WILLIAM POWELL BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

William Horatio Powell was born July 29th, 1892 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.  He was known during his era as a very versatile stage actor who portrayed villains of the silent films.  He was an only child  and already at a young age, his parent could see his talent in performing.  At the age of fourteen his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri where he graduated from high school in 1912.
 
In 1912, Powell moved to New York and completed graduation from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work on Broadway.  His debut was on, "The Ne'er-Do-Well" (1912), where he played three different small roles.  While looking for other work on Broadway, he found part time employment working on road and stock companies.

In 1920 he as cast in the hit Broadway play, "Spanish Love" and it was the success of this play that lead to his well known role in the silent film, "Sherlock Holmes" (1922) where he played Professor Moriarty's evil henchman.  He followed with many more roles some of the more popular silent films in which he starred in were, "Romola" (1924), "Beau Geste" (1926) and "The Last Command" (1928) which was the silent film that helped Powell earn his first starring role.   
 
Powell appeared in over thirty silent films and had no difficulty crossing over to talkies unlike many other actors in that era.  Powell portrayed a detective in the talkie, "The Canary Murder Case" (1929) and again a detective in, "The Thin Man" (1934) which earned him his first Academy Award nomination.  In 1936, four of the five films he appeared in also received Academy Award nominations, "My Man Godfrey", "The Great Ziegfeld", "Libeled Lady" and "After the Thin Man" (all released 1936). 
 
Entering into the mid 30's, Powell was ranked as one of the top ten male box office attractions.  William also received another Best Actor nomination for his role in, "My Man Godfrey" (1936).  His career was at an all time high, but due to some personal issues such as the loss of his lover Jean Harlow in 1937 and a surgery to treat colon cancer that he was recovering from, Powell took a little time off to recuperate.
 
William Powell did return to acting in the 40's and some of his more popular films were during this time such as, "Life With Father" (1947) in which he received his third Academy Award nomination, "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953) and his final film "Mister Roberts" (1955). 
 
William Powell retired from acting in 1955 and moved with his third wife, Diana Lewis, also an actress to Palm Springs, California.  Many times he was asked to return back to the screen for roles, however, Powell chose to remain in retirement.  On March 5, 1984, Powell died of cardiac arrest in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 91.
 
He had a very successful career and his personal life was only filled with minor setbacks.  He was married a total of three times, but two of the three marriages ended in divorice, yet both amiacable.  First to Eileen Wilson in 1915 and they had one child together, William David Powell.  The couple divorced in 1930 and he then married actress Carol Lombard in 1931, however, this marriage lasted only two years.  His final marriage was in 1940 to Diana Lewis, also an actress and the two remained married until Powell passed away. 
  
 
Filmography
 
1922  Sherlock Holmes
1922  When Knighthood Was in Flower
1922  Outcast
1923  The Bright Shawl
1923  Under the Red Robe
1924  Dangerous Money
1924  Romola
1925  Too Many Kisses
1925  Faint Perfume
1925  My Lady's Lips
1925  The Beautiful City
1926  White Mice
1926  Sea Horses
1926  Desert Gold
1926  The Runaway
1926  Aloma of the South Seas
1926  Beau Geste
1926  Tin Gods
1926  The Great Gatsby
1927  New York
1927  Love's Greatest Mistake
1927  Senorita
1927  Special Delivery
1927  Time to Love
1927  Paid to Love
1927  Nevada
1927  She's a Sheik
1928  Beau Sabreur
1928  The Last Command
1928  Feel My Pulse
1928  Partners in Crime
1928  The Dragnet
1928  The Vanishing Pioneer
1928  Forgotten Faces
1928  Interference
1929  The Canary Murder Case
1929  The Four Feathers
1929  The Greene Murder Case
1929  Charming Sinners
1929  Pointed Heels
1930  Behind the Make-Up
1930  Street of Chance
1930  The Benson Murder Case
1930  Paramount on Parade
1930  Shadow of the Law
1930  For the Defense
1931  Man of the World
1931  Ladies' Man
1931  The Road to Singapore
1932  High Pressure
1932  Jewel Robbery
1932  One Way Passage
1933  Lawyer Man
1933  Private Detective 
1933  Double Harness

1933  The Kennel Murder Case
1934  Fashions of 1934
1934  Manhattan Melodrama
1934  The Thin Man
1934  The Key
1934  Evelyn Prentice
1935  Star of Midnight
1935  Reckless
1935  Escapade
1935  Rendezvous
1936  The Great Ziegfeld
1936  The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
1936  My Man Godfrey
1936  Libeled Lady
1936  After the Thin Man
1937  The Last of Mrs. Cheney
1937  The Emperor's Candlesticks
1937  Double Wedding
1938  The Baroness and the Butler
1939  Another Thin Man
1940  I Love You Again
1941  Love Crazy
1941  Shadow of the Thin Man
1942  Crossroads
1943  The Youngest Profession
1943  The Heavenly Body
1945  The Thin Man Goes Home
1946  The Great Morgan
1946  Ziegfeld Follies
1946  The Hoodlum Saint
1947  Life with Father
1947  Song of the Thin Man
1947  The Senator Was Indiscreet
1948  Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid
1949  Take One False Step
1949  Dancing in the Dark
1951  It's a Big Country
1952  The Treasure of Lost Canyon
1953  The Girl Who Had Everything
1953  How to Marry a Millionaire
1955  Mister Roberts