William Elmer (April 25, 1869 – February 24, 1945) was an American actor of the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1913 and 1942. He was born in

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

and died in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

. Elmer acted in stock theater in addition to his work in films.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Left-Handed Man ''The Left-Handed Man'' is a 1913 American short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. Prints of the film survive at the film archive of the Museum of Modern Art. Cast * Lillian Gish as The Old Soldier's Daughter * Charles West as The Old ...

'' (1913, Short) - Policeman * '' The Squaw Man'' (1914) - Cash Hawkins * '' The Master Mind'' (1914) - Cash Hawkins * '' Brewster's Millions'' (1914) - 1st Prizefighter * ''

Shotgun Jones ''Shotgun Jones'' is a 1914 American short silent Western film directed by Colin Campbell. Cast * Wheeler Oakman * Jack McDonald * Frank Clark (as Frank M. Clark) * Hoot Gibson * Bessie Eyton * Fernando Gálvez * William Elmer * Joseph ...

'' (1914, Short) - Hays * '' The Master Mind'' (1914) - Creegan * ''

The Man on the Box ''The Man on the Box'' is a 1914 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Oscar Apfel and co-directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It was based on the 1904 novel of the same name by Harold MacGrath and stars Horace B. Carpenter. Max Figman had ...

'' (1914) - Troop Commander * '' The Virginian'' (1914) - Trampas * '' Ready Money'' (1914) - Jim Dolan * '' Rose of the Rancho'' (1914) - Half Breed * ''

The Circus Man ''The Circus Man'' is a 1914 silent film produced by Jesse Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Oscar Apfel and written by Cecil B. DeMille from a story based on the novel ''The Rose in the Ring'' by George Barr McCutcheo ...

'' (1914) - Isaac Perry * '' The Ghost Breaker'' (1914) - Robledo * '' The Girl of the Golden West'' (1915) - Ashby * '' A Gentleman of Leisure'' (1915) - Spike Mullins * ''

The Unafraid ''The Unafraid'' is a 1915 American drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Extant at George Eastman House. Rita Jolivet completed this film just before boarding the Lusitania on its final voyage. The film survives and is preserved in the film ...

'' (1915, Short) - Jack McCarty * '' The Captive'' (1915) - Turkish Officer * '' The Arab'' (1915) - Meshur * ''

The Clue ''The Clue'' is a lost 1915 American drama silent film directed by James Neill and Frank Reicher and written by Margaret Turnbull. The film stars Blanche Sweet, Gertrude Kellar, Edward MacKay, Sessue Hayakawa, Page Peters and Ernest Joy. The fi ...

'' (1915) - Detective Williams * ''

Kindling Kindling is material for firelighting Kindling may also refer to: * ''Kindling'' (album), a 1973 album by Gene Parsons * ''Kindling'' (film), a 1915 film by Cecil B. DeMille * ''Kindling'' (Mick Farren novel) * ''Ruined City'' (novel) or ''Ki ...

'' (1915) - Rafferty * ''

The Fighting Hope ''The Fighting Hope'' is a 1915 silent film drama directed by George Melford and starring Thomas Meighan and Laura Hope Crews, both in their film debuts. Jesse Lasky produced and Paramount Pictures released. Based on a 1908 play by William J. Hu ...

'' (1915) - Detective Fletcher * ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' (1915) - Morales * ''

The Golden Chance ''The Golden Chance'' is a 1915 American drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. A print of the film survives at George Eastman House. DeMille remade the film in 1921 as ''Forbidden Fruit''. Cast * Cleo Ridgely as Mary Denby * Wallace Reid a ...

'' (1915) - The Rent Collector * ''

The Ragamuffin ''The Ragamuffin'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed and written by William C. deMille. The film stars Blanche Sweet in a ' Pickfordish' style role. Cast * Blanche Sweet - Jenny * Tom Forman - Bob Van Dyke * Minnette Barrett - Bet ...

'' (1916) - Kelly * ''

The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily s ...

'' (1916) - King * ''

A Gutter Magdalene ''A Gutter Magdalene'' is a lost 1916 American drama silent film directed by George Melford and written by Clinton Stagg. The film stars Fannie Ward, Jack Dean, Charles West, William Elmer, Gertrude Kellar and Ronald Bradbury. The film was relea ...

'' (1916) - Halpin * ''

The Selfish Woman ''The Selfish Woman'' is a lost 1916 American drama silent film directed by E. Mason Hopper and written by Hector Turnbull and Margaret Turnbull. The film stars Wallace Reid, Cleo Ridgely, Edythe Chapman, Charles Arling, Joe King and Jane Wo ...

