Personal Info
Birth date
1888-06-15 (137 Years)
Day of death
1947-09-28
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Dobbs Ferry, New York, USA
Also known as
Wm. B. Davidson
Wm. Davidson
William Davidson
Bill Davidson
William Beatman Davidson
William B. Davidson
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
Scarface
7.4
Overview:
In 1920s Chicago, Italian immigrant and notorious thug, Antonio 'Tony' Camonte, aka Scarface, shoots his way to the top of the mobs while trying to protect his sister from the criminal life.Half a Sinner
5.182
Overview:
Although young and beautiful, schoolteacher Anne Gladden fears a dull future. She finally decides to take a walk on the wild side, splurging on some fashionable new clothes and setting off to find adventure. Her new confidence inspires her to flirt with complete strangers. When a gangster pays unwanted attention to her, she ditches him and flees in his car, unaware that there's a corpse in the trunk. Determined to recover his stolen vehicle and its incriminating cargo the thug begins a desperate search. The oblivious Anne, comes to the aid of a handsome young man stranded alongside the road. Romance blooms, but after the shocking discovery of a body in the trunk, the duo decide they have to return the car. The bickering lovebirds head back to the city, trailed by both the angry gangster and the cops, who suspect the young couple of murder.Letter of Introduction
5.667
Overview:
An aging actor, trying to make a comeback on Broadway, is surprised when his estranged daughter shows up. It seems that she is an actress and is also trying to make it on Broadway. He tries to re-establish his relationship with her while also trying to hide the fact that she is his daughter from the press.Earthworm Tractors
5
Overview:
A salesman tries to sell a tractor to a customer who hates tractors while falling for the girl.Is My Face Red?
5
Overview:
William Poster writes a gossip column for the Morning Gazette. He will write about anyone and everyone as long as he gets the credit. He gets most of his information from his showgirl gal-pal, Peggy. Eventually Bill's reckless tattling gets him in deep trouble with friends and enemies, putting his career and life in jeopardy.Dick Tracy's Dilemma
5.4
Overview:
Dick Tracy investigates the theft of a fortune of fur coats, a possible insurance swindle and several murders, all linked to a huge thug who wears a hook in place of his right hand.The Most Dangerous Game
6.945
Overview:
When legendary hunter Bob Rainsford is shipwrecked on the perilous reefs surrounding a mysterious island, he finds himself the guest of the reclusive and eccentric Count Zaroff. While he is very gracious at first, Zaroff eventually forces Rainsford and two other shipwreck survivors, brother and sister Eve and Martin Towbridge, to participate in a sadistic game of cat and mouse in which they are the prey and he is the hunter.The Intruder
4.2
Overview:
A murder is committed aboard a cruise ship just before it sinks in a storm. The survivors, including the killer, land on a mysterious jungle island.My Darling Clementine
7.448
Overview:
Three brothers stop off for a night in the town of Tombstone. The next morning they find one of their brothers dead and their cattle stolen. They decide to take revenge on the culprits.Housewife
7.7
Overview:
Nan Reynolds encourages her copywriter husband Bill to open his own agency. Nearly out of business, he finally gets a client. Former girlfriend Patricia Berkeley writes a very successful commercial for the client and neats up their old romance. Wife and girlfriend struggle over Bill.The Animal Kingdom
5.6
Overview:
