William Boyd

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

140

Gender

Male

Birthday

1895-06-04

Day of death

1972-09-12 (77 years old)

Place of Birth

Hendrysburg, Ohio, USA

William Boyd

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia William Lawrence Boyd (June 5, 1895 – September 12, 1972) was an American film actor who is best known for portraying the cowboy hero Hopalong Cassidy. Boyd was born in Hendrysburg, Ohio, and reared in Cambridge, Ohio and Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was the son of a day laborer, Charles William Boyd, and his wife, the former Lida Wilkens (aka Lyda). Following his father's death, he moved to California and worked as an orange picker, surveyor, tool dresser and auto salesman. In Hollywood, he found work as an extra in Why Change Your Wife? and other films. During World War I, he enlisted in the army but was exempt from military service because of a "weak heart". More prominent film roles followed, including his breakout role as Jack Moreland in Cecil B. DeMille's The Road to Yesterday (1925) which starred also Joseph Schildkraut, Jetta Goudal, and Vera Reynolds. Boyd's performance in the film was praised by critics, while movie-goers were equally impressed by his easy charm, charisma, and intense good-looks. Due to Boyd's growing popularity, DeMille soon cast him as the leading man in the highly acclaimed silent drama film, The Volga Boatman. Boyd's role as Feodor blew critics away, and with Boyd now firmly established as a matinee idol and romantic leading man, he began earning an annual salary of $100,000. He acted in DeMille's extravaganza The King of Kings (in which he played Simon of Cyrene, helping Jesus carry the cross) and DeMille's Skyscraper (1928). He then appeared in D.W. Griffith's Lady of the Pavements (1929). Radio Pictures ended Boyd's contract in 1931 when his picture was mistakenly run in a newspaper story about the arrest of another actor, William "Stage" Boyd, on gambling and liquor charges. Although the newspaper apologized, explaining the mistake in the following day's newspaper, Boyd said, "The damage was already done." William "Stage" Boyd died in 1935, the same year William L. Boyd became Hopalong Cassidy, the role that led to his enduring fame. But at the time in 1931, Boyd was virtually broke and without a job, and for a few years he was credited in films as "Bill Boyd" to prevent being mistaken for the other William Boyd.

