William B. Davidson

Born: 1888-06-15 in Dobbs Ferry, New York, USA

Died: 1947-09-28

Known For: Acting

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.

Filmography

1947

Dick Tracy's Dilemma as Peter Premium
The Judge Steps Out as Colonel Bright (uncredited)
That's My Man as Steward
That Hagen Girl as Mr. Bowman (uncredited)

1946

My Darling Clementine as Saloon Owner (uncredited)
Blonde Alibi as Police Captain Hurley (Uncredited)
The Plainsman and the Lady as Russell
The Notorious Lone Wolf as Inspector Crane (as William Davidson)
The Cat Creeps as James Walsh
Ding Dong Williams as Mr. Saul Dana

1945

They Were Expendable as Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Circumstantial Evidence as Board of Appeals Chairman
The Man Who Walked Alone as Governor
Sing Your Way Home as F.T. Johnson (uncredited)
Dillinger as Bank President (uncredited)
See My Lawyer as Judge
Tell It to a Star as Brannigan
Blonde Ransom as Police Captain

1944

Greenwich Village as Dance Director
Shine on Harvest Moon as Tim Donovan (uncredited)
In Society as Parker
Up in Arms as Maxwell (uncredited)
Make Your Own Bed as Mr. Linklater
A Night of Adventure as Gilbert J. Regan (uncredited)

1943

Mission to Moscow as Senator (uncredited)
The Good Fellows as Blake
Murder on the Waterfront as Capt. Towne
Calaboose as Sheriff George Lane (as William Davidson)
Hers to Hold as Al
Over the Wall as Warden Ed
Truck Busters as Stephen S. Gray

1942

Careful, Soft Shoulders as Mr. Aldrich
The Male Animal as Alumnus
In This Our Life as Jim Purdy
Gentleman Jim as Donovan (uncredited)
The Affairs of Martha as Homer Jacell
Larceny, Inc. as McCarthy
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine as Cyrus Ballard
The Magnificent Dope as Mr. Reindel
Over My Dead Body as Crole (as William Davidson)

1941

Hold That Ghost as Moose Matson
Remember the Day as Committeeman
Man-Made Monster as District Attorney Ralph B. Stanley
Sun Valley Serenade as Jack Murray
Keep 'Em Flying as Gonigle
Highway West as Gorman
The Great Man's Lady as Sen. Knobs
Thieves Fall Out as Harrison "Harry" Eckles
In the Navy as Capt. Richards (uncredited)
Three Girls About Town as Labor Leader
Week-End in Havana as Captain Moss
The Lady from Cheyenne as Nye Dunbar
Three Sons o' Guns as Henry Baxter
Uncle Joe as Mr. Day

1940

Seven Sinners as Police Chief
Lady with Red Hair as Stock Company Manager (uncredited)
My Little Chickadee as Sheriff of Little Bend (uncredited)
San Francisco Docks as Dist. Atty. Craig
My Love Came Back as Agent
Sailor's Lady as Judge Hinsdale
Lillian Russell as President Cleveland
Granny Get Your Gun as Fitzgerald
Florian as Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Hired Wife as Mumford (as William Davidson)
Maryland as John Addison
Charter Pilot as Mr. Wentworth
Tin Pan Alley as Hotel Manager
Girl in 313 as George Grayson
Half a Sinner as Slick
A Night at Earl Carroll's as Mayor Green of San Bernardino
Sandy Gets Her Man as Councilman Charles J. Clark
On Their Own as Judge Bull

1939

Each Dawn I Die as Bill Mason
Invisible Stripes as Montgomery (uncredited)
Naughty but Nice as Samuel 'Sam' 'Simsy' Hudson - Music Publisher
Dust Be My Destiny as Work Farm Warden
Honeymoon in Bali as Store Detective
Tail Spin as Sales Manager (Uncredited)
They Made Me a Criminal as Ennis
Indianapolis Speedway as Duncan Martin
Three Smart Girls Grow Up as Stock Broker
The Honeymoon's Over as Crane
On Trial as Mr. Gray
Blackwell's Island as Hempel
Sudden Money as Sam
Off the Record as Scotty
Private Detective as Inspector Evans
Smashing the Money Ring as Warden Denby
Hidden Power as Foster
Blondie Meets the Boss as Elderly Man in Café (uncredited)

1938

You and Me as N. G. Orton, Attorney-at-Law (uncredited)
Letter of Introduction as Mr. Raleigh (uncredited)
There Goes My Heart as Skipper Jackson (uncredited)
Racket Busters as Trucking Chairman (uncredited)
Hollywood Hotel as Director Kelton
Cocoanut Grove as Hawtrey
Blockade as Commandant
Illegal Traffic as Dalton
Cowboy from Brooklyn as Mr. 'W.P.' Alvey
The Jury's Secret as Page
Mr. Doodle Kicks Off as Ellory Bugs
Sergeant Murphy as Maj. Gruff (uncredited)

1937

Easy Living as Mr. Hyde
The Hurricane as The Bully (uncredited)
Marked Woman as Bob Crandall
The Road Back as Bartscher
Let Them Live as The Editor
It Happened in Hollywood as Al Howard
Something to Sing About as Café Manager
Ever Since Eve as Henderson
Midnight Court as Alfred H. Kruger
Melody for Two as Mr. Hale
Behind the Mike as Cyrus Wittles
Marry the Girl as Drake
Paradise Isle as Hoener
Love on Toast as Jonathan

