
Acting
William Dyer
Born — Died
1881-03-09 — 1933-12-22
Place of birth
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Known for
Acting
Credits
58 titles
William Dyer was an American film actor in the silent era.
Known for
7.5Obsessed scientist Dr. Henry Frankenstein attempts to create life by assembling a creature from deceased body parts. Aided by his loyal misshapen assistant, Fritz, Frankenstein succeeds in animating his monster, but it flees into the countryside and begins to wreak havoc.
Frankenstein
1931
5.3Imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, John Brant escapes and ends up out west where, after giving the local lawmen the slip, he joins up with an outlaw gang. Brant finds out that 'Jones', one of the outlaws he has become friends with, committed the murder that Brant was sent up for, but has no knowledge that anyone was ever put in jail for his crime. Willing to forgive and forget, Brant doesn't realize that 'Jones' has not only fallen for the same pretty shopgirl Brant has, but begins to suspect that Brant is not truly an outlaw.
Sagebrush Trail
1933
NRQuiet and fairminded Jack Bliss traces his missing father to Hell's Hole, where he meets Helen Turner and Jack Hall, the leader of an outlaw gang rendezvousing at Hell's Hole. Hall kills Helen's father but fails in his attempts to get rid of Bliss and Helen, and Bliss, singlehanded, takes on the gang while the neighboring ranchers, settlers, and herders unite to clean out the outlaws.
Cyclone Bliss
1921
8.0Chased by Detective Murray and the posse, a wounded Jim Drake heads across the border into Mexico where he recuperates with the Wolfes. When Murray arrives again, Jim heads into the desert. But in the night his guide sneaks off and leaves him without water or his horse.
The Desert of the Lost
1927
NRDisgusted when the police department fails to apprehend the murderer of her guardian, Henri Du Bois, Celeste decides to track down the criminal herself. Her only clue is a cuff link dropped near the scene of the crime on which a sphinx is engraved, and with it, she wanders through Paris' tough Moulin Noir district. When she notices a young man wearing a tie pin of identical design, she cultivates his acquaintance and eventually asks him to visit her in her home. His suspicious behavior there convinces Celeste that he is the guilty party, and although she has fallen in love with him, she has him arrested, whereupon she learns that he is Du Bois' missing son, Andre. Further detective work reveals that the real murderer is Celeste's rejected suitor, Raoul Laverne. Upon his confession, Andre is released and eventually marries Celeste.
Madame Sphinx
1918
10.0From Death Valley in the Mojave Desert to Mount Whittier, the outlaw gangs are wreaking havoc on the gold and money shipments from the mines and ranches. Wells Fargo organizes an express service that will insure the shipments and ensure a guaranteed delivery. Granger Hume is hired to help Wells-Fargo deliver on their promise.
Gun Gospel
1927
Film credits
1930s · 7 titles
7.5Obsessed scientist Dr. Henry Frankenstein attempts to create life by assembling a creature from deceased body parts. Aided by his loyal misshapen assistant, Fritz, Frankenstein succeeds in animating his monster, but it flees into the countryside and begins to wreak havoc.
Frankenstein
1931
5.3Imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, John Brant escapes and ends up out west where, after giving the local lawmen the slip, he joins up with an outlaw gang. Brant finds out that 'Jones', one of the outlaws he has become friends with, committed the murder that Brant was sent up for, but has no knowledge that anyone was ever put in jail for his crime. Willing to forgive and forget, Brant doesn't realize that 'Jones' has not only fallen for the same pretty shopgirl Brant has, but begins to suspect that Brant is not truly an outlaw.
Sagebrush Trail
1933
7.0Kincade and Blake cause a mail plane carrying a payroll to make a forced landing in the desert. When they try to get the money, prospectors Ted and Si drive them away. With the pilot shot, Ted takes over as pilot figuring another attempt will be made and this time the Sheriff will be there.
