Mahlon Preston Hamilton, Jr. (June 15, 1880 – June 20, 1960), was an American stage and screen actor. He was the son of a bartender born in Baltimore, Maryland,^[1][2] the eldest of four children, with the rest of the siblings being girls. Census records indicate his mother died sometime around 1899.^[3]

Hamilton served with the Maryland National Guard^[4] and attended the Maryland Agricultural College (today the University of Maryland, College Park) ^[5] before turning to acting.

From 1908 through 1914, Hamilton appeared in such plays as The Great Question,^[6] Israel,^[7] When Claudia Smiles,^[8] The Chaperon,^[9] and Overnight.^[10] He began his film career during the silent era, appearing in more than 90 films between 1914 and 1950.

Hamilton married Aleta Farnum in 1918; the marriage ended in divorce in 1925.^{[citation needed]}

He died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California from cancer^[11][12] and was interred at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.^[13]