Warren William

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title: "Warren William" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1894-births", "1948-deaths", "people-from-aitkin,-minnesota", "american-male-stage-actors", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-silent-film-actors", "deaths-from-multiple-myeloma-in-california", "male-actors-from-minnesota", "warner-bros.-contract-players", "metro-goldwyn-mayer-contract-players", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "american-people-of-german-descent"] description: "Broadway and Hollywood actor (1894–1948)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_William" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Broadway and Hollywood actor (1894–1948) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Warren William
image	Warren William in Goodbye Again trailer.jpg
imagesize	250px
caption	William in Goodbye Again (1933)
birth_name	Warren William Krech
birth_date
birth_place	Aitkin, Minnesota, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Hollywood, California, U.S.
alma_mater	American Academy of Dramatic Arts
occupation	Actor
other_names	Warren W. Krech
yearsactive	1919–1947
spouse	Helen Barbara Nelson (1923–1948; his death)
module	{{Infobox military person
embed	yes
allegiance	United States
branch
battles	World War I
service_years	1917-1919
::

| name = Warren William | image = Warren William in Goodbye Again trailer.jpg | imagesize = 250px | caption = William in Goodbye Again (1933) | birth_name = Warren William Krech | birth_date = | birth_place = Aitkin, Minnesota, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Hollywood, California, U.S. | alma_mater = American Academy of Dramatic Arts | occupation = Actor | other_names = Warren W. Krech | yearsactive = 1919–1947 | spouse = Helen Barbara Nelson (1923–1948; his death) | module = {{Infobox military person | embed = yes | allegiance = United States | branch = | battles = World War I | service_years = 1917-1919

Warren William Krech (December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was an American stage and screen actor, who achieved Hollywood stardom during the early 1930s. Later earning the nickname the "King of Pre-Code", he typified the cunning, often-amoral leading men of early sound cinema. According to one critic, "no other actor embodied the classy mix of charm and sleaze that epitomized pre-Code Hollywood." He was also the first actor to portray fictional lawyer Perry Mason.

Early life

William was born in Aitkin, Minnesota in 1894, to parents of German ancestry. His family originated in Bad Tennstedt, Thuringia, Germany. His grandfather, Ernst Wilhelm Krech (born 1819), fled Germany in 1848 during the Revolution, going first to France and later emigrating to the United States. He wed Mathilde Grow in 1851, and had six children. Freeman E. Krech, Warren's father, was born in 1856. Around the age of 25, Freeman moved to Aitkin, a small town in Minnesota, where he bought a newspaper, The Aitkin Age, in 1885. He married Frances Potter, daughter of a merchant, September 18, 1890. Their son Warren was born December 2, 1894.

William's interest in acting began in 1903, when an opera house was built in Aitkin. He was an avid and lifelong amateur inventor and was personally involved in working his farm, pursuits that may have contributed to his death by exposing him to a variety of dangerous contaminants, ranging from sawdust to DDT. After high school, William auditioned for, and was enrolled in, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in New York City in October 1915.

As his senior year at AADA was coming to an end, the United States had entered the First World War, and William enlisted in the United States Army. He was assigned from base to base, in charge of training new men at various locations, and in 1918 was assigned to Fort Dix, New Jersey, near New York City. During this period, he met his future wife, Helen Barbara Nelson, who was 17 years older than he was. In October 1918, William's unit was deployed to the war front in France, and the war ended one month later. William's military service ended 1919, after which he began working on his acting career. In 1923, he and Helen were married.

Career

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Lady-for-a-Day-William-Robson.jpg" caption="Dave the Dude (William) and Apple Annie ([[May Robson]]) in ''[[Lady for a Day]]'' (1933)"] ::

William, who appeared in his first Broadway play in 1920, soon made a name for himself in New York, appearing in more than 20 plays on Broadway between 1920 and 1931. During this period he also appeared in two silent films, The Town That Forgot God (1922) and Plunder (1923).

He moved from New York City to Hollywood in 1931. Looking back at his career in 2011, The Village Voice christened him "The King of Pre-Code". He began as a contract player at Warner Bros. and quickly became a star during what is now known as the 'Pre-Code' period. He developed a reputation for portraying ruthless, amoral businessmen (Under 18, Skyscraper Souls, The Match King, Employees' Entrance), crafty lawyers (The Mouthpiece, Perry Mason), and outright charlatans (The Mind Reader). These roles were considered controversial, yet they were highly satisfying. This was the harshest period of the Great Depression, characterized by massive business failures and oppressive unemployment. Movie audiences jeered at the businessmen, who were often portrayed as predators.