1936

Road Gang as Attorney General Mardsen
Satan Met a Lady as City Fathers Committee Spokesman (uncredited)
The Singing Kid as Barney Hammond
Earthworm Tractors as Mr. Jackson
Gold Diggers of 1937 as Andy Callahan
Murder by an Aristocrat as Bayard Thatcher
Love on a Bet as A.W. Hutchinson
Fatal Lady as Detective (uncredited)
You May Be Next! as Official (uncredited)
The Big Noise as Welford Andrews

1935

Special Agent as Charlie Young - Carston's Lawyer
Dangerous as Reed Walsh
Redheads on Parade as Theatre Manager
In Person as Director Bill Sutter (uncredited)
Devil Dogs of the Air as Adjutant
Bordertown as Dr. Carter
Go Into Your Dance as Tom McGee
Woman Wanted as Collins
Show Them No Mercy! as Chief Haggerty (as William Davidson)
Death Flies East as Police Captain Barrie
Oil for the Lamps of China as E.H. Swaley
A Night at the Ritz as Connolly
Straight from the Heart as Prosecuting Attorney
Sweet Music as Billie Madison

1934

Housewife as Nan's Attorney
Imitation of Life as Man Buying Cigar (uncredited)
Upperworld as City Editor (uncredited)
Fog Over Frisco as Editor Joe Hogue
Friends of Mr. Sweeney as Stephen Prime
The Secret Bride as Representative McPherson
The Dragon Murder Case as Greeff
The Big Shakedown as District Attorney (uncredited)
The St. Louis Kid as Joe Hunter
The Man Who Reclaimed His Head as Charles (as William Davidson)
Laughing Boy as Hartshone (as William Davidson)

1933

I'm No Angel as Ernest Brown
Mystery of the Wax Museum as Detective (Uncredited)
Hello, Everybody! as Mr. Parker
The Billion Dollar Scandal as Jim Lawrence
Meet the Baron as General Broadcasting Representative
Lady Killer as Director Williams
Female as Department Head (Uncredited)
Torch Singer as Jarrett
The Intruder as Det. Lt. Samson
Dangerously Yours as George Carr
How to Break 90 #3: Hip Action as Himself

1932

Scarface as Citizens Committee Member (uncredited)
The Most Dangerous Game as Captain
The Animal Kingdom as Chess Player (uncredited)
Sky Devils as Captain
The Menace as John Utterson
The Thirteenth Guest as Police Captain Brown (uncredited)
The Lost Squadron as Lelewer
Central Park as Police Lieutenant (uncredited)
Is My Face Red? as O'Sullivan
The Sport Parade as Kendricks (uncredited)
Her Mad Night as District Attorney
Guilty or Not Guilty as Chief
The Pride of the Legion as Sgt. Arnold

1931

Dishonored
Graft as M.H. Thomas
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 2: 'Chip Shots' as Himself - Golfer
No Limit as Wilkie
The Secret Call as Jim Blake
Captain Applejack as Bill Dennett
The Vice Squad as Magistrate Tom Morrison
Half Holiday as Jerry - Andy's Pal
Windy Riley Goes Hollywood

1930

Hell's Angels as Staff Major
Oh, for a Man! as Kerry Stokes
A Man from Wyoming as Major
For the Defense as Dist. Atty. Stone
The Silver Horde as Tom Hilliard
Hook, Line and Sinker as Frank Dukette aka Duke of Winchester (as William Davidson)
Sunny as First Ship's Officer
Men Are Like That as Frank Hyland
Playboy of Paris as Monsieur Bannack (uncredited)
The Costello Case as Saunders
Scarlet Pages as Jackson

1929

Woman Trap as Watts
The Carnation Kid as Blythe
Queen of the Night Clubs as Assistant District Attorney (as William Davidson)
Blaze o' Glory as District Attorney (as William Davidson)
Always Faithful as George W. Mason

1928

Good Morning, Judge as Elton (as William Davidson)
Sharp Tools

1927

Cradle Snatchers as Roy Ladd
A Gentleman of Paris as Henri Dufour
The Last Trail as Kurt Morley

1925

Recompense as Col. Donovan
Ports of Call as Randolph Sherman
Hearts and Spurs as Victor Dufresne
Women and Gold as Señor Ortego

1924

The Storm Daughter as Rennert
The Valley of Doubt as Macy

1923

Adam and Eva as Dr. Delamater

1922

The Dumb-Bell

1921

Nobody as John Rossmore
The Girl from Nowhere as Jimmy Ryder

1920

Partners of the Night as Robert Clifford

1919

The Gold Cure as Michael Darcy
The Capitol as Congressman Blake
Lure of Ambition as Hon. Cyril Ralston
La belle Russe as Brand
Impossible Catherine as John Henry Jackson
A Woman There Was as Rev. Winthrop Stark

1918

Friend Husband as John Sparr
Our Little Wife as Dr. Elliott
In Pursuit of Polly as Larry O'Malley
Why I Would Not Marry as Undetermined Role
Ashes of Love

1917

The Call of Her People as Nicholas Van Kleet
More Truth Than Poetry as Allen Danby
A Magdalene of the Hills as Bud Weaver
A Modern Cinderella
Her Second Husband as John Kirby
The White Raven as The Stranger
Lady Barnacle as Krishna Dhwaj
Persuasive Peggy as Ed Trowbridge
American Maid as David Starr
Mary Lawson's Secret as Dr. Brundage
The Greatest Power as John Conrad
The Lifted Veil as Malcolm Grant

1916

The Child of Destiny as Calvin Baker
Her Debt of Honor as John Hartfield
The Pretenders as Joseph Bailey (as William Davidson)
The Price of Malice as Capt. Mills
In the Diplomatic Service as Lynn Hardi
Dorian's Divorce as Henry Morgan (as William Davidson)

1915

A Yellow Streak as Jack Rader
For the Honor of the Crew as Robert Brent