Texas Buddies
1932
10.0Cardsharp Jack Cardigan decides to go straight when he meets Doris Bradfield, but is forced to use his talents on behalf of her dad, whose land-grant title has fallen into the hands of Jed Harden through the gambling weakness of Bradfield's son Tom.
The Code of Honor
1930
NREdited down version of Sagebrush Trail. Imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, John Brant escapes and ends up out west where, after giving the local lawmen the slip, he joins up with an outlaw gang. Brant finds out that ‘Jones’, one of the outlaws he has become friends with, committed the murder that Brant was sent up for, but has no knowledge that anyone was ever put in jail for his crime. Willing to forgive and forget, Brant doesn’t realize that ‘Jones’ has not only fallen for the same pretty shopgirl Brant has, but begins to suspect that Brant is not truly an outlaw.
Fugitive
1933
7.0Wanting the Lance ranch, Burkett kills Lance and brings in an imposter to pose as the heir Ken Lance. Ken learns of the plan, captures the imposter, and arrives posing as himself. In an ensuing gunfight a man is killed and Ken is in trouble when not only is he accused of the murder, but the imposter escapes and convinces the Sheriff he's the real Ken Lance.
Gun Justice
1933
7.0Tom Halliday of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is implicated and framed on a murder charge. The real killer has gone back into the United States, so Halliday, with no credentials, has to cross the border in order to find and capture the killer.
Honor of the Mounted
1932
1920s · 32 titles
NRQuiet and fairminded Jack Bliss traces his missing father to Hell's Hole, where he meets Helen Turner and Jack Hall, the leader of an outlaw gang rendezvousing at Hell's Hole. Hall kills Helen's father but fails in his attempts to get rid of Bliss and Helen, and Bliss, singlehanded, takes on the gang while the neighboring ranchers, settlers, and herders unite to clean out the outlaws.
Cyclone Bliss
1921
8.0Chased by Detective Murray and the posse, a wounded Jim Drake heads across the border into Mexico where he recuperates with the Wolfes. When Murray arrives again, Jim heads into the desert. But in the night his guide sneaks off and leaves him without water or his horse.
The Desert of the Lost
1927
10.0From Death Valley in the Mojave Desert to Mount Whittier, the outlaw gangs are wreaking havoc on the gold and money shipments from the mines and ranches. Wells Fargo organizes an express service that will insure the shipments and ensure a guaranteed delivery. Granger Hume is hired to help Wells-Fargo deliver on their promise.
Gun Gospel
1927
When young drifter Sandy Loom finds prospector Jim Perkins dying, he promises to take care of his daughter Myra. Assited by Professor Hawley and "Stills" Manners, he works her father's gold claim. Simeon Coe, a land shark and claim jumper, asks the judge to appoint him the girl's guardian, swearing it was Jim's last request, and though the judge refuses, Coe orders Sandy and his pals off the claim, backed by the sheriff.
Hands Off
1927
10.0A milquetoast Easterner who on a trip to the Wild West is mistaken for a U.S. marshall.
Gun-Shy
1922
10.0A party of campers return to Tom Stewart's ranch resort to report they have been held up by bandits. Lawrence, their guide, explains that it is a staged stunt for their benefit; Stewart confirms this and refunds the losses but writes to his old pal Jeff Morgan, a former gunfighter, telling him of his predicament. Morgan sends his son, Jeff, Jr., a superb rider and dead shot but otherwise an awkward lout; at the insistence of Pauline, Stewart places Jeff in charge of a camping party. Laura Mayhew, a city girl in league with Lawrence, sends up a flare signal at night, and while Jeff chases some bears into the woods, Lawrence and his men hold up the camp.
The Man in the Saddle
1926
8.0Michael O'Doone, his wife Margaret and daughter Marge are settlers living in the Northwest. One winter day, while on a journey, Michael meets with an accident and fails to return home. Believing that he is dead, Margaret goes into a state of delirium which enables Buck Tavish, a long-time admirer, to carry her away to his cabin. When she finally comes to her senses she flees in search of Michael, leaving Marge behind.