William did play some sympathetic roles, including Dave the Dude in Frank Capra's Lady for a Day and a loving father and husband cuckolded by Ann Dvorak's character in Three on a Match (1932). He was a young songwriter's comically pompous older brother in Gold Diggers of 1933. William was Julius Caesar in Cecil B. DeMille's Cleopatra (1934; starring Claudette Colbert in the title role), and with Colbert again the same year as her character's love interest in Imitation of Life (1934). He played the swashbuckling musketeer d'Artagnan in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939), directed by James Whale.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/TCOT-Lucky-Legs-1935.jpg" caption="William as [[Perry Mason]] in ''[[The Case of the Lucky Legs]]'' (1935), with [[Genevieve Tobin]] and [[Patricia Ellis"] ::

The studios capitalized on William's popularity by placing him in multiple "series" films, particularly as detectives and crime solvers. William was the first to portray Erle Stanley Gardner's fictional defense attorney Perry Mason on the big screen, starring in four Perry Mason mysteries. He played Raffles-like reformed jewel thief The Lone Wolf in nine films, beginning with The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939), and appeared as Detective Philo Vance in two of the series films, The Dragon Murder Case (1934) and the comedic The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939). He also starred as Sam Spade (renamed Ted Shane) in Satan Met a Lady (1936), the second screen version of The Maltese Falcon.

Other roles included Mae West's manager in Go West, Young Man (1936); a jealous district attorney in another James Whale film, Wives Under Suspicion (1938); copper magnate Jesse Lewisohn in 1940's Lillian Russell; the evil Jefferson Carteret in Arizona (also 1940); and the sympathetic Dr. Lloyd in The Wolf Man (1941). In 1945, he played Brett Curtis in cult director Edgar G. Ulmer's 1945 modern-day version of Hamlet, called Strange Illusion. In what would be his last film, he played Laroche-Mathieu in The Private Affairs of Bel Ami in 1947.

On radio, William starred in the transcribed series Strange Wills, which featured "stories behind strange wills that run the gamut of human emotion."

Personal life

Although on-screen William was an actor audiences loved to hate, off-screen he was a private man, and he and his wife Helen kept out of the limelight. She and Warren remained a couple throughout his entire adult life. He was often described as having been shy in real life. Co-star Joan Blondell once said, "[He] ... was an old man – even when he was a young man."

Death

William died on September 24, 1948, from multiple myeloma, at age 53. His wife died a few months later. He was recognized for his contribution to motion pictures with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 1960.

Filmography

::data[format=table title=""]

