947
Web of Danger
Character:Scotty MacKronish - Bus Driver
Release Date:10/06/1947
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
Character:Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Release Date:04/04/1947
It's a Wonderful Life
Character:Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
Release Date:20/12/1946
Goodbye, Weeds
Character:Gardener
Release Date:30/10/1946
My Darling Clementine
Character:Mac the barman
Release Date:17/10/1946
Smoky
Character:Jim, the Cook
Release Date:26/06/1946
Joe Palooka, Champ
Character:Long-Count Bowman
Release Date:26/05/1946
Pillow of Death
Character:
Release Date:14/12/1945
Fallen Angel
Character:Bank Guard (uncredited)
Release Date:15/11/1945
Johnny Angel
Character:Capt. Angel
Release Date:25/10/1945
Circumstantial Evidence
Character:Jury Foreman
Release Date:20/04/1945
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Character:Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
Release Date:28/02/1945
Hangover Square
Character:Street Vendor (uncredited)
Release Date:07/02/1945
Greenwich Village
Character:O'Shea, policeman
Release Date:27/09/1944
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
Character:Sheriff (uncredited)
Release Date:18/09/1944
The Great Moment
Character:The Priest
Release Date:18/07/1944
Texas Masquerade
Character:John Martindale
Release Date:08/02/1944
True to Life
Character:Man (uncredited)
Release Date:24/12/1943
Tiger Fangs
Character:Geoffrey MacCardle
Release Date:10/09/1943
The Ape Man
Character:Captain O'Brien
Release Date:05/03/1943
Harrigan's Kid
Character:Frank (uncredited)
Release Date:01/03/1943
The McGuerins from Brooklyn
Character:Cop
Release Date:31/12/1942
Bowery at Midnight
Character:Capt. Mitchell
Release Date:30/10/1942
Phantom Killer
Character:Police Captain
Release Date:02/10/1942
The Palm Beach Story
Character:Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
Release Date:28/08/1942
The Living Ghost
Character:Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
Release Date:11/08/1942
One Thrilling Night
Character:Police Sergeant Haggerty
Release Date:05/06/1942
Reap the Wild Wind
Character:Port Captain
Release Date:26/03/1942
Captains of the Clouds
Character:Dr. Neville
Release Date:12/02/1942
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
Character:Henry Hathaway
Release Date:31/01/1942
Private Snuffy Smith
Character:Gen. Rosewater
Release Date:16/01/1942
Law of the Timber
Character:Adams
Release Date:19/12/1941
Riders of the Timberline
Character:Jim Kerrigan
Release Date:17/09/1941
Broadway Limited
Character:Mulcahey
Release Date:13/06/1941
The Great Lie
Character:Dr. Ferguson
Release Date:05/04/1941
In Old Cheyenne
Character:Tim Casey
Release Date:04/04/1941
Meet John Doe
Character:'Sourpuss'
Release Date:14/03/1941
Friendly Neighbors
Character:Sheiff Potts
Release Date:17/11/1940
Untamed
Character:Dr. Billar
Release Date:24/07/1940
Pony Express Days
Character:Nevada Jim
Release Date:13/07/1940
Stagecoach War
Character:Jeff Chapman
Release Date:12/07/1940
The Last Alarm
Character:Jim Hadley
Release Date:25/06/1940
Prairie Law
Character:Sheriff Jim Austin
Release Date:14/06/1940
I Take This Oath
Character:Insp. Tim Ryan
Release Date:20/05/1940
The Light of Western Stars
Character:Bill Stillwell
Release Date:17/04/1940
Dark Command
Character:Dave
Release Date:15/04/1940
Knights of the Range
Character:Cappy