Tom Collier has had a great relationship with Daisy, but when he decides to marry, it is not Daisy whom he asks, it is Cecelia. After the marriage, Tom is bored with the social scene and the obligations of his life. He publishes books that will sell, not books that he wants to write. Even worse, he has his old friend working as a butler and Cecelia wants him fired. When Tom tries to get back together with Daisy to renew the feelings that he once felt, Daisy turns the tables on him and leaves to protect both of them.You and Me
6.679
Overview:
Mr. Morris, the owner of a large metropolitan department store, gives jobs to paroled ex-convicts in an effort to help them reform and go straight. Among his 'employed-prison-graduates' are Helen Roberts and Joe Dennis, working as sales clerks. Joe is in love with Helen and asks her to marry him, but she is forbidden to marry as she is still on parole, but she says yes and they are married. In spite of their poverty-level life, their marriage is a happy one until Joe discovers she has lied about her past, in order to marry him. Disillusioned, he leaves, goes back to his old gang and plans to rob the department store.Hook, Line and Sinker
5.167
Overview:
Two fast-talking insurance salesmen meet Mary, who is running away from her wealthy mother, and they agree to help her run a hotel that she owns. When they find out that the hotel is run down and nearly abandoned, they launch a phony PR campaign that presents the hotel as a resort favored by the rich. Their advertising succeeds too well, and many complications soon arise.They Made Me a Criminal
6.1
Overview:
A boxer flees, believing he has committed a murder while he was drunk.In This Our Life
6.8
Overview:
An unhappy, self-centered woman runs off with her sister's husband, wreaking havoc and ruining the lives of those around her.Hold That Ghost
6.754
Overview:
Two bumbling service station attendants are left as the sole beneficiaries in a gangster's will. Their trip to claim their fortune is sidetracked when they are stranded in a haunted house along with several other strangers.Hell's Angels
6.468
Overview:
When the Great War breaks out, brothers Roy and Monte Rutledge, each attending Oxford University, enlist with the Royal Flying Corps.The Man Who Walked Alone
5.5
Overview:
A war hero returns home following a medical discharge and ends up entangled with a young woman speeding away from her wedding day in her fiance's car. Seeing the soldier, she gives him a ride and explains her predicament. Things get sticky when the cops capture them and accuse the soldier of desertion.Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
5.7
Overview:
Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American entertainment industry during the Great Depression.Imitation of Life
7
Overview:
A struggling widow and her daughter take in a black housekeeper and her fair-skinned daughter. The two women start a successful business but face familial, identity, and racial issues along the way.They Were Expendable
6.6
Overview:
After a demonstration of new PT boats, navy brass are still unconvinced of their viability in combat, leaving Lt. "Rusty" Ryan frustrated. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, Ryan and his buddy Lt. Brickley are told they can finally take their squadron into battle. The PT boats quickly prove their worth, successfully shooting down Japanese planes, relaying messages between islands, and picking off a multitude of enemy ships.Mystery of the Wax Museum
6.5
Overview:
The disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor.The Hurricane
6.6
Overview:
A Polynesian sailor is separated from his wife when he's unjustly imprisoned for defending himself against a colonial bully. Members of the community petition the governor for clemency but all pretense of law and order are soon shattered by an incoming tropical storm.I'm No Angel