'' (1916) - Jim * '' The Honorable Friend'' (1916) - Murphy * ''

The Plow Girl ''The Plow Girl'' is a lost 1916 American drama silent film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and written by Edward Morris, Charles Sarver and Harvey F. Thew. The film stars Mae Murray, Elliott Dexter, Charles K. Gerrard, Edythe Chapman, Horace ...

'' (1916) - Kregler * ''

Joan the Woman ''Joan the Woman'' is a 1916 American epic silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Geraldine Farrar as Joan of Arc. The film premiered on Christmas Day in 1916. This was DeMille's first historical drama. The screenplay is b ...

'' (1916) - Guy Townes * '' The Winning of Sally Temple'' (1917) - Tom Jellitt * ''

Castles for Two ''Castles for Two'' is an American 1917 silent drama film directed by Frank Reicher and starring Marie Doro and Elliott Dexter. It is based on an original story for the screen, ''Rich Girl - Poor Girl'', by Beatrice C. deMille and Leighton Osmun. ...

'' (1917) - Callahan * ''

The Prison Without Walls ''The Prison Without Walls'' is a 1917 American drama silent film directed by E. Mason Hopper and written by Beulah Marie Dix and Robert E. MacAlarney. The film stars Wallace Reid, Myrtle Stedman, William Conklin, William Elmer, Marcia Manon and ...

'' (1917) - Horse Gilligan * ''The Girl at Home'' (1917) - Detective Hagen * ''

Freckles Freckles are clusters of concentrated melaninized cells which are most easily visible on people with a fair complexion. Freckles do not have an increased number of the melanin-producing cells, or melanocytes, but instead have melanocytes that ...

'' (1917) - Black Jack * '' Her Strange Wedding'' (1917) - Peters * '' The Countess Charming'' (1917) - Detective Boyle * '' The Sunset Trail'' (1917) - Price Lovel * '' His Mother's Boy'' (1917) - Banty Jones * '' Wolves of the Rail'' (1918) - Pablo Trilles * '' The Widow's Might'' (1918) - Minor Role * ''

The Things We Love ''The Thing We Love'' is a 1918 American silent drama film starring Wallace Reid, Kathlyn Williams, and Tully Marshall, produced by Jesse Lasky, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and directed by Lou Tellegen. This marked Tellegen's second foray ...

'' (1918) - Kenwood's Agent * '' The Family Skeleton'' (1918) - 'Spider' Doyle * '' Playing the Game'' (1918) - Hodges * ''The Bravest Way'' (1918) * ''

We Can't Have Everything ''We Can't Have Everything'' was a 1918 American silent drama film directed and written by Cecil B. DeMille based upon a novel by Rupert Hughes. The film is considered to be lost. Plot As described in a film magazine, very much in love with ...

'' (1918) - Props * ''

The Firefly of France ''The Firefly of France'' is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by Donald Crisp and written by Margaret Turnbull based upon a novelette by Marion Polk Angelotti. The film stars Wallace Reid, Ann Little, Charles Ogle, Raymond Hatto ...

'' (1918) - Aide to Von Blenheim * ''

A Burglar for a Night ''A Burglar for a Night'' is a 1918 American silent comedy film directed by Ernest C. Warde and starring J. Warren Kerrigan, Lois Wilson and William Elmer.Rainey p.230 Cast * J. Warren Kerrigan as Kirk Marden * Lois Wilson as Janet Leslie * W ...

'' (1918) - William Neal * '' Coals of Fire'' (1918) - Ben Roach * ''

He Comes Up Smiling ''He Comes Up Smiling'' is a 1918 American comedy film produced by and starring Douglas Fairbanks and directed by Allan Dwan. This film was based on a novel of the same title by Charles Sherman, which was adapted into a 1914 play of the same name ...

'' (1918) * ''

The Way of a Man with a Maid ''The Way of a Man with a Maid'' is an anonymous, sadomasochistic,Clifford J. Scheiner (1996), ''The Essential Guide to Erotic Literature, Part One: Before 1920''. Ware, Wordsworth: 326-9 erotic novel, probably first published in 1908. The stor ...

'' (1918) - Bill * ''

The Dub ''The Dub'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by James Cruze and written by Edgar Franklin and Will M. Ritchey. The film stars Wallace Reid, Charles Ogle, Ralph Lewis, Raymond Hatton, Winter Hall, and Nina Byron. The film w ...

'' (1919) - Burglar Bill * ''

Maggie Pepper ''Maggie Pepper'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Chester Withey and starring Ethel Clayton. This film is based on a hit 1911 play by Charles Klein which was a winning success for stage actress Rose Stahl at the Ha ...