Release Date:23/02/1940
The Gentleman from Arizona
Character:Wild Bill Coburn
Release Date:25/12/1939
The Housekeeper's Daughter
Character:Captain
Release Date:26/10/1939
Full Confession
Character:Joe, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Release Date:08/09/1939
They Shall Have Music
Character:Police Chief (uncredited)
Release Date:18/08/1939
Coast Guard
Character:Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
Release Date:04/08/1939
Conspiracy
Character:Captain of the Falcon
Release Date:01/08/1939
Mickey the Kid
Character:Sheriff J.J. Willoughby
Release Date:03/07/1939
Susannah of the Mounties
Character:Pat O'Hannegan
Release Date:13/06/1939
Zenobia
Character:Judge
Release Date:21/04/1939
East Side of Heaven
Character:Doorman (uncredited)
Release Date:07/04/1939
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
Character:Craig Dolan
Release Date:25/02/1939
Little Orphan Annie
Character:'Pop' Corrigan
Release Date:02/12/1938
Submarine Patrol
Character:CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
Release Date:25/11/1938
Come On, Rangers
Character:Colonel Forbes
Release Date:21/11/1938
Gang Bullets
Character:Chief Reardon
Release Date:10/11/1938
The Last Express
Character:William Barton (Detective Agency Head)
Release Date:27/10/1938
There Goes My Heart
Character:Officer
Release Date:14/10/1938
The Crowd Roars
Character:Father Patrick Ryan
Release Date:06/08/1938
Barefoot Boy
Character:Warden
Release Date:03/08/1938
White Banners
Character:Dr. Thompson
Release Date:23/06/1938
Numbered Woman
Character:Capt. Mike Ryan
Release Date:22/05/1938
Extortion
Character:Coach Pearson
Release Date:09/05/1938
State Police
Character:Charlie Wheeler
Release Date:18/03/1938
My Old Kentucky Home
Character:Mayor Jim Hopkins
Release Date:09/02/1938
Courage of the West
Character:Buck Saunders
Release Date:01/12/1937
County Fair
Character:Calvin Williams
Release Date:24/11/1937
The Game That Kills
Character:Joe Holland
Release Date:21/09/1937
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Character:'Doc' Howe
Release Date:17/09/1937
Topper
Character:Policeman
Release Date:16/07/1937
Roaring Timber
Character:Andrew MacKinley
Release Date:03/07/1937
Flying Fists
Character:Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
Release Date:01/07/1937
Slim
Character:Pop
Release Date:24/06/1937
Slave Ship
Character:Proprietor
Release Date:16/06/1937
Parnell
Character:Irish Laborer (uncredited)
Release Date:04/06/1937
Parnell
Character:Irish Laborer
Release Date:04/06/1937
The Hit Parade
Character:Sgt. O'Hara
Release Date:26/04/1937
Maid of Salem
Character:Captain of Ship
Release Date:12/02/1937
The Great Barrier
Character:Major Rogers
Release Date:02/01/1937
Mysterious Crossing
Character:Police Chief Bullock
Release Date:27/12/1936
Show Boat
Character:Windy MacLaine
Release Date:17/05/1936
Florida Special
Character:Harrigan
Release Date:01/05/1936
Exclusive Story
Character:Michael Devlin
Release Date:17/01/1936
Riffraff
Character:'Brains'
Release Date:03/01/1936
Hitch Hike Lady
Character:Judge Hale
Release Date:28/12/1935
Fighting Youth
Character:Coach Parker
Release Date:01/11/1935
Stormy
Character:Trinidad Dorn
Release Date:21/10/1935
Waterfront Lady
Character:Capt. O'Brien
Release Date:04/10/1935
Danger Ahead
Character:Harry Cromwell
Release Date:01/08/1935
The Irish in Us
Character:Capt. Jackson
Release Date:31/07/1935
Front Page Woman