6.4
Overview:
The bold Tira works as dancing beauty and lion tamer at a fair. Out of an urgent need of money, she agrees to a risky new number: she'll put her head into the lion's mouth! With this attraction, the circus makes it to New York and Tira can pursue her dearest occupation— flirting with rich men and accepting expensive presents.Marked Woman
6.521
Overview:
In the underworld of Manhattan, a woman dares to stand up to one of the city's most powerful gangsters.Each Dawn I Die
6.795
Overview:
A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.Keep 'Em Flying
5.9
Overview:
When a barnstorming stunt pilot decides to join the air corps, his two goofball assistants decide to go with him. Since the two are Abbott & Costello, the air corps doesn't know what it's in for.Gentleman Jim
7.2
Overview:
As bare-knuckled boxing enters the modern era, brash extrovert Jim Corbett uses new rules and dazzlingly innovative footwork to rise to the top of the boxing world.The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
6
Overview:
A New York radio personality travels to the small town of Fernville to oversee a contest to identify retired safecracker Jimmy Valentine, believed to be living there under an assumed name. The close-knit town of upstanding citizens is understandably upset by this venture, all the moreso when some of its citizens begin to be murdered. The radio personality and the local newspaper's young daughter collaborate on solving the murders while revealing Valentine, who has become one of the suspects.Acting
1994Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her as Self (archive footage)
1975Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)
1947The Judge Steps Out as Colonel Bright (uncredited)
1947That Hagen Girl as Mr. Bowman (uncredited)
1947That's My Man as Steward
1947Dick Tracy's Dilemma as Peter Premium
1946The Plainsman and the Lady as Russell
1946My Darling Clementine as Saloon Owner (uncredited)
1946The Cat Creeps as James Walsh
1946Ding Dong Williams as Mr. Saul Dana
1946Blonde Alibi as Police Captain Hurley (Uncredited)
1946The Notorious Lone Wolf as Inspector Crane (as William Davidson)
1945They Were Expendable as Hotel Manager (uncredited)
1945Sing Your Way Home as F.T. Johnson
1945Tell It to a Star as Brannigan
1945Circumstantial Evidence as Board of Appeals Chairman
1945The Man Who Walked Alone as Governor
1945See My Lawyer as Judge
1944Greenwich Village as Dance Director
1944In Society as Parker
1944Make Your Own Bed as Mr. Linklater
1944A Night of Adventure as Gilbert J. Regan (uncredited)
1944Up in Arms as Maxwell (uncredited)
1943Over the Wall as Warden Ed
1943Murder on the Waterfront as Capt. Towne
1943The Good Fellows as Blake
1943Hers to Hold as Al
1943Mission to Moscow as Senator (uncredited)
1943Calaboose as Sheriff George Lane (as William Davidson)
1943Truck Busters as Stephen S. Gray
1942Gentleman Jim as Donovan (uncredited)
1942Careful, Soft Shoulders as Mr. Aldrich
1942The Magnificent Dope as Mr. Reindel
1942The Affairs of Martha as Homer Jacell
1942In This Our Life as Jim Purdy
1942Larceny, Inc. as McCarthy
1942The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine as Cyrus Ballard
1942The Male Animal as Alumnus
1942Over My Dead Body as Crole (as William Davidson)
1941Remember the Day as Committeeman
1941Keep 'Em Flying as Gonigle
1941The Great Man's Lady as Sen. Knobs
1941Three Girls About Town as Labor Leader
1941Uncle Joe as Mr. Day
1941Week-End in Havana as Captain Moss
1941Sun Valley Serenade as Jack Murray
1941Hold That Ghost as Moose Matson
1941Highway West as Gorman
1941Three Sons o' Guns as Henry Baxter
1941In the Navy as Capt. Richards (uncredited)
1941Thieves Fall Out as Harrison "Harry" Eckles
1941The Lady from Cheyenne as Nye Dunbar
