William Desmond (actor)
Encyclopedia
William Desmond was an Irish-born American actor. He appeared in 205 film
s between 1915 and 1948. He was nicknamed "The King of the Silent Serials."
Born William Mannion in Dublin, Ireland
, he was raised in New York City
. He later changed his surname to a stage name
. He started out in vaudeville
and the legitimate stage
, before making his film debut.
William Desmond died at age 71 of a heart attack
in Los Angeles, California
. He is inurned at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory
, Los Angeles.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s between 1915 and 1948. He was nicknamed "The King of the Silent Serials."
Born William Mannion in Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, he was raised in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He later changed his surname to a stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
. He started out in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and the legitimate stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, before making his film debut.
William Desmond died at age 71 of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. He is inurned at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Chapel of the Pines Crematory is a crematory and columbarium located at 1605 South Catalina Street Los Angeles, California, in the historic West Adams District a short distance southwest of Downtown...
, Los Angeles.
Selected filmography
- PeggyPeggy (film)Peggy is a 1916 silent film comedy drama produced and directed by Thomas Ince and starring Billie Burke in her motion picture debut. It is a lost film.-Cast:*Billie Burke as Peggy Cameron*William H. Thompson as Andrew Cameron...
(1916) - Society for SaleSociety for SaleSociety for Sale is a 1918 silent drama film directed by Frank Borzage, starring William Desmond and Gloria Swanson.-Cast:* William Desmond - Honorable Billy* Gloria Swanson - Phylis Clyne* Herbert Prior - Lord Sheldon* Charles Dorian - Furnival...
(1918) - The Prince and BettyThe Prince and Betty (film)The Prince and Betty is a 1919 comedy film directed by Robert Thornby. It features Boris Karloff in an uncredited role. It is based on the novel of the same name written by P. G. Wodehouse.-Cast:* William Desmond - John Maude* Mary Thurman - Betty Keith...
(19191919 in filmThe year 1919 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 5 - Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith launch United Artists...
) - Perils of the YukonPerils of the YukonPerils of the Yukon is a 1922 Northern film serial directed by Jay Marchant, J. P. McGowan and Perry N. Vekroff. This serial is presumably lost.-Cast:* William Desmond - Jack Merrill Sr. / Jack Merrill Jr.* Laura La Plante - Olga...
(19221922 in film-Events:* June 11 - United States première of Robert J. Flaherty's Nanook of the North, the first commercially successful feature length documentary film....
) - Around the World in Eighteen DaysAround the World in Eighteen DaysAround the World in Eighteen Days is a 1923 film serial directed by B. Reeves Eason and Robert F. Hill. The film is now considered to be a lost film.-Cast:* William Desmond - Phineas Fogg III* Laura La Plante - Madge Harlow...
(19231923 in film-Events:*April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1923:U.S.A...
) - The Phantom FortuneThe Phantom FortuneThe Phantom Fortune is a 1923 film serial directed by Robert F. Hill.-Cast:* William Desmond - Larry Barclay* Esther Ralston - Mary Rogers* Lewis Sargent - Speck O'Dawn* Harry De Vere - Graham Alexander* George Webb - Alexander Owens...
(1923) - Beasts of ParadiseBeasts of ParadiseBeasts of Paradise is a 1923 adventure film serial directed by William James Craft. It is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* William Desmond - Phil Grant* Eileen Sedgwick - Helen Frazer* William Gould Beasts of Paradise is a 1923 adventure film serial directed by William James Craft. It is now...
(1923) - The Extra GirlThe Extra GirlThe Extra Girl is a 1923 American silent comedy film starring Mabel Normand. Produced by Mack Sennett, The Extra Girl followed earlier films about the film industry and also paved the way for later films about Hollywood, such as King Vidor’s Show People...
(1923) - The Riddle RiderThe Riddle RiderThe Riddle Rider is a 1924 Western film serial directed by William James Craft. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* William Desmond - Randolph Parker / The Riddle Rider* Eileen Sedgwick - Nan Madden* Helen Holmes - Julie Dean...
(19241924 in film-Events:* Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
) - Ace of SpadesAce of Spades (serial)Ace of Spades is a 1925 Western film serial directed by Henry MacRae. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* William Desmond - Dan Harvey* Mary McAllister - Olive Heath* Albert J. Smith - Joe Deneen* William Steele - Jim Heath Ace of Spades is a 1925 Western film serial directed by Henry MacRae....
(19251925 in film-Events:*November 5: The Big Parade holds its Grand Premier*December 30: premier of Ben-Hur the most expensive silent film ever made costing 4-6 million dollars -Top grossing films :...
) - The Winking IdolThe Winking IdolThe Winking Idol is a Universal Pictures silent western motion picture serial, consisting of 10 chapters, starring William Desmond and Eileen Sedgwick....
(19261926 in film-Events:*August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film, Don Juan. The Vitaphone system used multiple 33⅓ rpm disc records developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric to play back audio synchronized with film....
) - Strings of SteelStrings of SteelStrings of Steel is a 1926 action film serial directed by Henry MacRae. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* William Desmond - Ned Brown* Eileen Sedgwick - Gloria Van Norton* Albert J. Smith - Peter Allen* Arthur Morrison - Jim Hogan...
(1926) - The Return of the Riddle RiderThe Return of the Riddle RiderThe Return of the Riddle Rider is a 1927 action film serial directed by Robert F. Hill. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* William Desmond - Randolph Parker / The Riddle Rider* Lola Todd - Madge McCormack* Grace Cunard - Vilda Dixon...
(19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - The Vanishing RiderThe Vanishing RiderThe Vanishing Rider is a 1928 Western film serial directed by Ray Taylor and featuring Boris Karloff. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* William Desmond - Jim Davis / The Vanishing Rider* Ethlyne Clair - Mary Allen...
(19281928 in film-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
) - The Phantom of the WestThe Phantom of the WestThe Phantom of the West is a Mascot movie serial and the second all-talking serial they produced.Tom Tyler stars as Jim Lester, trying to prove that Francisco Cortez is innocent of killing his own father...
(19311931 in film-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
) - The Vanishing LegionThe Vanishing LegionThe Vanishing Legion is a 1931 Mascot film serial directed by Ford Beebe and B. Reeves Eason.The stars Harry Carey and Edwina Booth were originally intended to be in the studio's previous serial, King of the Wild, but had to be re-cast when the MGM film Trader Horn overran its schedule...
(1931) - Heroes of the West (19321932 in film-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
) - The Vigilantes Are ComingThe Vigilantes Are ComingThe Vigilantes Are Coming is a 1936 American Republic film serial. It was the third of the sixty six serials made by Republic Pictures ....
(19361936 in filmThe year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
) - Song of the SarongSong of the SarongSong of the Sarong is a 1945 musical film starring Nancy Kelly and William Gargan. The film was written by Gene Lewis and directed by Harold Young.-Plot:...
(19451945 in filmThe year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins....
)