Person

William B. Davidson

Acting · 1888–1947 · Dobbs Ferry, New York, USA

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia William B. Davidson (June 16, 1888 – September 28, 1947) was an American film actor. Davidson attended Columbia University where he played football. He became a popular football star. This fame eventually led to his foray into motion pictures after he had spent some time as a lawyer. He started in films in 1914 with Vitagraph and supported well known stage and film actresses such as Ethel Barrymore, Mabel Taliaferro, Charlotte Walker, Olga Petrova, Viola Dana, June Caprice, Edna Goodrich, and Mae West. He appeared in 318 films between 1915 and 1949. He was born in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and died in Santa Monica, California. His first Hollywood film was For the Honor of the Crew. Afterward, he appeared in many films, his best-known role was perhaps the Ship's captain in The Most Dangerous Game. He remained in show business until his sudden death after surgery in 1947.

Known for

Filmography

1994Mae West and the Men Who Knew HerSelf (archive footage)
1975Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?Self (archive footage)
1955MGM Parade
1947The Judge Steps OutColonel Bright (uncredited)
1947That Hagen GirlMr. Bowman (uncredited)
1947That's My ManSteward
1947Dick Tracy's DilemmaPeter Premium
1946The Plainsman and the LadyRussell
1946My Darling ClementineSaloon Owner (uncredited)
1946The Cat CreepsJames Walsh
1946Ding Dong WilliamsMr. Saul Dana
1946Blonde AlibiPolice Captain Hurley (Uncredited)
1946The Notorious Lone WolfInspector Crane (as William Davidson)
1945They Were ExpendableHotel Manager (uncredited)
1945Sing Your Way HomeF.T. Johnson (uncredited)
1945Tell It to a StarBrannigan
1945Blonde RansomPolice Captain
1945DillingerBank President (uncredited)
1945Circumstantial EvidenceBoard of Appeals Chairman
1945The Man Who Walked AloneGovernor
1945See My LawyerJudge
1944Greenwich VillageDance Director
1944In SocietyParker
1944Make Your Own BedMr. Linklater
1944A Night of AdventureGilbert J. Regan (uncredited)
1944Shine on Harvest MoonTim Donovan (uncredited)
1944Up in ArmsMaxwell (uncredited)
1943Over the WallWarden Ed
1943Murder on the WaterfrontCapt. Towne
1943The Good FellowsBlake
1943Hers to HoldAl
1943Mission to MoscowSenator (uncredited)
1943CalabooseSheriff George Lane (as William Davidson)
1943Truck BustersStephen S. Gray
1942Gentleman JimDonovan (uncredited)
1942Careful, Soft ShouldersMr. Aldrich
1942The Magnificent DopeMr. Reindel
1942The Affairs of MarthaHomer Jacell
1942In This Our LifeJim Purdy
1942Larceny, Inc.McCarthy
1942The Affairs of Jimmy ValentineCyrus Ballard
1942The Male AnimalAlumnus
1942Over My Dead BodyCrole (as William Davidson)
1941Remember the DayCommitteeman
1941Keep 'Em FlyingGonigle
1941The Great Man's LadySen. Knobs
1941Three Girls About TownLabor Leader
1941Uncle JoeMr. Day
1941Week-End in HavanaCaptain Moss
1941Sun Valley SerenadeJack Murray
1941Highway WestGorman
1941Hold That GhostMoose Matson
1941Three Sons o' GunsHenry Baxter
1941In the NavyCapt. Richards (uncredited)
1941Thieves Fall OutHarrison "Harry" Eckles
1941The Lady from CheyenneNye Dunbar
1941Man-Made MonsterDistrict Attorney Ralph B. Stanley
1940San Francisco DocksDist. Atty. Craig
1940Charter PilotMr. Wentworth
1940A Night at Earl Carroll'sMayor Green of San Bernardino
1940Lady with Red HairStock Company Manager (uncredited)