Year	Title	Role	Studio/Distributor	Notes	Ref(s)	The Town That Forgot God	Plunder	Honor of the Family	Expensive Women	Three on a Match	**	Skyscraper Souls	**	**	Beauty and the Boss	The Woman from Monte Carlo	Under Eighteen	Goodbye Again	Lady for a Day	The Mind Reader	Gold Diggers of 1933	Employees' Entrance	Just Around the Corner	**	Cleopatra	Dr. Monica	Smarty	Imitation of Life	**	**	Bedside	Upper World	Living on Velvet	Don't Bet on Blondes	**	**	Satan Met a Lady	Go West, Young Man	**	**	Times Square Playboy	Stage Struck	Outcast	Midnight Madonna	Madame X	**	Wives Under Suspicion	**	Arsène Lupin Returns	**	**	Day-Time Wife	The Man in the Iron Mask	Lillian Russell	Trail of the Vigilantes	**	**	**	Arizona	**	**	Secrets of the Lone Wolf	Wild Geese Calling	Counter-Espionage	Wild Bill Hickok Rides	One Dangerous Night	Passport to Suez	Strange Illusion	Fear	**
1923	Eben, the carpenter	Fox Film	as 'Warren Krech'
Mr. Jones	George B. Seitz Productions	as 'Warren Krech'
15-episode Pearl White silent serial
1931	Captain Boris Barony	First National Pictures
Neil Hartley	Warner Bros. Pictures
1932	Robert Kirkwood	First National Pictures
Hal Samson Blake
David Dwight	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Vincent Day	Warner Bros. Pictures
Paul Kroll	First National Pictures
Baron Josef von Ullrich	Warner Bros. Pictures
Lieutenant d'Ortelles	First National Pictures
Raymond Harding	Warner Bros. Pictures
1933	Kenneth Bixby	First National Pictures
Dave the Dude	Columbia Pictures
Chandra Chandler	First National Pictures
J. Lawrence Bradford	Warner Bros. Pictures
Kurt Anderson	First National Pictures
Mr. Sears	General Electric	Promotional short
1934	Robert Sheldon	Warner Bros. Pictures
Julius Caesar	Paramount Pictures
John Braden	Warner Bros. Pictures
Tony Wallace
Stephen Archer	Universal Pictures
Perry Mason	Warner Bros. Pictures	First film depiction of Perry Mason
Philo Vance	First National Pictures
Bob Brown
Alex Stream	Warner Bros. Pictures
1935	Walter "Gibraltar" Pritcham	First National Pictures
Odds Owen	Warner Bros. Pictures
Perry Mason	First National Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures
1936	Ted Shane	Warner Bros. Pictures
Morgan	Major Pictures Corp.
Major Allan Chepstow	Warner Bros. Pictures
Perry Mason	First National Pictures
Vic Arnold	Warner Bros. Pictures
Fred Harris	First National Pictures
1937	Dr. Wendell Phillips Jones	Major Pictures Corp.
Blackie Denbo
Bernard Fleuriot	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Major de Rouchemont
1938	District Attorney Jim Stowell	Universal Pictures
Harry Borden	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Steve Emerson
1939	Philo Vance	Paramount Pictures
Michael Lanyard / "The Lone Wolf"	Columbia Pictures
Bernard Dexter	20th Century Fox
d'Artagnan	Edward Small Productions
1940	Jesse Lewisohn	20th Century Fox
Mark Dawson	Universal Pictures
Michael Lanyard / "The Lone Wolf"	Columbia Pictures
Jefferson Carteret
1941	Dr. Lloyd	Universal Pictures
Michael Lanyard / "The Lone Wolf"	Columbia Pictures
Blackie Bedford	20th Century Fox
1942	Michael Lanyard / "The Lone Wolf"	Columbia Pictures
Harry Farrel	Warner Bros. Pictures
1943	Michael Lanyard / "The Lone Wolf"	Columbia Pictures
1945	Brett Curtis	Producers Releasing Corporation
1946	Police Capt. Burke	Monogram Pictures
1947	Laroche-Mathieu	United Artists
::

Partial stage credits

Note: The list below is limited to New York/Broadway theatrical productions; listed as Warren William, except where noted

::data[format=table title="[[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] credits of Warren William"]

Run	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)	Mrs. Jimmie Thompson	John Hawthorne	We Girls	The Wonderful Visit	Expressing Willie	Nocturne	The Blue Peter	Rosmersholm	Twelve Miles Out	Easter One More Day	Fanny	Paradise	Veils	The Golden Age	Sign of the Leopard	Let Us Be Gay	Week-End	Out of a Blue Sky	The Vikings	Stepdaughters of War	The Vinegar Tree
Mar 29, 1920 - May 1920	Edgar Blodgett	as 'Warren W. Krech'
Jan 24, 1921 - Jan 1921	John Hawthorne
Nov 09, 1921 - Nov 1921	Doctor Tom Brown
Feb 12, 1924 - Apr 1924	Sir John Gotch, K.B.E.
Apr 16, 1924 - Jun 1924	George Cadwalader
Feb 16, 1925 - Feb 1925	Keith Reddington
Mar 24, 1925 - Apr 1925	David Hunter
May 5, 1925 - May 1925	Johannes Rosmer
Nov 16, 1925 - Apr 1926	Gerald Fey
Mar 18, 1926 - Apr 1926	Elis
Sep 21, 1926 - Nov 1926	Joe White
Dec 26, 1927 - Jan 1928	Dr. Achilles Swain
Mar 13, 1928 - Mar 1928	Mr. Robert Sloan
Apr 24, 1928 - Apr 1928	The Stranger
Dec 11, 1928 - Jan 1929	Captain Leslie
Feb 19, 1929 - Dec 1929	Bob Brown	Replaced by Barry O'Neill for unknown number of performances
Oct 22, 1929 - Oct 1929	Brett Laney
Feb 08, 1930 - Feb 1930	Paul Rana
May 12, 1930 - May 1930	Sigurd
Oct 06, 1930 - Oct 1930	Geoffrey Hilder
Nov 19, 1930 - Jun 1931	Max Lawrence
::