Character:Hallohan
Release Date:11/07/1935
Shadows of the Orient
Character:Inspector Sullivan
Release Date:06/07/1935
The Arizonian
Character:Marshal Andy Jordan
Release Date:27/06/1935
The Healer
Character:Applejack
Release Date:14/06/1935
Let 'em Have It
Character:Mr. Keefer
Release Date:15/05/1935
Swellhead
Character:Umpire
Release Date:04/05/1935
Star of Midnight
Character:Inspector Doremus
Release Date:19/04/1935
The Whole Town's Talking
Character:Prison Warden (uncredited)
Release Date:22/02/1935
Northern Frontier
Character:Inspector
Release Date:01/02/1935
Square Shooter
Character:Sheriff
Release Date:21/01/1935
The Best Man Wins
Character:Captain--Harbor Patrol
Release Date:14/01/1935
Maybe It's Love
Character:The Cop
Release Date:12/01/1935
Romance in Manhattan
Character:Murphy
Release Date:11/01/1935
Our Little Girl
Character:Hobo
Release Date:01/01/1935
Beggar's Holiday
Character:Pop Malloy
Release Date:17/08/1934
Once to Every Woman
Character:Flannigan
Release Date:24/03/1934
The Crime Doctor
Character:Kemp
Release Date:14/03/1934
The Crosby Case
Character:The Doorman--Mike Costello
Release Date:05/03/1934
Man of Two Worlds
Character:Michael
Release Date:13/01/1934
Murder on the Campus
Character:Police Capt. Ed Kyne
Release Date:26/12/1933
Under Secret Orders
Character:John Burke
Release Date:06/12/1933
Myrt and Marge
Character:Grady
Release Date:25/11/1933
The Power and the Glory
Character:Mulligan
Release Date:06/10/1933
I Loved a Woman
Character:Shuster
Release Date:23/09/1933
How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points
Character:Himself
Release Date:04/08/1933
Laughing at Life
Character:Prison Warden
Release Date:12/07/1933
Peg o' My Heart
Character:Patrick Shamus 'Pat' O'Connell
Release Date:26/05/1933
The Working Man
Character:Henry 'Hank' Davis
Release Date:20/04/1933
The Vanishing Frontier
Character:Waco
Release Date:13/03/1933
The Iron Master
Character:J.C. Stillman
Release Date:04/02/1933
No Man of Her Own
Character:"Dickie" Collins
Release Date:30/12/1932
The Racing Strain
Character:Mr. Martin
Release Date:16/12/1932
Me and My Gal
Character:Pop Riley
Release Date:04/12/1932
Men Are Such Fools
Character:Prison Warden Randolph
Release Date:18/11/1932
The Pride of the Legion
Character:Chief Scott
Release Date:17/10/1932
Heritage of the Desert
Character:Adam Naab
Release Date:30/09/1932
This Sporting Age
Character:Jerry O'Day
Release Date:14/09/1932
70,000 Witnesses
Character:State Coach
Release Date:09/09/1932
Hearts of Humanity
Character:Tom O'Hara
Release Date:31/08/1932
The Phantom Express
Character:D.J. 'Smokey' Nolan
Release Date:15/08/1932
The Thirteenth Guest
Character:Captain Ryan
Release Date:09/08/1932
The Hurricane Express
Character:Jim Baker
Release Date:01/08/1932
Madame Racketeer
Character:John Adams
Release Date:23/07/1932
Week-End Marriage
Character:Mr. Davis
Release Date:18/06/1932
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
Character:Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
Release Date:28/05/1932
Scandal for Sale
Character:Treadway
Release Date:01/04/1932
Probation
Character:George Holman
Release Date:15/03/1932
Steady Company
Character:Hogan
Release Date:13/03/1932
Hotel Continental
Character:Detective Martin
Release Date:21/02/1932
Discarded Lovers
Character:Sommers
Release Date:03/01/1932
Under Eighteen
Character:Pop Evans
Release Date:02/01/1932
Touchdown!
