
William B. Davidson
Acting
1888-06-15 - Present
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.
Credits

The Most Dangerous GameasCaptain

ScarfaceasCitizens Committee Member (uncredited)

Is My Face Red?asO'Sullivan

My Darling ClementineasSaloon Owner (uncredited)

Hell's AngelsasStaff Major

The Animal KingdomasChess Player

Dick Tracy's DilemmaasPeter Premium

They Were ExpendableasHotel Manager (uncredited)

Half a SinnerasSlick

The IntruderasDet. Lt. Samson

Letter of IntroductionasMr. Raleigh (uncredited)

You and MeasN. G. Orton, Attorney-at-Law (uncredited)

Easy LivingasMr. Hyde

Friends of Mr. SweeneyasStephen Prime

Earthworm TractorsasMr. Jackson

Mystery of the Wax MuseumasDetective (Uncredited)

Imitation of LifeasMan Buying Cigar (uncredited)

The HurricaneasThe Bully (uncredited)

Woman WantedasCollins

Gentleman JimasDonovan (uncredited)

They Made Me a CriminalasEnnis

Marked WomanasBob Crandall

Invisible StripesasMontgomery (uncredited)

My Little ChickadeeasSheriff of Little Bend (uncredited)

Hold That GhostasMoose Matson

Larceny, Inc.asMcCarthy

DangerousasReed Walsh

I'm No AngelasErnest Brown

Three Girls About TownasLabor Leader

BordertownasDr. Carter

Remember the DayasCommitteeman

Three Smart Girls Grow UpasStock Broker

The Sport ParadeasKendricks (uncredited)

Lady KillerasDirector Williams

Illegal TrafficasDalton

In SocietyasParker

In This Our LifeasJim Purdy

Road GangasAttorney General Mardsen

Up in ArmsasMaxwell (uncredited)

The Affairs of Jimmy ValentineasCyrus Ballard

Seven SinnersasPolice Chief

Hollywood HotelasDirector Kelton

Mission to MoscowasSenator (uncredited)

Tail SpinasSales Manager (Uncredited)

Week-End in HavanaasCaptain Moss

The Dragon Murder CaseasGreeff

The Carnation KidasBlythe

On TrialasMr. Gray

Woman TrapasWatts

Man-Made MonsterasDistrict Attorney Ralph B. Stanley

See My LawyerasJudge

Keep 'Em FlyingasGonigle

HousewifeasNan's Attorney

Tin Pan AlleyasHotel Manager

The Man Who Walked AloneasGovernor

Sun Valley SerenadeasJack Murray

Satan Met a LadyasCity Fathers Committee Spokesman (uncredited)

Each Dawn I DieasBill Mason

Make Your Own BedasMr. Linklater

Fog Over FriscoasEditor Joe Hogue

FlorianasArchduke Franz Ferdinand

Sailor's LadyasJudge Hinsdale

CalabooseasSheriff George Lane (as William Davidson)

Naughty But NiceasSamuel 'Sam' 'Simsy' Hudson - Music Publisher

BlockadeasCommandant

RecompenseasCol. Donovan

Go Into Your DanceasTom McGee

A Man from WyomingasMajor

The Great Man's LadyasSen. Knobs

The Thirteenth GuestasPolice Captain Brown (uncredited)

Dishonoredas

Tell It to a StarasBrannigan

The Good FellowsasBlake

Hello, Everybody!asMr. Parker

Blondie Meets the BossasElderly Man in Café (uncredited)

Central ParkasPolice Lieutenant (uncredited)

The Male AnimalasAlumnus

GraftasM.H. Thomas

Something to Sing AboutasMr. Richards (as William Davidson)

In the NavyasCapt. Richards (uncredited)

The Big NoiseasWelford Andrews

Dust Be My DestinyasWork Farm Warden

FemaleasDepartment Head (Uncredited)

The Lost SquadronasLelewer

Careful, Soft ShouldersasMr. Aldrich

Hers to HoldasAl

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?asSelf (archive footage)

Lillian RussellasPresident Cleveland

Greenwich VillageasDance Director

Love on ToastasJonathan

Gold Diggers of 1937asAndy Callahan

There Goes My HeartasSkipper Jackson (uncredited)

The Secret BrideasRepresentative McPherson

Hired WifeasMumford (as William Davidson)

The Lady from CheyenneasNye Dunbar

Truck BustersasStephen S. Gray

Cowboy from BrooklynasMr. 'W.P.' Alvey

Hearts and SpursasVictor Dufresne

Blonde AlibiasPolice Captain Hurley (Uncredited)

No LimitasWilkie

In PersonasDirector Bill Sutter

My Love Came BackasAgent

Laughing BoyasHartshone (as William Davidson)

Let Them LiveasThe Editor

Honeymoon in BaliasStore Detective
Sharp Toolsas

Midnight CourtasAlfred H. Kruger
The Dumb-Bellas

Straight from the HeartasProsecuting Attorney

Torch SingerasJarrett

That's My ManasSteward

Smashing the Money RingasWarden Denby

A Night at Earl Carroll'sasMayor Green of San Bernardino

Death Flies EastasPolice Captain Barrie

On Their OwnasJudge Bull

Special AgentasCharlie Young - Carston's Lawyer

In the Diplomatic ServiceasLynn Hardi

MarylandasJohn Addison

It Happened in HollywoodasAl Howard

Cocoanut GroveasHawtrey

Granny Get Your GunasFitzgerald

The Affairs of MarthaasHomer Jacell

Cradle SnatchersasRoy Ladd

The Pride of the LegionasSgt. Arnold

Ever Since EveasHenderson

The PretendersasJoseph Bailey (as William Davidson)
Half HolidayasJerry - Andy's Pal

