William B. Davidson
Encyclopedia
William B. Davidson was an American film actor. He 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 such well known stage & film actresses 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, the most famous of which was The Most Dangerous Game. He remained in show business until his sudden death after surgery in 1947.
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
, Mabel Taliaferro
Mabel Taliaferro
Mabel "Nell" Taliaferro was an American stage, and a silent screen actress, known as the Sweetheart of American Movies...
, Charlotte Walker
Charlotte Walker (actress)
Charlotte Walker was a Broadway theater actress from Galveston, Texas. She was the mother of character actress Sara Haden-Stage Actress:...
, Olga Petrova
Olga Petrova
Olga Petrova was an American actress, screenwriter and playwright. Born as Muriel Harding in England, she moved to the United States and became a star of vaudeville using the stage name Olga Petrova. Petrova starred in a number of films for Solax Studios and was Metro Pictures first diva, usually...
, Viola Dana
Viola Dana
Viola Dana was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent movies.- Career :Born Virginia Flugrath, Dana was a child star, appearing on the stage at the age of three. She read Shakespeare and particularly identified with the teenage Juliet. She enjoyed a long run at the...
, June Caprice
June Caprice
-Early life and career:Born Helen Elizabeth Lawson in Arlington, Massachusetts, she began her acting career in live theatre and in 1916 signed with the Fox Film Corporation....
, Edna Goodrich
Edna Goodrich
Edna Goodrich was an American Broadway actress, Florodora girl, author, and media sensation during the early 1900s. At one point, she was known as one of America's wealthiest and best dressed performers. She was married to Edwin Stacey of Cincinnati, Ohio, and later Nat C...
, and Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
. He appeared in 318 films between 1915
1915 in film
The year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 8 : D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation premieres at Clune's Auditorium Los Angeles and breaks box office and film length records, running at a total length of 3 hrs 10 minutes.* June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors...
and 1949
1949 in film
The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
.
He was born in Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 at the 2010 census.The Village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a part of, the town of Greenburgh...
, and died in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. His first Hollywood film was For the Honor of the Crew. Afterward, he appeared in many films, the most famous of which was The Most Dangerous Game. He remained in show business until his sudden death after surgery in 1947.
Selected filmography
- A Child for SaleA Child for SaleA Child for Sale is a 1920 silent film directed by Ivan Abramson, starring Gladys Leslie and Creighton Hale.-Plot: Charles Stoddard is a poor artist living with his wife and two childen in Greenwich Village. Destitute after his wife dies, he is forced to sell one of his children for $1,000 to a...
(1920) - A Gentleman of ParisA Gentleman of Paris (1927 film)A Gentleman of Paris is a 1927 comedy silent film directed by Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast and starring Adolphe Menjou, Shirley O'Hara, Arlette Marchal, Ivy Harris, Nicholas Soussanin, Lawrence Grant, William B. Davidson and Lorraine MacLean.- Cast :...
(1927) - Woman TrapWoman TrapWoman Trap is a 1929 American drama film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Evelyn Brent.- Cast :* Hal Skelly as Dan Malone* Chester Morris as Ray Malone* Evelyn Brent as Kitty Evans* William B. Davidson as Watts* Effie Ellsler as Mrs. Malone...
(1929) - The Silver HordeThe Silver Horde (1930 film)The Silver Horde is a 1930 romantic drama film starring Joel McCrea, in his first leading role, as an Alaskan fisherman torn between two women, one good and the other bad . The title is a reference to salmon. It is the second film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rex Beach...
(1930) - Windy Riley Goes HollywoodWindy Riley Goes HollywoodWindy Riley Goes Hollywood is a 1931 short comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle using the pseudonym of William Goodrich. It featured Louise Brooks in her first talkie.-Plot:...
(1931) - GraftGraft (1931 film)Graft is a 1931 thriller film directed by Christy Cabanne, starring Regis Toomey and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Regis Toomey - Dusty Hotchkiss* Sue Carol - Constance Hall* Dorothy Revier - Pearl Vaughan* Boris Karloff - Joe Terry...
(1931) - The MenaceThe Menace (film)The Menace is a 1932 American drama film directed by Roy William Neill. The screenplay by Roy Chanslor, Dorothy Howell, and Charles Logue is based on the 1927 novel The Feathered Serpent by Edgar Wallace.-Plot:...
(1932) - I'm No AngelI'm No AngelI'm No Angel is Mae West's third motion picture. West received sole story and screenplay credit. A young Cary Grant plays her leading man for the second time. Being Pre-Code, this was one of the few Mae West movies that was not subjected to heavy censorship...
(1933) - They Made Me a CriminalThey Made Me a CriminalThey Made Me a Criminal is a 1939 American Warner Bros. drama crime film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring John Garfield, Claude Rains, and The Dead End Kids. It is a remake of the 1933 film The Life of Jimmy Dolan. The film was later featured in an episode of Cinema Insomnia.-Plot:Johnnie...
(1939) - My Little ChickadeeMy Little ChickadeeMy Little Chickadee is a Universal comedy/western motion picture starring Mae West and W. C. Fields, with Joseph Calleia, Ruth Donnelly, Margaret Hamilton, Donald Meek, Willard Robertson, Dick Foran, George Moran, William B. Davidson, and Addison Richards. It was directed by Edward F. Cline...
(1940) - Seven Sinners (1940)
- The Affairs of MarthaThe Affairs of MarthaThe Affairs of Martha is a 1942 romantic comedy film directed by Jules Dassin. A young maid, Marsha Hunt, falls in love with Jeff Sommerfield and the two marry on impulse before he leaves for an anthropological trip. Before he leaves, he asks her to get the marriage annulled, but she does not do so...
(1942)