1940Tin Pan AlleyHotel Manager
1940Sandy Gets Her ManCouncilman Charles J. Clark
1940Seven SinnersPolice Chief
1940Hired WifeMumford (as William Davidson)
1940MarylandJohn Addison
1940My Love Came BackAgent
1940Sailor's LadyJudge Hinsdale
1940FlorianArchduke Franz Ferdinand
1940Girl in 313George Grayson
1940Lillian RussellPresident Cleveland
1940On Their OwnJudge Bull
1940Half a SinnerSlick
1940Granny Get Your GunFitzgerald
1940My Little ChickadeeSheriff of Little Bend (uncredited)
1939Invisible StripesMontgomery (uncredited)
1939The Honeymoon's OverCrane
1939Private DetectiveInspector Evans
1939Smashing the Money RingWarden Denby
1939Honeymoon in BaliStore Detective
1939Dust Be My DestinyWork Farm Warden
1939Hidden PowerFoster
1939Each Dawn I DieBill Mason
1939Indianapolis SpeedwayDuncan Martin
1939Naughty but NiceSamuel 'Sam' 'Simsy' Hudson - Music Publisher
1939On TrialMr. Gray
1939Sudden MoneySam
1939Three Smart Girls Grow UpStock Broker
1939Blondie Meets the BossElderly Man in Café (uncredited)
1939Tail SpinSales Manager (Uncredited)
1939Blackwell's IslandHempel
1939They Made Me a CriminalEnnis
1939Off the RecordScotty
1938Illegal TrafficDalton
1938There Goes My HeartSkipper Jackson (uncredited)
1938Mr. Doodle Kicks OffEllory Bugs
1938Letter of IntroductionMr. Raleigh (uncredited)
1938Racket BustersTrucking Chairman (uncredited)
1938Cowboy from BrooklynMr. 'W.P.' Alvey
1938BlockadeCommandant
1938You and MeN. G. Orton, Attorney-at-Law (uncredited)
1938Cocoanut GroveHawtrey
1938The Jury's SecretPage
1938Hollywood HotelDirector Kelton
1938Sergeant MurphyMaj. Gruff (uncredited)
1937Love on ToastJonathan
1937The HurricaneThe Bully (uncredited)
1937Something to Sing AboutCafé Manager
1937Behind the MikeCyrus Wittles
1937It Happened in HollywoodAl Howard
1937Paradise IsleHoener
1937Easy LivingMr. Hyde
1937Ever Since EveHenderson
1937Marry the GirlDrake
1937The Road BackBartscher
1937Melody for TwoMr. Hale
1937Let Them LiveThe Editor
1937Marked WomanBob Crandall
1937Midnight CourtAlfred H. Kruger
1936Gold Diggers of 1937Andy Callahan
1936Earthworm TractorsMr. Jackson
1936Satan Met a LadyCity Fathers Committee Spokesman (uncredited)
1936The Big NoiseWelford Andrews
1936Murder by an AristocratBayard Thatcher
1936Fatal LadyDetective (uncredited)
1936The Singing KidBarney Hammond
1936Road GangAttorney General Mardsen
1936Love on a BetA.W. Hutchinson
1936You May Be Next!Official (uncredited)
1935DangerousReed Walsh
1935Show Them No Mercy!Chief Haggerty (as William Davidson)
1935In PersonDirector Bill Sutter (uncredited)
1935Special AgentCharlie Young - Carston's Lawyer
1935Redheads on ParadeTheatre Manager
1935Woman WantedCollins
1935Oil for the Lamps of ChinaE.H. Swaley
1935Go Into Your DanceTom McGee
1935A Night at the RitzConnolly
1935Straight from the HeartProsecuting Attorney
1935Death Flies EastPolice Captain Barrie
1935Sweet MusicBillie Madison
1935Devil Dogs of the AirAdjutant
1935BordertownDr. Carter
1934The Man Who Reclaimed His HeadCharles (as William Davidson)
1934The Secret BrideRepresentative McPherson
1934Imitation of LifeMan Buying Cigar (uncredited)
1934The St. Louis KidJoe Hunter
1934The Dragon Murder CaseGreeff
1934HousewifeNan's Attorney
1934Friends of Mr. SweeneyStephen Prime
1934Fog Over FriscoEditor Joe Hogue
1934UpperworldCity Editor (uncredited)
1934Laughing BoyHartshone (as William Davidson)
1934The Big ShakedownDistrict Attorney (uncredited)
1933Lady KillerDirector Williams
1933FemaleDepartment Head (Uncredited)