'' (1919) - Dud Corey * ''

Alias Mike Moran ''Alias Mike Moran'' is a lost film, lost 1919 American Comedy film, comedy silent film directed by James Cruze and written by Frederick Orin Bartlett and Will M. Ritchey. The film stars Wallace Reid, Ann Little, Emory Johnson, Charles Ogle, Edyt ...

'' (1919) - Tick Flynn * ''

Married in Haste ''Married in Haste'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Arthur Rosson and starring Albert Ray, Elinor Fair and Robert Klein.Connelly, Robert B. ''The Silents: Silent Feature Films, 1910-36'' 40(2). December Press, 1998. p. 384. C ...

'' (1919) - Chauffeur * ''The Usurper'' (1919) - Bob Quentin * ''Cheating Herself'' (1919) - Dugan * ''

Pinto Pinto is a Portuguese language, Portuguese, Spanish language, Spanish, Sephardi Jews, Jewish (Sephardic), and Italian language, Italian surname. It is a high-frequency surname in all List of countries and territories where Portuguese is an officia ...

'' (1920) - Lousy * ''Leave It to Me'' (1920) - Red Kelly * ''Forbidden Trails'' (1920) - Davis * ''

Uncharted Channels ''Uncharted Channels'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring H. B. Warner, Kathryn Adams and Sam De Grasse Samuel Alfred De Grasse (June 12, 1875 – November 29, 1953) was a Canadian actor. He was the un ...

'' (1920) - Jim Baker * ''

Prairie Trails ''Prairie Trails'' is a lost 1920 American silent comedy Western film directed by George Marshall and starring Tom Mix. Cast * Tom Mix as Tex Benton * Charles K. French as Stephen McWhorter * Kathleen O'Connor as Janet McWhorter * Robert Wa ...

'' (1920) - Rod Blake * ''The Road Demon'' (1921) * ''The Big Town Round-Up'' (1921) - Jerry Casey * '' Big Game'' (1921) * ''

The Foolish Age ''The Foolish Age'' is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Doris May, Hallam Cooley and Otis Harlan.Munden p.259 Cast * Doris May as Margie Carr * Hallam Cooley as Homer Dean Chadwick * Otis Harlan as ...

'' (1921) - Cauliflower Jim * '' Two Kinds of Women'' (1922) - Poker Face * ''Man with Two Mothers'' (1922) - Clancy * ''

Iron to Gold ''Iron to Gold'' is a lost 1922 American silent Western film produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. Based on a short story by Max Brand, writing as George Owen Baxter, the film starred Dustin Farnum and was directed by Bernard J. Du ...

'' (1922) - Bat Piper * ''

The Bootlegger's Daughter ''The Bootlegger's Daughter'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Enid Bennett, Fred Niblo, and Donald MacDonald.Parish & Pitts p.336 Cast * Enid Bennett as Nell Bradley * Fred Niblo as Reverend C ...

'' (1922) - Ben Roach * '' Pawned'' (1922) - Joe Burke * '' In Search of a Thrill'' (1923) - Percy (the valet) * ''The Whipping Boss'' (1924) - Spike * '' The Night Hawk'' (1924) * '' Battling Mason'' (1924) - (uncredited) * ''

Condemned Condemned or The Condemned may refer to: Legal * Persons awaiting execution * A condemned property, or condemned building, by a local authority, usually for public health or safety reasons * A condemned property seized by power of eminent domain ...

'' (1929) - Pierre * '' Cimarron'' (1931) - (uncredited) * ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' (1935) - Lawyer (uncredited) * '' Kitty Foyle'' (1940) - Neway (uncredited) * ''

The Devil and Miss Jones ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' is a 1941 comedy film starring Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, and Charles Coburn. Directed by Sam Wood from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, the film was the product of an independent collaboration between Krasna and p ...

'' (1941) - Attendant at Jim's Bath House (uncredited) * ''

Reap the Wild Wind ''Reap the Wild Wind'' is a 1942 American adventure film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, and Paulette Goddard, with a supporting cast featuring Raymond Massey, Robert Preston (actor), Robert Prest ...

'' (1942) - Juror (uncredited) * ''

The Magnificent Ambersons ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' is a 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington, the second in his ''Growth'' trilogy after ''The Turmoil'' (1915) and before ''The Midlander'' (1923, retitled ''National Avenue'' in 1927). It won the Pulitzer Prize for fict ...

'' (1942) - Servant (uncredited)

References

External links

* 1869 births 1945 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Iowa {{US-film-actor-1860s-stub