Known For

  • Hopalong Cassidy

    Hopalong Cassidy

  • Eve's Leaves

    Eve's Leaves

  • In Old Mexico

    In Old Mexico

  • The Temple of Venus

    The Temple of Venus

  • The Six Best Cellars

    The Six Best Cellars

  • Borrowed Trouble

    Borrowed Trouble

  • Western von gestern

    Western von gestern

  • Skyscraper

    Skyscraper

  • Sunset Trail

    Sunset Trail

  • Racing Luck

    Racing Luck

  • After the Show

    After the Show

  • Manslaughter

    Manslaughter

  • Feet of Clay

    Feet of Clay

  • Beyond Victory

    Beyond Victory

  • Trail Dust

    Trail Dust

  • High Voltage

    High Voltage

  • Hollywood

    Hollywood

  • Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star

    Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star

  • Secret of the Wastelands

    Secret of the Wastelands

  • Pride of the West

    Pride of the West

  • Riders of the Deadline

    Riders of the Deadline

  • In Old Colorado

    In Old Colorado

  • Hoppy Serves a Writ

    Hoppy Serves a Writ

  • A City Sparrow

    A City Sparrow

  • The Painted Desert

    The Painted Desert

  • Hopalong Cassidy Returns

    Hopalong Cassidy Returns

  • Law of the Pampas

    Law of the Pampas

  • Renegade Trail

    Renegade Trail

  • Outlaws of the Desert

    Outlaws of the Desert

  • On the High Seas

    On the High Seas

  • It's Showtime

    It's Showtime

  • Three Men from Texas

    Three Men from Texas

  • Sinister Journey

    Sinister Journey

  • Changing Husbands

    Changing Husbands

  • Texas Masquerade

    Texas Masquerade

  • Texas Trail

    Texas Trail

  • The Greatest Show on Earth

    The Greatest Show on Earth

  • Riders of the Timberline

    Riders of the Timberline

  • The Marauders

    The Marauders

  • Three on the Trail

    Three on the Trail

  • Rustlers' Valley

    Rustlers' Valley

  • Leather Burners

    Leather Burners

  • Lost Canyon

    Lost Canyon

  • Dangerous Venture

    Dangerous Venture

  • The Eagle's Brood

    The Eagle's Brood

  • Silver on the Sage

    Silver on the Sage

  • Go-Get-'Em, Haines

    Go-Get-'Em, Haines

  • Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 5

    Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 5

  • Silent Conflict

    Silent Conflict

  • The Frontiersmen

    The Frontiersmen

  • Santa Fe Marshal

    Santa Fe Marshal

  • Twilight on the Trail

    Twilight on the Trail

  • Burning Gold

    Burning Gold

  • Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs

    Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs

  • The Showdown

    The Showdown

  • Hoppy's Holiday

    Hoppy's Holiday

  • The Road to Yesterday

    The Road to Yesterday

  • Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

    Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

  • Emergency Call

    Emergency Call

  • Hills of Old Wyoming

    Hills of Old Wyoming

  • Colt Comrades

    Colt Comrades

  • The King of Kings

    The King of Kings

  • Nice People

    Nice People

  • Border Vigilantes

    Border Vigilantes

  • Going Hollywood: The '30s

    Going Hollywood: The '30s

  • Unexpected Guest

    Unexpected Guest

  • False Colors

    False Colors

  • Fool's Gold

    Fool's Gold

  • Doomed Caravan

    Doomed Caravan

  • Wide Open Town

    Wide Open Town

  • Enemies of Children

    Enemies of Children

  • The Big Gamble

    The Big Gamble

  • Officer O'Brien

    Officer O'Brien

  • A Wise Fool

    A Wise Fool

  • Land of Liberty

    Land of Liberty

  • Stagecoach War

    Stagecoach War

  • Borderland

    Borderland

  • Call of the Prairie

    Call of the Prairie

  • Lucky Devils

    Lucky Devils

  • Hidden Gold

    Hidden Gold

  • Border Patrol

    Border Patrol

  • Carnival Boat

    Carnival Boat

  • Her Man o' War

    Her Man o' War

  • Strange Gamble

    Strange Gamble

  • The Leatherneck

    The Leatherneck

  • Old Wives for New

    Old Wives for New

  • Bar 20

    Bar 20

  • Stick to Your Guns

    Stick to Your Guns

  • Lumberjack

    Lumberjack

  • Bobbed Hair

    Bobbed Hair

  • Partners of the Plains

    Partners of the Plains

  • The Devil's Playground

    The Devil's Playground

  • Moonlight and Honeysuckle

    Moonlight and Honeysuckle

  • Forty Winks

    Forty Winks

  • North of the Rio Grande

    North of the Rio Grande

  • Cheaters

    Cheaters

  • Undercover Man

    Undercover Man

  • Federal Agent

    Federal Agent

  • The Movie Orgy

    The Movie Orgy

  • The Volga Boatman

    The Volga Boatman

  • The Midshipman

    The Midshipman

  • Tarnish

    Tarnish

  • Saturday Night

    Saturday Night

  • Hopalong Rides Again

    Hopalong Rides Again

  • Range War

    Range War

  • Bar 20 Justice

    Bar 20 Justice

  • Two Arabian Knights

    Two Arabian Knights

  • Television: The First Fifty Years

    Television: The First Fifty Years

  • The Young Rajah

    The Young Rajah

  • Forty Thieves

    Forty Thieves

  • The Dead Don't Dream

    The Dead Don't Dream

  • His First Command

    His First Command

  • Brewster's Millions

    Brewster's Millions

  • Michael O'Halloran

    Michael O'Halloran

  • The Cop

    The Cop

  • Bar 20 Rides Again

    Bar 20 Rides Again

  • Hop-a-long Cassidy

    Hop-a-long Cassidy

  • Power

    Power

  • Mystery Man

    Mystery Man

  • The Night Flyer

    The Night Flyer

  • False Paradise

    False Paradise

  • Dress Parade

    Dress Parade

  • Men Of America

    Men Of America

  • The Yankee Clipper

    The Yankee Clipper

  • Moran of the Lady Letty

    Moran of the Lady Letty

  • Forbidden Fruit

    Forbidden Fruit

  • Lady of the Pavements

    Lady of the Pavements

  • The Affairs of Anatol

    The Affairs of Anatol

  • Was He Guilty?

    Was He Guilty?

  • Heart of the West

    Heart of the West

  • Little Smokey

    Little Smokey

  • New Lives for Old

    New Lives for Old

  • Heart of Arizona

    Heart of Arizona

  • Suicide Fleet

    Suicide Fleet

  • Something to Think About

    Something to Think About

  • Flaming Gold

    Flaming Gold

  • Cassidy of Bar 20

    Cassidy of Bar 20

  • The Flying Fool

    The Flying Fool

  • Pirates on Horseback

    Pirates on Horseback

  • Port of Lost Dreams

    Port of Lost Dreams