Biography
William J. Butler (1860 – 27 January 1927) was an Irish silent film actor. He appeared in more than 260 films between 1908 and 1917.
An Irish immigrant to the United States, moved his family from Ohio to Hollywood, California in 1908.
On Broadway, Butler performed in The Serio-Comic Governess (1904), The Great Divide (1906), and Pippa Passes (1906).At the age of 48, he wanted to get involved in a new industry called motion pictures. He appeared in more than 200 silent films. He made frequent appearances in films made by famed silent film producer/director D. W. Griffith, who made more than 500 films beginning in 1908. In addition to acting, Butler was a crew member and screenwriter of early films.
William's son, Larry Butler, born in Akron, Ohio, just before the family's move to Hollywood. Larry grew up in the film business, dropped out of Burbank High School to work with his father on special effects projects. In 1940, Larry won his first of two Oscars. He was nominated five times for Oscars. His first Oscar was for special effects work done on The Thief of Baghdad. Larry is credited with inventing the blue screen and the traveling matte, both processes were necessary for all special effects and are used today.
Butler's grandsons, Michael C. Butler and David Butler, became highly respected cinematographers. William's grandson, Christopher Butler, is also a cinematographer. The Butler family which began with William Butler in 1908 have made movies for 100 years, and the generations span the silent era, the studio era, the independent director era and the current era.
Butler was married to actress Emma Lathrop, and they had a daughter, actress Kathleen Butler, as well as their son. He died on 27 January 1927 in the Staten Island Hospital, aged 67.
Filmography
all 146
Movies 146
Writer 1
A Proposition in Four Parts (1985)
A Girl Like That (1917)
The Great Secret (1917)
East Lynne (1915)
More Than Friends (1915)
Toys of Destiny (1915)
Lord Chumley (1914)
The Wife (1914)
Brute Force (1914)
Strongheart (1914)
The Law and His Son (1913)
The Stolen Treaty (1913)
The Strong Man's Burden (1913)
The Crook and the Girl (1913)
The Work Habit (1913)
The Suffragette Minstrels (1913)
The Reformers (1913)
In Diplomatic Circles (1913)
Almost a Wild Man (1913)
The Enemy's Baby (1913)
Red Hicks Defies the World (1913)
A Timely Interception (1913)
The Yaqui Cur (1913)
The House of Darkness (1913)
The Left-Handed Man (1913)
The God Within (1912)
Brutality (1912)
Gold and Glitter (1912)
The Painted Lady (1912)
In the Aisles of the Wild (1912)
A Feud in the Kentucky Hills (1912)
Blind Love (1912)
He Must Have a Wife (1912)
The Tourists (1912)
What the Doctor Ordered (1912)
The Would-Be Shriner (1912)
The Speed Demon (1912)
Neighbors (1912)
Tomboy Bessie (1912)
Helen's Marriage (1912)
The Furs (1912)
The Fickle Spaniard (1912)
Won by a Fish (1912)
The Brave Hunter (1912)
Fate's Interception (1912)
Oh, Those Eyes (1912)
Hot Stuff (1912)
A Voice from the Deep (1912)
Iola's Promise (1912)
The Engagement Ring (1912)
Billy's Stratagem (1912)
The Transformation of Mike (1912)
The Baby and the Stork (1912)
Why He Gave Up (1911)
The Miser's Heart (1911)
Through Darkening Vales (1911)
The Battle (1911)
The Long Road (1911)
The Making of a Man (1911)
The Baron (1911)
The Villain Foiled (1911)
The Rose of Kentucky (1911)
The Diving Girl (1911)
Bobby the Coward (1911)
Fighting Blood (1911)
The Manicure Lady (1911)
Teaching Dad to Like Her (1911)
Comrades (1911)
Conscience (1911)
A Decree of Destiny (1911)
The Lily of the Tenements (1911)
Fisher Folks (1911)
White Roses (1910)
His Sister-In-Law (1910)
A Plain Song (1910)
Sunshine Sue (1910)
Simple Charity (1910)
Waiter No. 5 (1910)
Two Little Waifs (1910)
The Broken Doll (1910)
The Masher (1910)
The Iconoclast (1910)
Examination Day at School (1910)
The Oath and the Man (1910)
In Life's Cycle (1910)
A Mohawk's Way (1910)
Little Angels of Luck (1910)
A Summer Idyll (1910)
Muggsy Becomes a Hero (1910)
The Modern Prodigal (1910)
Wilful Peggy (1910)
The Usurer (1910)
The House with Closed Shutters (1910)
Her Father's Pride (1910)
An Arcadian Maid (1910)
The Call to Arms (1910)
A Flash of Light (1910)
A Child's Impulse (1910)
As the Bells Rang Out! (1910)
In the Border States (1910)
A Victim of Jealousy (1910)
Serious Sixteen (1910)
A Child's Faith (1910)
A Child of the Ghetto (1910)
A Midnight Cupid (1910)
The Purgation (1910)
The Marked Time-Table (1910)
A Trap for Santa Claus (1909)
The Test (1909)
A Corner in Wheat (1909)
In Old Kentucky (1909)
The Sealed Room (1909)
The Mills of the Gods (1909)
They Would Elope (1909)
The Slave (1909)
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1859-12-30
Deathday1927-01-27 (67 years old)
Birth PlaceIreland
ChildrenLawrence W. Butler
CitizenshipsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United States of America
Also Known AsWilliam Butler, W.J. Butler, W. J. Butler
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