William B. Davidson
William Beatman Davidson (June 16, 1888 – September 28, 1947) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1915 and 1947.
William B. Davidson

film trailer screenshot (Warner Bros.) · Dangerous trailer · Public domain
- Name
- William B.
- Birth Name
- William Beatman Davidson
- Born
- 16 June 1888
- Birthplace
- Dobbs Ferry, New York, U.S.
- Died
- 28 September 1947
- Place of death
- Santa Monica, California, U.S.
- Education
- Columbia University
- Occupation
- Actor
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
William Beatman Davidson (June 16, 1888 – September 28, 1947) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1915 and 1947.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for William B. Davidson. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q3568402 · wikipedia · William B. Davidson
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — William B. Davidson • Birth Name — William Beatman Davidson • Born — 16 June 1888 • Birthplace — Dobbs Ferry, New York, U.S. • Died — 28 September 1947 • Place of death — Santa Monica, California, U.S. • Education — Columbia University • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1915–1947
Early life
Early life
Davidson was born in Dobbs Ferry, New York. He 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.
Career
Career
Davidson started in films in 1914 with Vitagraph. 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 (1932). He 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.
Death
Death
He remained in show business until his sudden death in Santa Monica, California, after surgery in 1947.
Partial filmography
Partial filmography
• A Yellow Streak (1915) • The Child of Destiny (1916) • Her Debt of Honor (1916) • The Pretenders (1916) • The White Raven (1917) • Mary Lawson's Secret (1917) • The Call of Her People (1917) • The Greatest Power (1917) • The Trail of the Shadow (1917) • The Lifted Veil (1917) • Lady Barnacle (1917) • More Truth Than Poetry (1917) • Her Second Husband (1917) • The Other Woman (1918) • Friend Husband (1918) • Ashes of Love (1918) • The Whirlpool (1918) • In Pursuit of Polly (1918) • Why I Would Not Marry? (1918) • The Gold Cure (1919) • A Woman There Was (1919) • La Belle Russe (1919) • The Capitol (1919) • Lure of Ambition (1919) • A Child for Sale (1920) • The Valley of Doubt (1920) • Conceit (1921) • The Girl from Nowhere (1921) • Nobody (1921) • Destiny's Isle (1922) • Women and Gold (1925) • Cradle Snatchers (1927) • A Gentleman of Paris (1927) • The Noose (1928) • Good Morning, Judge (1928) • Woman Trap (1929) • Blaze o'Glory (1929) • Painted Faces (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) • No Limit (1931) • Dishonored (1931) • The Secret Call (1931) • Graft (1931) • The Menace (1932) • Sky Devils (1932) • Guilty or Not Guilty (1932) • The Lost Squadron (1932) • The Pride of the Legion (1932) • The Most Dangerous Game (1932) • The Intruder (1933) • I'm No Angel (1933) • Dangerously (1933) • Easy to Love (1934) • The Dragon Murder Case (1934) • The Secret Bride (1934) • Bordertown (1935) • Devil Dogs of the Air (1935) • Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936) • Road Gang (1936) • Marked Woman (1937) as Bob Crandall • Easy Living (1937) • Marry the Girl (1937) • Behind the Mike (1937) • Sergeant Murphy (1938) (uncredited) • The Jury's Secret (1938) • 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) • Granny Get Your Gun (1940) • Hired Wife (1940) • Seven Sinners (1940) • Tin Pan Alley (1940) • Sun Valley Serenade (1941) • Hold That Ghost (1941) • Highway West (1941) • Uncle Joe (1941) • The Male Animal (1942) • The Great Man's Lady (1942) • Gentleman Jim (1942) • Larceny, Inc. (1942) • In This Our Life (1942) • Tennessee Johnson (1942) (uncredited) • Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) (uncredited) • The Affairs of Martha (1942) • The Magnificent Dope (1942) • Mission to Moscow (1943) (uncredited) • The Impostor aka Strange Confession (1944) • In Society (1944) • San Diego, I Love You (1944) • My Darling Clementine (1946) (uncredited) • The Farmer's Daughter (1947) • Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947) • That's My Man (1947) • My Wild Irish Rose (1947)

Lobby card for the American comedy film Cradle Snatchers (1927).
Fox Film Corporation · source

Advertisement for the American film Conceit (1921) with Hedda Hopper, Charles K. Gerrard, and William B. Davidson, from the insert after page 10 of the August 13, 1921 Exhibitors Herald.
Selznick Pictures Corporation / Select Pictures Corporation · Exhibitors Herald (Jul. - Sep. 1921) on the Internet Archive
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,928 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- William AndrewsPerson
- William ArntzPerson
- William AsherPerson
- William AthertonPerson
- William B. DavisPerson
- William BaileyPerson
- William BakewellPerson
- William BeaudinePerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by William B. Davidson?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.