Leo Daniel Maloney was born on January 4, 1888, in San Jose, California.[3][4][5] However some sources state he was born in Santa Rosa, California.[4] He attended Santa Clara College (now Santa Clara University).[3]
He built the "Leo Maloney Studio" in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1911 and 1929. He appeared in many Western films by Selig Company (also known as Selig Polyscope Company).[6]
He directed 47 films between 1914 and 1929. Maloney's final film was one of the first sound pictures, 1929's Overland Bound. While at a party in Manhattan to celebrate the completion of that picture, Maloney suffered a fatal stroke. His death was probed by police and may have been due to chronic alcoholism.[4][5]