For the DefenseasDist. Atty. Stone

Dangerously YoursasGeorge Carr

A Night at the RitzasConnolly

Uncle JoeasMr. Day

Sweet MusicasBillie Madison

Redheads on ParadeasTheatre Manager

The Secret CallasJim Blake

The Silver HordeasTom Hilliard

The Big ShakedownasDistrict Attorney (uncredited)

Sergeant MurphyasMaj. Gruff (uncredited)

Mae West and the Men Who Knew HerasSelf (archive footage)

The MenaceasJohn Utterson

Three Sons o' GunsasHenry Baxter

Over the WallasWarden Ed

Murder on the WaterfrontasCapt. Towne

Indianapolis SpeedwayasDuncan Martin

Marry the GirlasDrake

Thieves Fall OutasHarrison "Harry" Eckles

San Francisco DocksasDist. Atty. Craig

The Singing KidasBarney Hammond

A Gentleman of ParisasHenri Dufour

Sudden MoneyasSam

Mr. Doodle Kicks OffasEllory Bugs

Love on a BetasA.W. Hutchinson

Playboy of ParisasMonsieur Bannack (uncredited)

The Cat CreepsasJames Walsh

That Hagen GirlasMr. Bowman (uncredited)

Private DetectiveasInspector Evans

Adam and EvaasDr. Delamater

The Notorious Lone WolfasInspector Crane (as William Davidson)

The St. Louis KidasJoe Hunter

Sky DevilsasCaptain

The CapitolasCongressman Blake

Hidden PowerasFoster

Queen of the Night ClubsasAssistant District Attorney (as William Davidson)

Racket BustersasTrucking Chairman (uncredited)

Sing Your Way HomeasF.T. Johnson

The Jury's SecretasPage

Murder by an AristocratasBayard Thatcher (as William Davidson)

You May Be Next!asOfficial (uncredited)

The Judge Steps OutasColonel Bright (uncredited)

The Vice SquadasMagistrate Tom Morrison

Off the RecordasScotty

Over My Dead BodyasCrole (as William Davidson)

Scarlet PagesasJackson

The Road BackasBartscher

Lady with Red HairasStock Company Manager (uncredited)

Circumstantial EvidenceasBoard of Appeals Chairman

Oh, for a Man!asKerry Stokes

Hook, Line and SinkerasFrank Dukette aka Duke of Winchester (as William Davidson)

UpperworldasCity Editor (uncredited)

The Billion Dollar ScandalasJim Lawrence

Dorian's DivorceasHenry Morgan (as William Davidson)

Ding Dong WilliamsasMr. Saul Dana

Girl in 313asGeorge Grayson

A Night of AdventureasGilbert J. Regan (uncredited)

Fatal LadyasDetective (uncredited)

Blackwell's IslandasHempel

SunnyasFirst Ship's Officer

The Magnificent DopeasMr. Reindel

A Woman There WasasRev. Winthrop Stark

Devil Dogs of the AirasAdjutant

Blaze o' GloryasDistrict Attorney (as William Davidson)

The Valley of DoubtasMacy

Ports of CallasRandolph Sherman

Meet the BaronasGeneral Broadcasting Representative

Show Them No Mercy!asChief Haggerty (as William Davidson)

Guilty or Not GuiltyasChief

A Yellow StreakasJack Rader

Charter PilotasMr. Wentworth

Paradise IsleasHoener

Oil for the Lamps of ChinaasE.H. Swaley

Highway WestasGorman

The Last TrailasKurt Morley

Men Are Like ThatasFrank Hyland

The Girl from NowhereasJimmy Ryder

Melody for TwoasMr. Hale

Behind the MikeasCyrus Wittles

Captain ApplejackasBill Dennett

The Man Who Reclaimed His HeadasCharles (as William Davidson)

Sandy Gets Her ManasCouncilman Charles J. Clark

In Pursuit of PollyasLarry O'Malley

Ashes of Loveas

How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 2: 'Chip Shots'asHimself - Golfer

La belle RusseasBrand

The Plainsman and the LadyasRussell

Impossible CatherineasJohn Henry Jackson

Partners of the NightasRobert Clifford

Persuasive PeggyasEd Trowbridge

For the Honor of the CrewasRobert Brent

Mary Lawson's SecretasDr. Brundage

The Costello CaseasSaunders

American MaidasDavid Starr

The Greatest PowerasJohn Conrad

Lure of AmbitionasHon. Cyril Ralston

The White RavenasThe Stranger
A Modern Cinderellaas

Always FaithfulasGeorge W. Mason

The Lifted VeilasMalcolm Grant

Her Second HusbandasJohn Kirby

The Call of Her PeopleasNicholas Van Kleet

Why I Would Not MarryasUndetermined Role

The Price of MaliceasCapt. Mills

Her Mad NightasDistrict Attorney
Her Debt of HonorasJohn Hartfield

Good Morning, JudgeasElton (as William Davidson)

Windy Riley Goes Hollywoodas
How to Break 90 #3: Hip ActionasHimself