Character:Pop Stewart
Release Date:15/11/1931
The Spirit of Notre Dame
Character:The Coach
Release Date:13/10/1931
The Brat
Character:Timson, the butler
Release Date:23/08/1931
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 9: 'The Driver'
Character:
Release Date:18/08/1931
Sporting Blood
Character:MacGuire
Release Date:08/08/1931
Stranger in Town
Character:Scout
Release Date:06/08/1931
The Squaw Man
Character:Big Bill
Release Date:21/07/1931
The Maltese Falcon
Character:Det. Sgt. Tom Polhaus
Release Date:23/05/1931
Too Young to Marry
Character:Rev. Stump
Release Date:03/05/1931
The Millionaire
Character:Dan Lewis
Release Date:01/05/1931
The Stolen Jools
Character:Policeman
Release Date:04/04/1931
Woman Hungry
Character:Buzzard
Release Date:04/04/1931
The Easiest Way
Character:Ben Murdock
Release Date:07/02/1931
The Painted Desert
Character:Jeff Cameron
Release Date:18/01/1931
Other Men's Women
Character:Peg-Leg
Release Date:17/01/1931
The Truth About Youth
Character:Colonel Graham
Release Date:03/11/1930
River's End
Character:O'Toole
Release Date:01/11/1930
The Girl of the Golden West
Character:Sonora Slim
Release Date:12/10/1930
Song o' My Heart
Character:Rafferty
Release Date:11/03/1930
Men Without Women
Character:Costello
Release Date:08/02/1930
South Sea Rose
Character:Hackett
Release Date:09/12/1929
The Painted Angel
Character:Pa Hudler
Release Date:01/12/1929
Happy Days
Character:Train Conductor
Release Date:16/09/1929
Masquerade
Character:Joe Hickey
Release Date:14/07/1929
Masked Emotions
Character:Will Whitten
Release Date:22/06/1929
Strong Boy
Character:Angus McGregor
Release Date:03/03/1929
In Old Arizona
Character:Stage Passenger (uncredited)
Release Date:25/12/1928
Riley the Cop
Character:James 'Aloysius' Riley
Release Date:25/11/1928
4 Devils
Character:The Clown
Release Date:03/10/1928
None But the Brave
Character:John Craig
Release Date:05/08/1928
Abie's Irish Rose
Character:Patrick Murphy
Release Date:19/04/1928
Bringing Up Father
Character:Jiggs
Release Date:18/03/1928
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris
Character:Patrick Kelly
Release Date:15/01/1928
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Character:The Photographer
Release Date:04/11/1927
East Side, West Side
Character:Pug Malone
Release Date:09/10/1927
Paid to Love
Character:Peter Roberts
Release Date:23/07/1927
Cradle Snatchers
Character:George Martin
Release Date:28/05/1927
Ankles Preferred
Character:McGuire
Release Date:27/02/1927
Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl
Character:Sloan
Release Date:19/12/1926
The Country Beyond
Character:Sgt. Cassidy
Release Date:17/10/1926
The Family Upstairs
Character:Joe Heller
Release Date:29/08/1926
3 Bad Men
Character:Mike Costigan
Release Date:28/08/1926
The Last Frontier
Character:Wild Bill Hickok
Release Date:16/08/1926
A Trip to Chinatown
Character:Benjamin Strong
Release Date:06/06/1926
The Shamrock Handicap
Character:Con O'Shea
Release Date:02/05/1926
The Dixie Merchant
Character:Jean Paul Fippany
Release Date:07/03/1926
The First Year
Character:Mr. Barstow
Release Date:24/01/1926
The Fighting Heart
Character:Jerry
Release Date:18/10/1925
Thank You
Character:Andy
Release Date:05/10/1925
The Iron Horse
Character:Corporal Casey
Release Date:04/10/1925
Kentucky Pride
Character:Donavan
Release Date:06/09/1925
