Warren William

He worked on Broadway in the 1920s and also appeared in serial star Pearl White's last chapter play, Plunder (1923). His talkie career began with 1931's Honor of the Family. Typically cast as a ruthless business executive or shyster lawyer, William effectively carried over some of his big city aggressiveness to the role of Julius Caesar in DeMille's Cleopatra (1934). He also had the distinction of starring in three whodunit film series of the 1930s and 1940s, playing Perry Mason, Philo Vance, and the Lone Wolf. Off camera, William was unexpectedly shy and retiring; his co-star Joan Blondell once noted that he "was an old man even when he was a young man." Warren William was only in his early fifties when he died of multiple myeloma. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide