William Desmond

William Desmond Profile Photo

Characters played by William Desmond

Anderson, Vigilante Member — The Vigilantes Are Coming (1936)

Anderson is identified as a member of the vigilantes, the group assembled from Californian ranchers to oppose General Burr's henchmen and Count Raspinoff's Cossacks. The synopsis does not describe any individual actions by Anderson or specify a personal connection to Don Loring.

Eugene La Salle — Her Code of Honor (1919)

Eugene meets Alice after an automobile accident and becomes engaged to her. After spending a few months abroad, he returns to find her pregnant, and they agree to marry. A ring from his father appears to link them as half-siblings, but they learn he was adopted and decide to marry as planned.

John Mulford — Gordon of Ghost City (1933)

John Mulford is a rancher who hires Buck Gordon to hunt down a gang of cattle rustlers. He does not know that his own foreman, Rance Radigan, leads the gang, making Mulford's employment of Buck central to the pursuit of the rustlers.

Police Chief — Crack-Up (1934)

The local law enforcement authority who receives Rogers' false robbery report and likely oversees the resolution of the orphan's case.

Prof. Thompson — Perils of Pauline (1933)

Professor Thompson meets the Hargraves party in New York and joins Professor Hargraves, Pauline, and Ward on their visit to the museum. He and Hargraves later discuss and work on recreating the deadly-gas formula in his home laboratory. When Bashan and his men attack, Thompson helps Hargraves and Ward defend Pauline and the formula.

Museum Tourist (uncredited) — The Mummy's Ghost (1944)

Visitor at the museum where Egyptian artifacts are displayed.

Peanut Vendor (uncredited) — Strange Confession (1945)

Street vendor in Strange Confession, provides background detail.

Foreman Burke — Tailspin Tommy in The Great Air Mystery (1935)

Factory or hangar supervisor, involved in industrial espionage.

John Maude — The Prince and Betty (1919)

An American hired by Benjamin Scobell to impersonate a prince and help spark a revolution in Merve. Short of money and hoping to marry Betty Keith, he accepts the scheme, then discovers she is Scobell's stepdaughter and disapproves of his way of earning a living. He and Betty eventually escape to the United States.

Ben 'Wolf' Darby — Shadows of the North (1923)

Ben is co-owner of a valuable mining claim with his father, Ezra. After returning from military service, he finds the mine occupied by claim jumpers and his father under pressure. Following Ezra's murder, Ben abducts Beatrice as leverage, but comes to believe her innocence, confronts the trespassers, and regains control of the mine before reconciling with and marrying her.

John Harper — No Defense (1929)

John Harper is Harper, Sr.’s son and Lois Harper’s husband. To satisfy Lois’s repeated demands for money, he buys inferior steel for the bridge and authorizes its use despite Monte Collins’s protest. After the collapse, guilt overwhelms him, and he admits to Lois that he approved the faulty steel.

Career Overview

William Desmond has 147 screen credits in a career dating back to 1904. Their work spans 6 cinematic universes — most prominently Ma and Pa Kettle Collection with 1 titles. Signature works include The Broken Coin, Straight Through, Beasts of Paradise. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.

Personal Facts

Known For
Acting
Gender
male
Known Credits
147
Birth Date
1878-01-23
Birth Place
Horseheads, New York, USA

Known For

Associated Universes

Universe traveler — spans 6 universes

Frequent Collaborators

Credits

Content sources

Related entry on Wikidata (Q507344), public domain (CC0).