William Desmond

Biography

Starting out in dramatic parts, Desmond soon switched to westerns and action serials, and became a major western star. When the sound era began Desmond was almost 50 years old, and was soon relegated to supporting roles.

Known For

Flash Gordon

Tall in the Saddle

Phantom of the Opera

Frisco Kid

Trail Street

Phantom Lady

The Climax

Thank Your Lucky Stars

All Movies (150)

• Savage Fury1956 · as Allen
• Thunder Mountain1947 · as Townsman (uncredited)
• The Egg and I1947 · as Spectator at Country Dance (Uncredited)
• Code of the West1947 · as Settler (uncredited)
• Trail Street1947 · as Townsman (uncredited)
• Desert Command1946 · as Capt. Boncour
• Strange Confession1945 · as Peanut Vendor (uncredited)
• The Naughty Nineties1945 · as Showboat Customer (uncredited)
• The Return of the Durango Kid1945 · as Street Ambusher (uncredited)
• Hi, Beautiful1944 · as Passenger (uncredited)
• The Climax1944 · as Backstage Technician (Uncredited)
• Tall in the Saddle1944 · as Townsman (uncredited)
• The Mummy's Ghost1944 · as Museum Tourist (uncredited)
• Phantom Lady1944 · as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
• Thank Your Lucky Stars1943 · as Gower Gulch Cowboy (uncredited)
• Phantom of the Opera1943 · as Stagehand (uncredited)
• The Lone Star Trail1943 · as Bartender Mike
• Cheyenne Roundup1943 · as Pete
• Overland Mail1942 · as Williams - Banker
• The Silver Bullet1942 · as Townsman
• Down Rio Grande Way1942 · as Townsman
• Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie1941 · as Bartender
• Where Did You Get That Girl?1941 · as Tourist
• Junior G-Men1940 · as Irish Cop (uncredited)
• The Boys from Syracuse1940 · as Citizen
• Winners of the West1940 · as Bill Brine
• Tim Tyler's Luck1937 · as Dock Official
• Headin' for the Rio Grande1936 · as Mr. Mack (cattle buyer)
• Song of the Gringo1936 · as Bailiff
• The Vigilantes Are Coming1936 · as Anderson, Vigilante Member
• Hollywood Boulevard1936 · as Pago Pago Patron (uncredited)
• Treachery Rides the Range1936 · as Bill
• Flash Gordon1936 · as Hawkman Lookout Captain
• Song of the Saddle1936 · as Tim
• The Adventures of Frank Merriwell1936 · as Captain of the 'Viking'
• The Broken Coin1936
• Custer's Last Stand1936 · as Wagon Master
• Frisco Kid1935 · as Vigilante Hangman (uncredited)
• Tailspin Tommy in The Great Air Mystery1935 · as Foreman Burke
• Powdersmoke Range1935 · as Happy - Bartender
• Courage of the North1935 · as Gene Travis
• The Roaring West1935 · as Jim Parker
• Social Error1935 · as Policeman
• The Call of the Savage1935 · as Allen
• The Ghost Rider1935 · as Guard
• Cyclone of the Saddle1935 · as Wagon Master
• The Cowboy and the Bandit1935 · as Sheriff Pete
• Born to Battle1935 · as John Brownell
• Naughty Marietta1935 · as Gendarme Chief (uncredited)
• Wild Waters1935 · as Sheriff Manning
• Timber Terrors1935 · as Royce Horter
• Rustlers of Red Dog1935 · as Ira Dale [Chs. 1-4, 6, 10-12]
• When Lightning Strikes1934 · as Marshal Jack Stevens
• Frontier Days1934 · as Sheriff Barnes
• The Way of the West1934 · as 'Cash' Horton (as Wm. Desmond)
• The Red Rider1934 · as Sheriff Campbell
• I Can't Escape1934 · as Parole Officer Donovan
• Crack-Up1934 · as Police Chief
• The Vanishing Shadow1934 · as MacDonald
• The Rawhide Terror1934 · as Tom Blake
• Border Guns1934 · as Dr. Jim Wilson
• Pirate Treasure1934 · as Capt. Jim Carson
• Fargo Express1933 · as Sheriff Joe Thompson
• Perils of Pauline1933 · as Prof. Thompson
• Strawberry Roan1933 · as Colonel Brownlee
• Mr. Broadway1933 · as 1st Suitor (archive footage)
• Gordon of Ghost City1933 · as John Mulford
