Quick Facts
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William B. Davidson (June 16, 1888 – September 28, 1947) was an American film actor.
Biography
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.
Partial filmography
- The Child of Destiny (1916)
- The Pretenders (1916)
- The White Raven (1917)
- Mary Lawson's Secret (1917)
- The Call of Her People (1917)
- The Greatest Power (1917)
- The Lifted Veil (1917)
- Friend Husband (1918)
- Ashes of Love (1918)
- In Pursuit of Polly (1918)
- A Woman There Was (1919)
- A Child for Sale (1920)
- Conceit (1921)
- A Gentleman of Paris (1927)
- Woman Trap (1929)
- Blaze o'Glory (1929)
- The Silver Horde (1930)
- Scarlet Pages (1930)
- Playboy of Paris (1930)
- Hell's Angels (1930)
- For the Defense (1930)
- The Costello Case (1930)
- The Silver Horde (1930)
- Hook, Line and Sinker (1930)
- Windy Riley Goes Hollywood (1931 short)
- Graft (1931)
- The Menace (1932)
- Sky Devils (1932)
- The Lost Squadron (1932)
- The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
- I'm No Angel (1933)
- Dangerously (1933)
- The Dragon Murder Case (1934)
- The Secret Bride (1934)
- Bordertown (1935)
- Devil Dogs of the Air (1935)
- Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936)
- Marked Woman (1937)
- Easy Living (1937)
- Marry the Girl (1937)
- Sergeant Murphy (1938) (uncredited)
- They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
- On Trial (1939)
- Naughty but Nice (1939)
- Each Dawn I Die (1939)
- Honeymoon in Bali (1939)
- Dust Be My Destiny (1939)
- My Little Chickadee (1940) (uncredited)
- Lillian Russell (1940)
- Hired Wife (1940)
- Seven Sinners (1940)
- Tin Pan Alley (1940)
- Hold That Ghost (1941)
- The Male Animal (1942)
- The Great Man's Lady (1942)
- Larceny, Inc. (1942)
- In This Our Life (1942)
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) as Stage Manager in N.Y. (uncredited)
- The Affairs of Martha (1942)
- The Magnificent Dope (1942)
- The Impostor aka Strange Confession (1944)
- In Society (1944)
- San Diego, I Love You (1944)
- The Farmer's Daughter (1947)
- Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947)
- My Wild Irish Rose (1947)