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Warren William

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Warren William (December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, popular during the early 1930s, who was later nicknamed the "king of Pre-Code". He was born Warren William Krech in Aitkin, Minnesota to parents Freeman E. and Frances Krech. He had a certain physical resemblance to John Barrymore. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After moving from Broadway to Hollywood in 1931, he reached his peak as a leading man in early 1930s pre-Production Code films. He was a contract player at the Warner Bros. studio and was known for portraying amoral businessmen, lawyers, and other heartless types, including the Sam Spade character (renamed "Ted Shane") in the second filming of The Maltese Falcon, called Satan Met a Lady (1936) with Bette Davis. He also played sympathetic roles, however, as in Imitation of Life, in which he portrayed Claudette Colbert's love interest. He appeared as her love interest again that year, when he played Julius Caesar to her Cleopatra in Cecil B. DeMille's version of Cleopatra. And he was the swashbucking d'Artagnan in the 1939 version of The Man in the Iron Mask, directed by James Whale. William was the first to portray Erle Stanley Gardner's fictional defense attorney Perry Mason on the big screen and starred in four fast-paced, comical, and highly entertaining Perry Mason mysteries. He also played Raffles-like reformed jewel thief The Lone Wolf for Columbia Pictures beginning with The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939) with Ida Lupino and Rita Hayworth, and he starred as detective Philo Vance in two films in that series, 1934's The Dragon Murder Case and 1939's The Gracie Allen Murder Case (billed below Gracie Allen). In 1923, he married Helen Barbara Nelson; Mrs. Helen B. Krech - who also survived him - was seventeen years his senior. Warren William died on 24 September 1948 in Hollywood, California of multiple myeloma. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Warren William has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1551 Vine Street. A biography from McFarland books, written by John Stangeland, Warren William: Magnificent Scoundrel of Pre-Code Hollywood, was released in October 2010. Description above from the Wikipedia article Warren William, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


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Born:
Dec 2, 1894 In Aitkin, Minnesota, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
72
First Appeared:
In the movie How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 7: 'The Spoon' 1931-07-19
Latest Project:
Movie Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood 2008-03-03
Known For
Poster of Secrets of the Lone Wolf
Poster of Midnight Madonna
Poster of Living on Velvet
Poster of Cleopatra
Filmography
Movie Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood Various Roles (archive footage) 2008-03-03
Movie Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her Self (archive footage) 1994-08-09
Movie Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 1983-02-25
Movie The Private Affairs of Bel Ami Laroche-Mathieu 1947-04-25
Movie Fear Police Capt. Burke 1946-03-02
Movie Strange Illusion Brett Curtis 1945-03-31
Movie One Dangerous Night Michael Lanyard / The Lone Wolf 1943-01-22
Movie Passport to Suez Michael Lanyard / The Lone Wolf 1943-08-19
Movie Wild Bill Hickok Rides Harry Farrel 1942-01-31
Movie Counter-Espionage Michael Lanyard 1942-09-03
Movie The Wolf Man Dr. Lloyd 1941-12-12
Movie Wild Geese Calling Blackie Bedford 1941-08-15
Movie The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance Michael Lanyard 1941-03-06
Movie Secrets of the Lone Wolf Michael Lanyard 1941-11-13
Movie Lillian Russell Jesse Lewisohn 1940-05-24
Movie The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady Michael Lanyard 1940-05-30
Movie The Lone Wolf Strikes Michael Lanyard 1940-01-26
Movie The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date Michael Lanyard 1940-11-02
Movie Arizona Jefferson Carteret 1940-12-25
Movie Trail of the Vigilantes Mark Dawson 1940-12-13
Movie The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt Michael Lanyard 1939-01-27
Movie The Gracie Allen Murder Case Philo Vance 1939-06-02
Movie The Man in the Iron Mask D'Artagnan 1939-07-13
Movie Day-time Wife Bernard Dexter 1939-11-24
Movie Arsène Lupin Returns Steve Emerson 1938-02-25
Movie The First Hundred Years Harry Borden 1938-03-12
Movie Wives Under Suspicion District Attorney Jim Stowell 1938-06-03
Movie Outcast Dr. Wendell Phillips / Phil Jones 1937-02-05
Movie Midnight Madonna Blackie Denbo 1937-07-01
Movie The Firefly Major de Rouchemont 1937-11-05
Movie Madame X Bernard Fleuriot 1937-10-01
Movie Satan Met a Lady Ted Shane 1936-07-22
Movie Times Square Playboy Victor 'Vic' Arnold 1936-05-09
Movie The Case of the Velvet Claws Perry Mason 1936-07-03
Movie Stage Struck Fred Harris 1936-09-12
Movie Breakdowns of 1936 Self 1936-12-30
Movie Go West Young Man Morgan 1936-11-18
Movie Living on Velvet Walter 'Gibraltar' Pritcham 1935-03-02
Movie A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio Himself (uncredited) 1935-02-02
Movie The Case of the Curious Bride Perry Mason 1935-04-13
Movie Don't Bet on Blondes Oscar 'Odds' Owen 1935-07-13
Movie A Dream Comes True Self (uncredited) 1935-12-31
Movie Things You Never See on the Screen Self 1935-12-01
Movie The Widow from Monte Carlo Allan Chepstow 1935-12-19
Movie The Case of the Lucky Legs Perry Mason 1935-10-05
Movie Smarty Tony 1934-05-19
Movie Hollywood on Parade No. B-1 1934-03-02
Movie Bedside Bob Brown 1934-01-27
Movie Dr. Monica John Braden 1934-06-23
Movie Upperworld Alexander Stream 1934-04-28
Movie The Dragon Murder Case Philo Vance 1934-08-25
Movie The Secret Bride Robert Sheldon 1934-12-22
Movie Imitation of Life Stephen 'Steve' Archer 1934-11-23
Movie The Case of the Howling Dog Perry Mason 1934-09-22
Movie Cleopatra Julius Caesar 1934-10-05
Movie Employees' Entrance Kurt Anderson 1933-02-11
Movie The Mind Reader Chandra 1933-04-01
Movie Just Around the Corner Mr. Sears 1933-01-17
Movie Gold Diggers of 1933 J. Lawrence Bradford 1933-05-27
Movie Lady for a Day Dave the Dude 1933-09-13
Movie Goodbye Again Kenneth L. 'Ken' Bixby 1933-09-09
Movie The Mouthpiece Vincent 'Vince' Day 1932-03-21
Movie Under Eighteen Raymond Harding 1932-01-02
Movie Beauty and the Boss Baron Josef von Ullrich 1932-04-09
Movie The Woman from Monte Carlo Lieutenant d'Ortelles 1932-01-09
Movie The Dark Horse Hal Samson Blake 1932-06-16
Movie Skyscraper Souls David Dwight 1932-07-16
Movie The Match King Paul Kroll 1932-12-31
Movie Three on a Match Robert Kirkwood 1932-10-29
Movie How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 7: 'The Spoon' Warren William - the Husband (uncredited) 1931-07-19
Movie Expensive Women Neil Hartley 1931-10-24
Movie Honor of the Family Captain Boris Barony 1931-10-17