Augustin McHugh

Born in Brooklyn on July 22, 1877, Augustin McHugh — often listed as Augustin MacHugh — was an American actor and writer. Surviving reference sources consistently connect him with the theater and with early film adaptations of his work, and they place his death in New York City on August 24, 1928.

He is most closely associated with Officer 666, a hit comedy that appeared as a novel and a stage success and was later adapted for the screen more than once. Catalog and library records also show other dramatic works, including The Meanest Man in the World, suggesting a career centered on popular, fast-moving entertainment for the stage.

Although he is not widely remembered today, McHugh belongs to that generation of writers who helped shape American commercial comedy in the years when Broadway and silent film were closely linked. His surviving books, play records, and film credits still give a clear sense of a hardworking professional storyteller with a gift for crowd-pleasing humor.