• Laughing at Life1933 · as Military Cabinet Officer
• The Phantom of the Air1933 · as Thomas Edmonds
• The Three Musketeers1933 · as Capt. Boncour
• The Rustler's Roundup1933 · as San Dimas Sheriff Holden
• Clancy of the Mounted1933 · as Dave Moran
• A Scarlet Week-End1932
• Jungle Mystery1932 · as John Morgan
• The Last Frontier1932 · as General Custer
• Heroes of the West1932 · as John Blaine
• Battling with Buffalo Bill1931 · as John Mills
• The Lightning Warrior1931 · as Townsman (uncredited)
• Oklahoma Jim1931 · as Lacy
• Hell-Bent for Frisco1931 · as The Editor
• First Aid1931 · as Chief of Police
• The Vanishing Legion1931 · as Milesburg Sheriff
• The Phantom of the West1930 · as Martin Blair
• No Defense1929 · as John Harper
• No Children1929 · as Self
• The Mystery Rider1928 · as Winthrop Lane / The Mystery Rider
• The Devil's Trademark1928 · as Morgan Gray
• The Vanishing Rider1928 · as Jim Davis / The Vanishing Rider
• The Return of the Riddle Rider1927 · as Randolph Parker / The Riddle Rider
• The Strings of Steel1926 · as Ned Brown
• The Ace of Spades1925 · as Dan Harvey
• The Meddler1925 · as Richard Gilmore
• The Burning Trail1925 · as Smiling Bill Flannigan
• Red Clay1925 · as Chief John Nisheto
• Duped1925 · as John Morgan
• Straight Through1925 · as Good Deed O'Day
• Barriers of the Law1925 · as Rex Brandon
• Ridin' Pretty1925 · as Sky Parker
• Outwitted1925 · as Jack Blaisdel
• The Riddle Rider1924 · as Randolph Parker / The Riddle Rider
• The Sunset Trail1924 · as Happy Hobo
• The Measure of a Man1924 · as John Fairmeadow
• Hello, 'Frisco1924 · as William Desmond
• Big Timber1924 · as Walter Sandry
• The Breathless Moment1924 · as Billy Carson
• The Extra Girl1923 · as Himself
• The Extra Girl1923 · as Himself - Actor
• Beasts of Paradise1923 · as Phil Grant
• Shadows of the North1923 · as Ben 'Wolf' Darby
• McGuire of the Mounted1923 · as Bob McGuire
• The Phantom Fortune1923 · as Larry Barclay
• Around the World in 18 Days1923 · as Phineas Fogg III
• Night Life in Hollywood1922 · as Self
• Perils of the Yukon1922 · as Jack Merrill Sr. / Jack Merrill Jr.
• Fightin' Mad1921 · as Bud McGraw
• The Policeman and the Baby1921 · as The Policeman
• The Child Thou Gavest Me1921 · as Tom Marshall
• The Parish Priest1921 · as Reverend John Whalen
• Women Men Love1921 · as David Hunter
• Twin Beds1920 · as Harry Hawkins
• The Prince and Betty1919 · as John Maude
• The Blue Bandanna1919 · as Jerry Jerome
• A Sage Brush Hamlet1919 · as Larry Lang
• Bare-Fisted Gallagher1919 · as 'Bare-Fisted' Gallagher
• The Mints of Hell1919 · as Dan Burke
• Whitewashed Walls1919 · as Larry Donovan
• Her Code of Honor1919 · as Eugene La Salle
• Life's a Funny Proposition1919 · as Jimmie Pendleton
• The Pretender1918 · as Bob Baldwin
• An Honest Man1918 · as Benny Boggs
• Society for Sale1918 · as Honorable Billy
• The Marriage Bubble1918 · as The Actor
• Captain of His Soul1918 · as Horace
• The Sudden Gentleman1917 · as Garry Garrity
• Married in Name Only1917
• Flying Colors1917 · as Brent Brewster
• Master of His Home1917 · as Carson Stewart
• Paws of the Bear1917 · as Ray Bourke
• Paddy O'Hara1917 · as Paddy O'Hara
• The Last of the Ingrams1917 · as Jules Ingram
• The Iced Bullet1917 · as The Author / Horace Lee
• A Gamble in Souls1916
• The Criminal1916 · as Donald White
• The Dawn Maker1916 · as Bruce Smithson
• Bullets and Brown Eyes1916 · as Prince Carl
• Peggy1916 · as Rev. Donald Bruce
• Peer Gynt1915 · as The Parson
• The Majesty of the Law1915 · as Jackson Morgan Kent
• Kilmeny1915 · as Bob Meredith
• The Sign of the Cross1904