The Lucky Horseshoe
Character:Mack
Release Date:30/08/1925
Lightnin'
Character:Lemuel Townsend
Release Date:23/08/1925
Let Women Alone
Character:Commodore John Gordon
Release Date:04/01/1925
Those Who Dare
Character:
Release Date:15/11/1924
The Brass Bowl
Character:Hickey
Release Date:06/11/1924
Gerald Cranston's Lady
Character:Rennie
Release Date:19/10/1924
The Signal Tower
Character:Pete
Release Date:19/07/1924
Western Luck
Character:'Chuck' Campbell
Release Date:22/06/1924
Mademoiselle Midnight
Character:Duc de Moing (Prologue)
Release Date:14/04/1924
The Storm Daughter
Character:Con Mullaney
Release Date:23/03/1924
Fashionable Fakers
Character:Pat O'Donnell
Release Date:16/12/1923
The Age of Desire
Character:Dan Reagan
Release Date:01/09/1923
Drifting
Character:Murphy
Release Date:26/08/1923
Racing Hearts
Character:Silas Martin
Release Date:15/07/1923
Quicksands
Character:Col. Patterson
Release Date:28/02/1923
While Paris Sleeps
Character:
Release Date:21/01/1923
The Young Rajah
Character:Amhad Beg - Prime Minister
Release Date:11/11/1922
Manslaughter
Character:(uncredited)
Release Date:24/09/1922
The Ghost Breaker
Character:Sam Marcum
Release Date:10/09/1922
The Bonded Woman
Character:Captain Gaskell
Release Date:21/08/1922
Over the Border
Character:Peter Galbraith
Release Date:04/06/1922
Tracks
Character:Jack Bess
Release Date:07/05/1922
The Bachelor Daddy
Character:Joe Pelton
Release Date:29/04/1922
Come on Over
Character:Michael Morahan
Release Date:11/03/1922
Sky High
Character:Jim Frazer (as J. Farrel MacDonald)
Release Date:15/01/1922
Trailin'
Character:Joseph Piotto
Release Date:11/12/1921
Riding with Death
Character:Sheriff Pat Garrity
Release Date:13/11/1921
Action
Character:Mormon Peters
Release Date:12/09/1921
The Wallop
Character:Neuces River
Release Date:09/05/1921
Desperate Youth
Character:
Release Date:25/04/1921
The Freeze-Out
Character:Bobtail McGuire
Release Date:09/04/1921
Hitchin' Posts
Character:Joe Alabam (as J. Farrell McDonald)
Release Date:13/09/1920
The Path She Chose
Character:Father
Release Date:24/05/1920
Bullet Proof
Character:Jim Boone
Release Date:03/05/1920
Marked Men
Character:Tom Placer McGraw
Release Date:21/12/1919
This Hero Stuff
Character:Softnose Smith
Release Date:10/08/1919
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
Character:
Release Date:29/06/1919
A Sporting Chance
Character:Luther Ripley aka Kennedy
Release Date:28/06/1919
Riders of Vengeance
Character:Buell
Release Date:09/06/1919
A Fight For Love
Character:The Priest
Release Date:24/03/1919
Roped
Character:Butler
Release Date:03/01/1919
Fair Enough
Character:Chief of Police Morgan
Release Date:29/12/1918
$5,000 Reward
Character:Norcross
Release Date:25/05/1918
Rags
Character:Paul Ferguson (as Joseph Farrell MacDonald)
Release Date:02/08/1915
The Calling of Louis Mona
Character:
Release Date:28/03/1913
A Timely Repentance
Character:Louis Nordell
Release Date:11/03/1912
'Tween Two Loves
Character:Farmer Howard
Release Date:28/09/1911
The Lighthouse Keeper
Character:The Lighthouse Keeper
Release Date:18/05/1911
The Scarlet Letter
Character:
Release Date:27/04/1911
The Dream
Character:Secondary Role (uncredited)
Release Date:23/01/1911
The Time-Lock Safe
Character:Office Worker
Release Date:08/07/1910
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