The Courage of Marge O'Doone
1920
9.0"Hadley, owner of a nearby ranch, had fenced off a water hole belonging to Miss Dunlap, thus depriving her stock of water. Undaunted, the young Eastern woman and her two-fisted fighting foreman fought back...
The Cowboy King
1922
10.0The touring show's soubrette, Jeanne D'Arcy, as it turns out, is the long-lost daughter of Westerner John D'Arcy. While she is performing at the town opera house, D'Arcy is found murdered and young Jack is accused of the heinous deed.
The Fighting Three
1927
7.0Directed by B. Reeves Eason. With William Fairbanks, Eva Novak, Lydia Knott, Bob Rhodes.
Women First
1924
10.0Movie serial Perils of the Wild
Perils of the Wild
1925
10.0Trying to trick Ma (Lydia Knott) and Mary Winters (Allene Ray) into selling their rundown ranch, which will be in the path of a future railroad, Underwood (Charles K.French) hires Keno Creager (Albert Smith) to impersonate Jimmy Winters, not seen by his mother and sister for many years.
Overland Bound
1929
10.0Jim McKee and his friend Buck rob a stagecoach to get money to support Buck's daughter. Buck is killed, but Jim and the daughter escape. Fifteen years later, Jim finds that he must turn robber again to continue to provide for Buck's daughter.
Singer Jim Mckee
1924
7.0As Betty arrives from the East Coast to take over the ranch and fortune left by her late father, the trip is interrupted by an Indian attack.
Thunder Riders
1928
7.0Overcoming his addiction to drink, John Fairmeadow leaves the Bowery for a western logging camp posing as a minister. His fistic ability and his gentle manner reform the town drinkers and put the saloon out of business.
The Measure of a Man
1924
9.0Jack Pepper accidentally fires his gun while forcing a newspaper editor to retract his statement regarding Miss Tulip Hellier, and the sheriff goes after Jack. While hiding out, Jack finds a liquor cache on the Hellier ranch and knows it was placed there as a ruse to distract the sheriff while an outlaw gang runs dope across the border.
Looking for Trouble
1926
7.0Stationed at the Mexican border, a young lieutenant whose job is to capture a ring of narcotics smugglers, spies his sweetheart, the daughter of a U. S. Customs official, in a cantina suspected of being the headquarters of the dope ring.
Quicksands
1923
6.4The Pony Express is a silent 1925 Western film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by James Cruze and starred his wife Betty Compson along with Ricardo Cortez, Wallace Beery, and George Bancroft.
The Pony Express
1925
9.0The former gambler turned upholder of law and order after a run-in with a gang of stage robbers.
Wild Bill Hickok
1923
9.0No synopsis available yet.
The Branded Four
1920
10.0Buck and Charlie, two hard-boiled cowboys, arrive at the Bar Nothing Ranch in Arizona and determine to take advantage of the peculiarity of the owner, Fred Saunders, known as "Lone Hand" because he never uses his right hand.
Lone Hand Saunders
1926
7.0Mildred is traveling West in search of her long-lost father when she catches the roving eye of wicked dance-hall proprietor "Hawk" Kent. She turns him down flat and Kent has his henchman Blaze frame her in a crime. To keep herself out of jail, Mildred is compelled to work in Kent's dive, until the gallant Jack comes to her rescue.
Spurs and Saddles
1927
8.0Esteban, a white boy, is raised by an Indian squaw, who believes she is his mother and from whom Beaugard steals the papers documenting Esteban's birth and his right to inherit a ranch. When he grows up, Esteban falls in love with Patricia Benton, Beaugard "exposes" Esteban to Patricia, and the villain taunts the boy, telling him that he has no right to a white woman.
The Crow's Nest
1922
8.0Mr. Jones must go to the big city and get married in order to receive an inheritance, but his marriage-of-convenience turns into a nightmare.