1933Meet the BaronGeneral Broadcasting Representative
1933I'm No AngelErnest Brown
1933Torch SingerJarrett
1933How to Break 90 #3: Hip ActionHimself
1933The IntruderDet. Lt. Samson
1933Dangerously YoursGeorge Carr
1933Mystery of the Wax MuseumDetective (Uncredited)
1933Hello, Everybody!Mr. Parker
1933The Billion Dollar ScandalJim Lawrence
1932The Animal KingdomChess Player (uncredited)
1932Central ParkPolice Lieutenant (uncredited)
1932Guilty or Not GuiltyChief
1932The Sport ParadeKendricks (uncredited)
1932The Pride of the LegionSgt. Arnold
1932Her Mad NightDistrict Attorney
1932The Most Dangerous GameCaptain
1932The Thirteenth GuestPolice Captain Brown (uncredited)
1932Is My Face Red?O'Sullivan
1932ScarfaceCitizens Committee Member (uncredited)
1932The Lost SquadronLelewer
1932Sky DevilsCaptain
1932The MenaceJohn Utterson
1931Half HolidayJerry - Andy's Pal
1931GraftM.H. Thomas
1931The Secret CallJim Blake
1931The Vice SquadMagistrate Tom Morrison
1931Windy Riley Goes Hollywood
1931How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 2: 'Chip Shots'Himself - Golfer
1931Dishonored
1931Captain ApplejackBill Dennett
1931No LimitWilkie
1930Hook, Line and SinkerFrank Dukette aka Duke of Winchester (as William Davidson)
1930Oh, for a Man!Kerry Stokes
1930Hell's AngelsStaff Major
1930SunnyFirst Ship's Officer
1930The Silver HordeTom Hilliard
1930Playboy of ParisMonsieur Bannack (uncredited)
1930The Costello CaseSaunders
1930Scarlet PagesJackson
1930For the DefenseDist. Atty. Stone
1930A Man from WyomingMajor
1930Men Are Like ThatFrank Hyland
1929Blaze o' GloryDistrict Attorney (as William Davidson)
1929Always FaithfulGeorge W. Mason
1929Woman TrapWatts
1929Queen of the Night ClubsAssistant District Attorney (as William Davidson)
1929The Carnation KidBlythe
1928Sharp Tools
1928Good Morning, JudgeElton (as William Davidson)
1927A Gentleman of ParisHenri Dufour
1927Cradle SnatchersRoy Ladd
1927The Last TrailKurt Morley
1925Hearts and SpursVictor Dufresne
1925RecompenseCol. Donovan
1925Women and GoldSeñor Ortego
1925Ports of CallRandolph Sherman
1924The Valley of DoubtMacy
1924The Storm DaughterRennert
1923Adam and EvaDr. Delamater
1922The Dumb-Bell
1921NobodyJohn Rossmore
1921The Girl from NowhereJimmy Ryder
1920Partners of the NightRobert Clifford
1919The CapitolCongressman Blake
1919Lure of AmbitionHon. Cyril Ralston
1919Impossible CatherineJohn Henry Jackson
1919La belle RusseBrand
1919A Woman There WasRev. Winthrop Stark
1919The Gold CureMichael Darcy
1918Why I Would Not MarryUndetermined Role
1918In Pursuit of PollyLarry O'Malley
1918Ashes of Love
1918Friend HusbandJohn Sparr
1918Our Little WifeDr. Elliott
1917Her Second HusbandJohn Kirby
1917American MaidDavid Starr
1917Persuasive PeggyEd Trowbridge
1917More Truth Than PoetryAllen Danby
1917The Lifted VeilMalcolm Grant
1917The Greatest PowerJohn Conrad
1917Lady BarnacleKrishna Dhwaj
1917The Call of Her PeopleNicholas Van Kleet
1917A Magdalene of the HillsBud Weaver
1917Mary Lawson's SecretDr. Brundage
1917The White RavenThe Stranger
1917A Modern Cinderella
1916In the Diplomatic ServiceLynn Hardi
1916The PretendersJoseph Bailey (as William Davidson)
1916The Child of DestinyCalvin Baker
1916Dorian's DivorceHenry Morgan (as William Davidson)
1916The Price of MaliceCapt. Mills
1916Her Debt of HonorJohn Hartfield
1915A Yellow StreakJack Rader
1915For the Honor of the CrewRobert Brent

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