William Desmond Taylor

He went into the wedlock with Ethel May Harrison, the daughter of a New York stockbroker on December 7, 1901. The couple was blessed with a daughter, Ethel Daisy two years later.

Following his abrupt disappearance on October 23, 1908, Harrison legally sought for divorce in 1912.

From 1914 until 1919, he was in a serious relationship with actress Neva Gerber, who he had met during the filming of ‘The Awakening’.

William Desmond Taylor was born on April 26, 1872 as William Cunningham Deane-Tanner to Major Kearns Deane-Tanner and his wife, Jane. His father was a retired British Army officer.

Coming from an Anglo-Irish descent, young William was the third child of the four children born to the couple. The family moved to Dublin after his birth.

During his teenage, he failed to pass a test in the military which stopped him from entering the army, much to the disappointment of his retired dad. As a result, he was sent off to a reform school.

In 1890, he sailed to America and briefly pursued a career as a stage actor in New York. With financial assistance from his father-in-law, he set up English Antiques Shop in New York.

He gained a respectable position in the New York society and was well-admired by the people, but this did not last long as he vanished suddenly on October 23, 1908 following an affair with a married woman.

In December 1912, he was spotted with a changed name, William Desmond Taylor, working in Hollywood as an actor. He first showed up at the Inceville, the city of motion picture sets.

In the next couple of years, he was seen in the Kay-Bee Studios production ‘The Iconoclast’ and ‘Counterfeiters’. In his spare time, he indulged in briefing himself about the various stages of filmmaking. As an actor, he was four times cast opposite Margaret ‘Gibby’ Gibson.

It was in 1914 that he first got a chance to display his skills and proficiency behind the camera. Much in contrast to the present day, back in those days it was crucial for a man to be equipped both as an actor and director than to hire two men to do the same thing.

His debut film as a director released in 1914 titled ‘The Awakening’. Ever since its release, he directed more than fifty films, each of which displayed his proficiency both behind and in front of the camera.

In 1917, he was offered a character role in the film, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. The film exposed his awareness about arts and literature, an ability that was unknown of him to possess. Thus, he served as a resourceful actor during the filming of the movie.

One of the noted actor-directors of Hollywood of the 1910 decade, he directed more than 60 movies, including, ‘The Awakening’ and ‘Anne of Green Gables’.