Crushed
1924
10.0Returning to his father's cattle ranch after the excitement of serving in combat overseas, Bud McGraw becomes restless, and his father decides to send him to an old friend who commands the Border Police in Texas. On the way he meets Peggy Hughes, accompanying her Uncle Graham, a customs inspector, and he retrieves her hat from the rails of a train. At the headquarters, numerous scrapes and fights win him the admiration of, and friendship with, the men. Lazaro, a Secret Service agent, invites Mrs. Graham and Peggy, who are staying at the border station, for an automobile ride, and they are captured by bandits and held for ransom. Bud and his pals deliver the ransom and discover that Lazaro is the bandit chief. Lazaro refuses to release Peggy, but a jealous rival, Nita de Garma, causes his downfall and shoots him as the Border Police arrive to rescue the party.
Fightin' Mad
1921
8.0Court, a crook, is forced to marry Velma by her enraged fiancé, who mistakes him for her clandestine suitor.
Don't Shoot
1922
8.5A recent college graduate (Billy West) inherits a large sum of money, as well as a dive on the rough side of town. The will states that, in the event of Billy's death, two thugs get the money and the 'Cafe', and the thugs try, through various means, to see that Billy meets his demise. But Billy manages to thwart their efforts, with the help of a pretty young girl.
Hard Boiled Yeggs
1926
7.0A wolfdog is wrongly accused of sheep killing. Based on the novel by Hal G. Evarts.
The Silent Call
1921
8.0Directed by Ben F. Wilson and Duke Worne.
The Screaming Shadow
1920
Hector, who was reared by a maiden aunt, decides to leave his sheltered life and become a reporter. At the newspaper where he has works, Hector becomes friendly with a young female reporter, who uses the byline "Firefly" for a series of articles intended to expose a notorious café. At the same time, Hector's aunt, head of the local Purity League, gives a stirring speech to the membership about ridding their community of the café. The young woman enlists Hector's aid and together they gain enough evidence to close the café.
The Trouble Chaser
1926
7.0Sergeant Bob Steele (Bob Custer), of the Texas Rangers, is assigned to put an end to the lawlessness of a gang of outlaws led by a mysterious man known as 'The Black Hawk.' Hoping to infiltrate the gang, he poses as an outlaw named "Lightning" Brady.
Trigger Fingers
1924
7.0A wealthy Wyoming man disowns his son, Wayne Sturgis (William Fairbanks), for marrying art student Joan Prescott (Dorothy Revier). After several years on a small farm, Joan begins to suffer from disillusionment, unhappiness, and ill health. The marriage is nearly ruined by the attentions that neighbor Monte Brett (Gladden James) pays Joan.
Marry in Haste
1924
1910s · 19 titles
NRDisgusted when the police department fails to apprehend the murderer of her guardian, Henri Du Bois, Celeste decides to track down the criminal herself. Her only clue is a cuff link dropped near the scene of the crime on which a sphinx is engraved, and with it, she wanders through Paris' tough Moulin Noir district. When she notices a young man wearing a tie pin of identical design, she cultivates his acquaintance and eventually asks him to visit her in her home. His suspicious behavior there convinces Celeste that he is the guilty party, and although she has fallen in love with him, she has him arrested, whereupon she learns that he is Du Bois' missing son, Andre. Further detective work reveals that the real murderer is Celeste's rejected suitor, Raoul Laverne. Upon his confession, Andre is released and eventually marries Celeste.
Madame Sphinx
1918
9.0After a young inventor discovers a powerful new explosive, agents from a German chemical firm induce him to study at a German university. While there, he is repelled by certain aspects of the people, and he leaves for Belgium. When the war begins, the inventor saves a Belgian burgomaster's daughter from Prussian invaders. The inventor and the girl endure horrible suffering because of the war, but they find happiness at its end, while the formerly fighting nations direct their effort towards world peace at the Paris conferences. The assassination of Kurt Eisner of Bavaria occurs at the end.
Whom the Gods Would Destroy
1919
NRShopgirl Rhoda Regan is in love with the Harmony Lad, the leader of a New York street gang called the Hudson Dusters. After two gang murders are committed in the Pepper Box, a local cabaret, the Harmony Lad promises his worried sweetheart that he will abandon the gang for a singing career, and true to his word, he soon accepts a job on the Pepper Box stage. When Stumpy Darcy, the new leader of the Dusters, kills rival gang leader Wedge Barker, who had flirted with Stumpy's girlfriend, Mamie Conlon, the Harmony Lad flees to New Jersey to escape police interrogation.
The Shoes That Danced
1918
8.0A reporter is related the tale of a girl from an isolated colony descended from the English survivors of a shipwreck.
The Little White Savage
1919
NRA woman who is presumed dead takes revenge on her unfaithful husband.
The Reward of the Faithless
1917
NRFrom a Montana mining camp, a young man progresses to the society heights of New York, making his mark publicly as a dancer, but secretly as a gentleman burglar.
Come Through
1917
7.5Carter Holmes, master criminologist, must help the oft-kidnapped Ruth Stanhope to find the 9 daggers that will unlock the secret of the cursed Devil's Trademark!
The Trail of the Octopus
1919
10.0The Four-Bit Man is a silent Western short.
The Four-Bit Man
1919
1.0Frivolous young Marie de Severac is frightened into following a more virtuous path, when her father relates a story in which an equally frivolous woman is entombed alive. The movie was Rex Ingram’s directorial debut, and he later remade the film as Trifling Women in 1922. Black Orchids is considered to be a lost film.
Black Orchids
1917
NRThis melodrama about an actress in love with a playwright and the stage manager blackmailing her for her affections offers a unique glimpse into Chaney’s career before his classic performances in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. Preserved and restored by the Academy Film Archive in 2004.
Triumph
1917
5.8A judge who had taken part in the gold rush of 1849 hires an acting troupe to recreate the experience in this rather fanciful silent Western. The make-believe turns serious when a real gold mine is discovered nearby and a local girl is kidnapped by a nasty gambler.
'49 – '17
1917
8.0Rosie Sanguinetti's parents arrange her marriage, against her will, to Antonio Mosconi, "Tony the Barber." At the wedding ceremony in her Little Italy, New York neighborhood, Rosie flees to the settlement house where she meets Jerry Van Tyne, a wealthy young man who agrees, in a drunken state, to marry her. The next day Jerry realizes the consequences of the situation.
Who Will Marry Me?
1919
NRA Playboy inherits a Western ranch on the condition that he shall run it properly for 6 months. A villain makes an attempt to distract him from reaching the goal, but he, no longer the wastrel of yore, persists and becomes full owner of the property.
Anything Once
1917
7.0Corrupt saloonkeeper and mayor Johnson Schmidt hits his head during a reform conference, leading activists to mistakenly believe he is dead. Finding a down-and-out stranger named Charles Smith who looks identical to Schmidt, the group gets him to pose as the mayor. The real Schmidt survives with amnesia, while Smith falls in love and reforms after saving a woman from a brawl. Henchmen accidentally shoot the real Schmidt upon his return, revealing the two men are twin brothers; Smith wins the next election and marries.
The Mayor of Filbert
1919
NROn the American frontier in the last decades of the 19th century, Billie is a female cowboy who fights a series of bad men in this film serial.
The Red Glove
1919
NRA young pickpocket is taken in by an attorney who attempts to 'civilize' her.
The Great Problem
1916
5.1A married society couple (Dorian and Warren) persuade an unmarried pair (Valentino and Myers) to take their places at a party while they pretend to be the servants.
All Night
1918
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Broken Fetters
1916
7.0Tom Denton comes from the East to the Northwest lumber region and becomes co-owner of a lumber camp with Howard Patton, whose bored wife Vera insists on flirting with Tom despite his discouragement.
Man's Desire
1919