1941Man-Made Monster as District Attorney Ralph B. Stanley
1940San Francisco Docks as Dist. Atty. Craig
1940Charter Pilot as Mr. Wentworth
1940A Night at Earl Carroll's as Mayor Green of San Bernardino
1940Lady with Red Hair as Stock Company Manager (uncredited)
1940Tin Pan Alley as Hotel Manager
1940Sandy Gets Her Man as Councilman Charles J. Clark
1940Seven Sinners as Police Chief
1940Hired Wife as Mumford (as William Davidson)
1940Maryland as John Addison
1940My Love Came Back as Agent
1940Sailor's Lady as Judge Hinsdale
1940Florian as Archduke Franz Ferdinand
1940Girl in 313 as George Grayson
1940Lillian Russell as President Cleveland
1940On Their Own as Judge Bull
1940Half a Sinner as Slick
1940Granny Get Your Gun as Fitzgerald
1940My Little Chickadee as Sheriff of Little Bend (uncredited)
1939Invisible Stripes as Montgomery (uncredited)
1939Private Detective as Inspector Evans
1939Smashing the Money Ring as Warden Denby
1939Honeymoon in Bali as Store Detective
1939Dust Be My Destiny as Work Farm Warden
1939Hidden Power as Foster
1939Each Dawn I Die as Bill Mason
1939Indianapolis Speedway as Duncan Martin
1939Naughty But Nice as Samuel 'Sam' 'Simsy' Hudson - Music Publisher
1939On Trial as Mr. Gray
1939Sudden Money as Sam
1939Three Smart Girls Grow Up as Stock Broker
1939Blondie Meets the Boss as Elderly Man in Café (uncredited)
1939Tail Spin as Sales Manager (Uncredited)
1939Blackwell's Island as Hempel
1939They Made Me a Criminal as Ennis
1939Off the Record as Scotty
1938Illegal Traffic as Dalton
1938There Goes My Heart as Skipper Jackson (uncredited)
1938Mr. Doodle Kicks Off as Ellory Bugs
1938Letter of Introduction as Mr. Raleigh (uncredited)
1938Racket Busters as Trucking Chairman (uncredited)
1938Cowboy from Brooklyn as Mr. 'W.P.' Alvey
1938Blockade as Commandant
1938You and Me as N. G. Orton, Attorney-at-Law (uncredited)
1938Cocoanut Grove as Hawtrey
1938The Jury's Secret as Page
1938Hollywood Hotel as Director Kelton
1938Sergeant Murphy as Maj. Gruff (uncredited)
1937Love on Toast as Jonathan
1937The Hurricane as The Bully (uncredited)
1937Something to Sing About as Mr. Richards (as William Davidson)
1937Behind the Mike as Cyrus Wittles
1937It Happened in Hollywood as Al Howard
1937Paradise Isle as Hoener
1937Easy Living as Mr. Hyde
1937Ever Since Eve as Henderson
1937Marry the Girl as Drake
1937The Road Back as Bartscher
1937Melody for Two as Mr. Hale
1937Let Them Live as The Editor
1937Marked Woman as Bob Crandall
1937Midnight Court as Alfred H. Kruger
1936Gold Diggers of 1937 as Andy Callahan
1936Earthworm Tractors as Mr. Jackson
1936Satan Met a Lady as City Fathers Committee Spokesman (uncredited)
1936The Big Noise as Welford Andrews
1936Murder by an Aristocrat as Bayard Thatcher (as William Davidson)
1936Fatal Lady as Detective (uncredited)
1936The Singing Kid as Barney Hammond
1936Road Gang as Attorney General Mardsen
1936Love on a Bet as A.W. Hutchinson
1936You May Be Next! as Official (uncredited)
1935Dangerous as Reed Walsh
1935Show Them No Mercy! as Chief Haggerty (as William Davidson)
1935In Person as Director Bill Sutter
1935Special Agent as Charlie Young - Carston's Lawyer
1935Redheads on Parade as Theatre Manager
1935Woman Wanted as Collins
1935Oil for the Lamps of China as E.H. Swaley
1935Go Into Your Dance as Tom McGee
1935A Night at the Ritz as Connolly
1935Straight from the Heart as Prosecuting Attorney
1935Death Flies East as Police Captain Barrie
1935Sweet Music as Billie Madison
1935Devil Dogs of the Air as Adjutant
1935Bordertown as Dr. Carter
1934The Man Who Reclaimed His Head as Charles (as William Davidson)
1934The Secret Bride as Representative McPherson
1934Imitation of Life as Man Buying Cigar (uncredited)
1934The St. Louis Kid as Joe Hunter
1934The Dragon Murder Case as Greeff
