William DeWolf Hopper Jr. was an American stage, film, and television actor. The only child of actor DeWolf Hopper and actress and Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, he appeared in more than 80 feature films in the 1930s and 1940s. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he left acting, but was persuaded by director William Wellman in the 1950s to resume his film career. He’s perhaps best known for his portrayal of private detective Paul Drake in the CBS television series Perry Mason.
William DeWolf Hopper was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. A star of vaudeville and musical theater, he became best known for performing the popular baseball poem "Casey at the Bat".
The Third Degree is a 1926 American silent romance film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and directed by Michael Curtiz, in his first American film. Starring Dolores Costello, it is based on the hit 1909 play of the same name written by Charles Klein that starred Helen Ware.
Obey the Law is a 1926 silent film adventure-drama made by the Cohn brothers, Jack and Harry Cohn, and Al Raboch. The picture stars Bert Lytell and was released through the Cohns' fledgling company Columbia Pictures. The Library of Congress holds a print of this film.
What's Wrong with the Women? is 1922 American silent Jazz Age drama film, directed by Roy William Neill, produced by Daniel Carson Goodman, and starring Wilton Lackaye, Barbara Castleton, and Constance Bennett. It is not known whether the film currently survives, which suggests that it is a lost film.
The Port of Missing Girls is a 1928 silent film directed by Irving Cummings. It stars Barbara Bedford and Hedda Hopper, making it one of the rare occasions Hopper actually starred in a film. This film is preserved in the Library of Congress.
The Cruel Truth is a 1927 silent film drama distributed by the Sterling Pictures company, on a State's Rights concept. It was directed by Phil Rosen and stars Hedda Hopper and Constance Howard. The film is a low budget survivor of the silent era as a print is held by the Library of Congress and the BFI National Film and Television Archive, London.
The Caveman, also styled as The Cave Man, is a 1926 American silent comedy film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Lewis Milestone directed the Darryl Zanuck scripted story taken from the play The Cave Man by Gelett Burgess. Matt Moore, Marie Prevost, and Hedda Hopper star. A small role is played by a young Myrna Loy, who was just starting out in her long career.
Nearly Married is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Chester Withey and starring Madge Kennedy. It is based on a 1913 stage play of the same name by Edgar Selwyn. It also featured an early film appearance by future gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.
Conceit is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Burton George, produced by Selznick Pictures, and released by Select Pictures. The film stars William B. Davidson and Mrs. De Wolf Hopper, who later became a gossip columnist using the name "Hedda Hopper".
Stranded is a 1916 American silent drama film produced by Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. The film stars DeWolf Hopper with newcomer Bessie Love in a supporting role. The film is considered lost.
No Babies Wanted is a 1928 silent film domestic drama directed by Jack Harvey, released under the alternative title The Baby Mother. It starred child actress Priscilla Moran and seasoned silent veteran William V. Mong as her grandfather. It is preserved at the Library of Congress.
The Crisis is a 1916 American silent historical drama film produced by William N. Selig and directed by Colin Campbell. The film is based on the American Civil War novel The Crisis by American novelist Winston Churchill. The novel was adapted into a play and produced on Broadway in 1902.
Sunshine Molly is an extant 1915 American silent film directed by Phillips Smalley and Lois Weber and written by Lois Weber. The film stars Lois Weber, Phillips Smalley, Adele Farrington, Margaret Edwards, Herbert Standing and Vera Lewis. The film was released on March 18, 1915, by Paramount Pictures. Surviving reels were released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2018.
The Devil's Needle is a 1916 silent film drama directed by Chester Withey and starring Norma Talmadge and Tully Marshall. It was produced by D. W. Griffith's Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Films.
His Captive Woman is a 1929 American sound part-talkie part-talking drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Milton Sills and Dorothy Mackaill. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects along with English intertitles. The soundtrack was recorded using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. This film is "based on the short story "Changeling" by Donn Byrne in Changeling and Other Stories ." It was produced and distributed by First National Pictures which was already a subsidiary of the Warner Brothers studios. Both Mackaill and Sills as well as director Fitzmaurice had worked together on the previous year's The Barker.
The Regenerates is a surviving 1917 silent film drama directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Alma Rubens. It was produced and distributed by the Triangle Film Corporation.
My Friend from India is a 1927 silent film comedy directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Franklin Pangborn and Elinor Fair. It was produced by DeMille Pictures and distributed by Pathé Exchange.
Harold Teen is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and written by Thomas J. Geraghty. It is based on the comic strip Harold Teen by Carl Ed. The film stars Arthur Lake, Mary Brian, Lucien Littlefield, Jack Duffy, Alice White, and Jack Egan. The film was released on April 29, 1928, by First National Pictures.
Casey at the Bat is a lost 1916 American silent sports drama film produced by Fine Arts Studios in Hollywood, directed by Lloyd Ingraham, and starring DeWolf Hopper with principal support from Marguerite Marsh, Frank Bennett, and Kate Toncray. The photoplay's scenario, written by William E. Wing, was based on Ernest Thayer's 1888 baseball poem of the same title.
