HOME INDEX
SILENT MOVIE
THE INTERNATIONAL SILENT MOVIE MAIL English Version

 
William Desmond


1878 - 1949

.
.
The actor William Desmond was born as William Mannion in Dublin. Because of his very active film career he was also called "King of the Silent Serials".

He began his acting career at vaudeville and on stage, later he also managed an own theater company. 

He made his film debut in 1915 with "Kilmeny" (15) and within few years he became a popular actor of action and western movies.

To his other movies of the 10s belong among others "Peer Gynt" (15), "The Waifs" (16), "The Criminal" (16), "The Last of the Ingrams" (17), "Fighting Back" (17), "Captain of His Soul" (18), "The Sea Panther" (18), "Hell's End" (18), "The Pretender" (18), "Her Code of Honor" (19) and "Dangerous Waters" (19).

He was able to impersonate again bigger roles in many productions during the 20s, among them "A Broadway Cowboy" (20), "Dangerous Toys" (21), "Perils of the Yukon" (22), "Around the World in Eighteen Days" (23), "The Breathless moment" (24), "The Sunset Trail" (24), "Ace of Spies" (25), "Blood and Steel" (25), "Tongues of Scandal" (27), "The Return of the Riddle Rider" (27), "The Mystery Rider" (28) and "No Defense" (29)

With the rise of the sound film in the 30s his roles became smaller, still he took part in numerous movies - often in the role of the sheriff or a military officer.

To his well-known movies of those years belong "The Phantom of the West" (31), "Oklahoma Jim" (31), "Battling with Buffalo Bill" (31), "The Black Ghost" (32), "The Jungle Mystery" (32), "The Three Musketeers" (33), "The Perils of Pauline" (33), "Pirate Treasure" (34), "The Way of the West" (34), "Born to Battle" (35), "Nevada" (35), "Flash Gordon" (36), "The Black Coin" (36), "Arizona Days" (37) and "Man of Conquest" (39).

His activity remained undiminished during his last years of life as well and he remained active in front of the camera till to his death - again mostly in western movies.
To his last movies belong "Junior G-Men" (40), "Sky Raiders" (41), "Raiders of the West" (42), "Sin Town" (42), "The Lone Star Trail" (43), "Phantom of the Opera" (43), "Tall in the Saddle" (44), "The Return of Durango Kid" (45), "Code of the West" (47), "Relentless" (48) and "Are You with It?" (48).
 

Other movies with William Desmond:
The Majesty of the Law (15) Peggy (16) Bullets and Brown Eyes (16) Not my Sister (16) The Sorrows of Love (16) The Captive God (16) The Payment (16) Lieutenant Danny, U.S.A. (16) The Dawn Maker (16) A Gamble in Souls (16) The Iced Bullet (17) Blood Will Tell (17) Paddy O'Hara (17) Paws of the Bear (17) Time Locks and Diamonds (17) Master of His Home (17) Flying Colors (17) The Sudden Gentleman (17) The Marriage Bubble (18) Society for Sale (18) An Honest Man (18) Old Hartwell's Cub (18) Closin' In (18) Beyond the Shadows (18) Wild Life (18) Deuce Duncan (18) Life's a Funny Proposition (19) The Prodigal Liar (19) Whitewashed Walls (19) The Mints of Hell (19) Bare-Fisted Gallagher (19) A Sagebrush Hamlet (19) The Blue Bandanna (19) The Prince and Betty (19) Women Men Love (20) Twin Beds (20) The Parish Priest (20) Don't Leave Your Husband (21) The Child Thou Gavest Me (21) The Policeman and the Baby (21) Fightin' Mad (21) The Phantom Fortune (23) McGuire of the Mounted (23) Shadows of the North (23) Beasts of Paradise (23) Big Timber (24) The Measure of a Man (24) The Riddle Rider (24) Outwitted (25) Ridin' Pretty (25) Barriers of the Law (25) Duped (25) Straight Through (25) The Burning Trail (25) The Meddler (25) The Ace of Spades (25) The Winking Idol (26) Strings of Steel (26) Finger Prints (27) Red Clay (27) The Vanishing Rider (28) The Devil's Trademark (28) Murder on the Roof (30) The Vanishing Legion (31) First Aid (31) Hell Bent for Frisco (31) The Lightining Warrior (31) Heroes of the West (32) The Last Frontier (32) A Scarlet Week-End (32) The Devil Horse (32) Clancy of the Mounted (33) Rustlers' Roundup (33) Phantom of the Air (33) Laughing at Life (33) Gordon of Ghost City (33) Mr. Broadway (33) Strawberry Roan (33) Fargo Express (33) The Rawhide Terror (34) Border Guns (34) The Vanishing Shadow (34) Crack-Up (34) I Can't Escape (34) The Red Rider (34) Death Fangs (34) Tailspin Tommy (34) Frontier Days (34) Gunfire (34) When Lightning Strikes (34) Timber Terrors (35) The Phantom Cowboy (35) Rough Riding Ranger (35) The Rustlers of Red Dog (35) Five Bad Men (35) Defying the Law (35) Wild Waters (35) Naughty Marietta (35) Devil's Canyon (35) The Cowboy and the Bandit (35) Cyclone of the Saddle (35) The Call of the Savage (35) The Tia Juana Kid (35) The Ghost Rider (35) Social Error (35) The Roaring West (35) Trails of the Wild (35) Powdersmoke Range (35) Courage of the North (35) Tailspin Tommy in The Great Air Mystery (35) Frisco Kid (35) Custer's Last Stand (36) The Broken Coin (36) The Adventures of Frank Merriwell (36) Song of the Saddle (36) The Amazing Exploits of the Clutching Hand (36) Treachery Rides the Range (36) Hollywood Boulevard (36) The Vigilantes Are Coming (36) Cavalry (36) Song of the Gringo (36) Headin' for the Rio Grande (36) The Mysterious Pilot (37) Tim Tyler's Luck (37) Winners of the West (40) The Boys from Syracuse (40) A Little Bit of Heaven (40) Where Did You Get That Girl? (41) Nice Girl? (41) Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie (41) Don Winslow of the Navy (42) Stagecoach Buckaroo (42) Gang Busters (42) Down Rio Grande Way (42) Junior G-Men of the Air (42) The Silver Bullet (42) Overland Mail (42) Cheyenne Roundup (43) Prairie Chickens (43) Frontier Fury (43) Frontier Badmen (43) Thank Your Lucky Stars (43) Marshal of Gunsmoke (44) Oklahoma Raiders (44) The Scarlet Calw (44) The Yellow Rose of Texas (44) National Barn Dance (44) The Climax (44) Bowery to Broadway (44) The Old Texas Trail (44) Firebrands of Arizona (44) Beyond the Pecos (45) See My Lawyer (45) Song of the Sarong (45) The Naughty Nineties (45) That Night with You (45) The Royal Mounted Rides Again (45) Frontier Gal (459 The Scarlet Horseman (46) The Michigan Kid (47) The Egg and I (47)

Producer: 
Fightin' Mad (21) 


 
Back