1934Housewife as Nan's Attorney
1934Friends of Mr. Sweeney as Stephen Prime
1934Fog Over Frisco as Editor Joe Hogue
1934Upperworld as City Editor (uncredited)
1934Laughing Boy as Hartshone (as William Davidson)
1934The Big Shakedown as District Attorney (uncredited)
1933Lady Killer as Director Williams
1933Female as Department Head (Uncredited)
1933Meet the Baron as General Broadcasting Representative
1933I'm No Angel as Ernest Brown
1933Torch Singer as Jarrett
1933How to Break 90 #3: Hip Action as Himself
1933The Intruder as Det. Lt. Samson
1933Dangerously Yours as George Carr
1933Mystery of the Wax Museum as Detective (Uncredited)
1933Hello, Everybody! as Mr. Parker
1933The Billion Dollar Scandal as Jim Lawrence
1932The Animal Kingdom as Chess Player
1932Central Park as Police Lieutenant (uncredited)
1932Guilty or Not Guilty as Chief
1932The Sport Parade as Kendricks (uncredited)
1932The Pride of the Legion as Sgt. Arnold
1932Her Mad Night as District Attorney
1932The Most Dangerous Game as Captain
1932The Thirteenth Guest as Police Captain Brown (uncredited)
1932Is My Face Red? as O'Sullivan
1932Scarface as Citizens Committee Member (uncredited)
1932The Lost Squadron as Lelewer
1932Sky Devils as Captain
1932The Menace as John Utterson
1931Half Holiday as Jerry - Andy's Pal
1931Graft as M.H. Thomas
1931The Secret Call as Jim Blake
1931The Vice Squad as Magistrate Tom Morrison
1931Windy Riley Goes Hollywood as Unknown
1931How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 2: 'Chip Shots' as Himself - Golfer
1931Dishonored as Unknown
1931Captain Applejack as Bill Dennett
1931No Limit as Wilkie
1930Hook, Line and Sinker as Frank Dukette aka Duke of Winchester (as William Davidson)
1930Oh, for a Man! as Kerry Stokes
1930Hell's Angels as Staff Major
1930Sunny as First Ship's Officer
1930The Silver Horde as Tom Hilliard
1930Playboy of Paris as Monsieur Bannack (uncredited)
1930The Costello Case as Saunders
1930Scarlet Pages as Jackson
1930For the Defense as Dist. Atty. Stone
1930A Man from Wyoming as Major
1930Men Are Like That as Frank Hyland
1929Blaze o' Glory as District Attorney (as William Davidson)
1929Always Faithful as George W. Mason
1929Woman Trap as Watts
1929Queen of the Night Clubs as Assistant District Attorney (as William Davidson)
1929The Carnation Kid as Blythe
1928Sharp Tools as Unknown
1928Good Morning, Judge as Elton (as William Davidson)
1927A Gentleman of Paris as Henri Dufour
1927Cradle Snatchers as Roy Ladd
1927The Last Trail as Kurt Morley
1925Hearts and Spurs as Victor Dufresne
1925Recompense as Col. Donovan
1925Ports of Call as Randolph Sherman
1924The Valley of Doubt as Macy
1923Adam and Eva as Dr. Delamater
1922The Dumb-Bell as Unknown
1921The Girl from Nowhere as Jimmy Ryder
1920Partners of the Night as Robert Clifford
1919The Capitol as Congressman Blake
1919Lure of Ambition as Hon. Cyril Ralston
1919Impossible Catherine as John Henry Jackson
1919La belle Russe as Brand
1919A Woman There Was as Rev. Winthrop Stark
1918Why I Would Not Marry as Undetermined Role
1918In Pursuit of Polly as Larry O'Malley
1918Ashes of Love as Unknown
1917Her Second Husband as John Kirby
1917American Maid as David Starr
1917Persuasive Peggy as Ed Trowbridge
1917The Lifted Veil as Malcolm Grant
1917The Greatest Power as John Conrad
1917The Call of Her People as Nicholas Van Kleet
1917Mary Lawson's Secret as Dr. Brundage
1917The White Raven as The Stranger
1917A Modern Cinderella as Unknown
1916In the Diplomatic Service as Lynn Hardi
1916The Pretenders as Joseph Bailey (as William Davidson)
1916Dorian's Divorce as Henry Morgan (as William Davidson)
1916The Price of Malice as Capt. Mills
1916Her Debt of Honor as John Hartfield
1915A Yellow Streak as Jack Rader
1915For the Honor of the Crew as Robert Brent