Bibliography

References

References

1. (2014-09-29). "Warren William – The Magnificent Scoundrel".
2. Chad. (2019-10-25). "Warren William".
3. Hoberman, J.. (July 20, 2011). "Warren William: As Titan of Industry, King of Pre-Code {{!}} The Village Voice". www.villagevoice.com.
4. (1933). "Mind reader". UCLA.
5. (1939). "The Man in the Iron Mask". UCLA.
6. Fristoe, Roger. "William Warren Profile".
7. (1936). "Satan Met a Lady". UCLA.
8. "Strange Illusion (1945) - Overview - TCM.com".
9. (October 21, 1946). "(Teleways ad)".
10. "Warren William". Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
11. "The Town That Forgot God". AFI.
12. "Plunder". Silent Era : Progressive Silent Film List.
13. "Honor of the Family". AFI.
14. "Expensive Women". AFI.
15. "Three on a Match". AFI.
16. "The Dark Horse". AFI.
17. "Skyscraper Souls". AFI.
18. "The Mouthpiece". AFI.
19. "The Match King". AFI.
20. "Beauty and the Boss". AFI.
21. "The Woman from Monte Carlo". AFI.
22. "Under Eighteen". AFI.
23. "Goodbye Again". AFI.
24. "Lady for a Day". AFI.
25. "The Mind Reader". AFI.
26. "Gold Diggers of 1933". AFI.
27. "Employees' Entrance". AFI.
28. "Just Around the Corner (1933)". Letterboxd Limited.
29. "The Secret Bride". AFI.
30. "Cleopatra". AFI.
31. "Dr. Monica". AFI.
32. "Smarty". AFI.
33. "Imitation of Life". AFI.
34. "The Case of the Howling Dog". AFI.
35. "The Dragon Murder Case". AFI.
36. "Bedside". AFI.
37. "Upper World". AFI.
38. "Living on Velvet". AFI.
39. "Don't Bet on Blondes". AFI.
40. "The Case of the Curious Bride". AFI.
41. "The Case of the Lucky Legs". AFI.
42. "Satan Met a Lady". AFI.
43. "Go West, Young Man". AFI.
44. "The Widow from Monte Carlo". AFI.
45. "The Case of the Velvet Claws". AFI.
46. "Times Square Playboy". AFI.
47. "Stage Struck". AFI.
48. "Outcast". AFI.
49. "Midnight Madonna". AFI.
50. "Madame X". AFI.
51. "The Firefly". AFI.
52. "Wives Under Suspicion". AFI.
53. "The First Hundred Years". AFI.
54. "Arsène Lupin Returns". AFI.
55. "The Gracie Allen Murder Case". AFI.
56. "The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt". AFI.
57. "Day-Time Wife". AFI.
58. "Day-Time Wife". AFI.
59. "Lillian Russell". AFI.
60. "Trail of the Vigilantes". AFI.
61. "The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady". AFI.
62. "The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date". AFI.
63. "The Lone Wolf Strikes". AFI.
64. "Arizona". AFI.
65. "The Wolf Man". AFI.
66. "The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance". AFI.
67. "Secrets of the Lone Wolf". AFI.
68. "Wild Geese Calling". AFI.
69. "Counter-Espionage". AFI.
70. "Wild Bill Hickok Rides". AFI.
71. "One Dangerous Night". AFI.
72. "Passport to Suez". AFI.
73. "Strange Illusion". AFI.
74. "Fear". AFI.
75. "The Private Affairs of Bel Ami". AFI.
76. "Mrs. Jimmie Thompson".
77. "John Hawthorne".
78. "We Girls".
79. "The Wonderful Visit".
80. "Expressing Willie".
81. "Nocturne".
82. "The Blue Peter".
83. "Rosmersholm".
84. "Twelve Miles Out".
85. "Easter One More Day".
86. "Fanny".
87. "Paradise".
88. "Veils".
89. "The Golden Age".
90. "Sign of the Leopard".
91. "Let Us Be Gay". AFI.
92. "Week-End".
93. "Out of a Blue Sky".
94. "The Vikings".
95. "Stepdaughters of War".
96. "The Vinegar Tree".

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