William Davis Garwood, Jr. (April 28, 1884 – December 28, 1950) was an American

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and film actor and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of the early

silent film 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, when ...

era in the 1910s. Between 1911 and 1913, Garwood starred in a number of early adaptions of popular films, including ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' and ''

The Vicar of Wakefield ''The Vicar of Wakefield'', subtitled ''A Tale, Supposed to be written by Himself'', is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774). It was written from 1761 to 1762 and published in 1766. It was one of the most popular and wid ...

'' (1910), ''

Lorna Doone ''Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor'' is a novel by English author Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly ar ...

'' (1911), ''

The Pied Piper of Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to ...

'' (1911), ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

'' (1911), ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' (1912), and ''

Little Dorrit ''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London. Arthur Cl ...

'' (1913), and ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

'' (1913). In total, he starred in more than 150 short and feature films.

Early life

William Davis Garwood, Jr. was born in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

. He attended public schools in Springfield before moving to

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

at the age of 15.

Career

Garwood left American Studios after eight months and signed a two-year contract with

Universal Film Manufacturing Company Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

in late May 1914. Garwood's first picture for Universal was ''

On Dangerous Ground ''On Dangerous Ground'' is a 1951 film noir-melodrama starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino, directed by Nicholas Ray, and produced by John Houseman. The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides based on the 1945 novel ''Mad with Much Heart,'' ...

'', released in 1915. By this time, Garwood's popularity had risen and he became a popular leading man with a sizable female fan base. During this time, he worked exclusively with a popular actress of the time,

Violet Mersereau Violet Mersereau (October 2, 1892 – November 12, 1975) was an American stage and film actress. Over the course of her screen career, Mersereau appeared in over 100 Short film, short and silent film features. Early life Mersereau was born in Ne ...

, with whom he starred in a number of short films. They worked together in many one-reel comedy film that year, including '' You Can't Always Tell'', ''

Destiny's Trump Card ''Destiny's Trump Card'' is a 1915 American silent short film directed by and starring William Garwood in the lead role with Violet Mersereau Violet Mersereau (October 2, 1892 – November 12, 1975) was an American stage and film actress. O ...

'', '' Uncle's New Blazer'', ''

The Adventure of the Yellow Curl Papers ''The Adventure of the Yellow Curl Papers'' (also known as ''The Mystery of the Yellow Curl Papers'') is a 1915 American silent short comedy-drama film directed by Clem Easton and starring William Garwood in the lead role with Violet Merserea ...

'', '' Wild Blood'' and ''

The Supreme Impulse ''The Supreme Impulse'' is a 1915 American silent short film comedy-drama film directed by Lucius Henderson. Starring William Garwood in the lead role with Violet Mersereau Violet Mersereau (October 2, 1892 – November 12, 1975) was an Ameri ...

''. During his time at Universal, Garwood also starred as the title character in ''

Lord John in New York ''Lord John in New York'' is a 1915 American silent mystery film directed by Edward J. Le Saint based on a story by C.N. and A.M. Williamson. Starring William Garwood in the lead role, it was the first film in the five film series of '' Lord ...

'' (now considered

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

). Based on the short story by C.N. and A.M. Williamson, the film proved to be popular with audiences and Garwood starred in four more ''Lord John'' films over the following months.

Later years and death

By the late 1910s, Garwood's career began to falter because of his chronic alcoholism. He made his final screen appearance in 1919's ''

A Proxy Husband ''Proxy Husband'' is a 1919 American silent short film directed by and starring William Garwood. Cast *Violet Mersereau *William Garwood *Joseph Granby * Harry Carter *Leonora von Ottinger Leonora von Ottinger was an American silent film and ...

'', which he also directed after which he retired. Garwood reportedly lived off of the fortune he made through various investments. Garwood was a lifelong bachelor and had no children. On December 28, 1950, he died of

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

due to alcoholism in Los Angeles at the age of 66.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garwood, William 1884 births 1950 deaths 20th-century American male actors Alcohol-related deaths in California American male film actors American male silent film actors American male stage actors Burials in California Deaths from cirrhosis Film directors from Missouri Male actors from Missouri People from Springfield, Missouri Silent film directors