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William Farnum

William Farnum

Actor · Died June 5, 1953, aged 76 · Boston, Massachusetts, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia William Farnum (July 4, 1876 in Boston, Massachusetts – June 5, 1953 in Hollywood, California) was a major movie actor. One of three brothers, Farnum grew up in a family of actors. He made his acting debut at the age of ten in Richmond, Virginia in a production of Julius Caesar, with Edwin Booth playing the title character. His first major success was as the title character of Ben-Hur in 1900 though replacing the original actor Edward Morgan who premiered the character in 1899. Later plays Farnum appeared in were the costume epic The Prince of India (1906), The White Sister (1909) starring Viola Allen, The Littlest Rebel (1911) co-starring his brother Dustin and a child actress named Mary Miles Minter(then nine years old) & Arizona (1913) with Dustin and stage beauty Elsie Ferguson. In The Spoilers in 1914, Farnum and Tom Santschi staged a classic movie fight which lasted for a full reel. In 1930, Farnum and Stantschi coached Gary Cooper and William Boyd in the fight scene for the 1930 version of The Spoilers. Other actors influenced by the Farnum scene were Milton Sills and Noah Beery in 1922 and Randolph Scott and John Wayne in 1942. From 1915 to 1925, Farnum devoted his life to motion pictures. When becoming one of the biggest sensations in Hollywood, he also became one of the highest-paid actors, earning $10,000 a week. Farnum's silent pictures the western Drag Harlan(1920) and the drama-adventure If I Were King(1921) survive from his years contracted to Fox Films. Farnum has a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was the younger brother of actor Dustin Farnum. He had another brother, Marshall Farnum, who was a silent film director and died in 1917. Description above from the Wikipedia article William Farnum, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 3, 1876
Died
June 5, 1953 (aged 76)
From
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
44 on MovieCove · 123 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 45% in 30 days

What are William Farnum's films like?

Across their 33 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama23 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 23rd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
43%
Bonds
23%
Society
13%
Power
12%
Self
6%
Survival
1%
Ideas
1%
Justice16 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTradition vs change3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 33 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 24 · Serious 7 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 15 · Stylized 15 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 20 · Intense 4

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 17 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 14 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 23 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 23 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 31 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

17 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 8 of 17 analyzed roles.

Mentor
8 of 17
Threshold guardian
3 of 17
Hero
2 of 17
Herald
1 of 17
Shadow
1 of 17
Shapeshifter
1 of 17
Ally
1 of 17
Show the 17 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
19
Thrilling
11
Hopeful
11
Warm
9
Melancholic
8
Other
28

How their films linger

Feel-good19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy23
  • Bittersweet9
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch William Farnum's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 30 of their 44 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (23).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for William Farnum's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

123 credits, 44 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Lone Star(1952)

    as Tom Crockett

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Jack and the Beanstalk(1952)

    as The King

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Trail of Robin Hood(1950)

    as Bill Franum

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Samson and Delilah(1949)

    as Tubal

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Gun Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Board of Inquiry Chairman

  • Bride of Vengeance(1949)

    as Conti Peruzzi

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Daughter of the West(1949)

    as Father Vallejo

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Perils of Pauline(1947)

    as Western Saloon Set Hero

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • My Dog Shep(1946)

    as Carter J. Latham Jr.

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Rolling Home(1946)

    as Rodeo Official

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • God's Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Sandy McTavish

  • Captain Kidd(1945)

    as Capt. Rawson

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Wildfire(1945)

    as Judge Polson

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Mummy's Curse(1944)

    as The Sacristan

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Frontier Badmen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Dad Courtwright

  • American Empire(1942)

    as Louisiana Judge

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Tennessee Johnson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Senator Huyler

  • Deep in the Heart of Texas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Colonel Mallory

  • Boss of Hangtown Mesa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Judge Ezra Binns

  • The Silver Bullet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Dr. Thad Morgan

  • Men of Texas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as General Sam Houston

  • The Spoilers(1942)

    as Wheaton

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Lone Star Ranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Texas Ranger Major McNeil

  • The Corsican Brothers(1941)

    as Priest

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Today I Hang(1942)

    as Warden Burke

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Actor

  • Last of the Duanes(1941)

    as Texas Ranger Major McNeill

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Gangs of Sonora (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Ward Beecham

  • A Woman's Face(1941)

    as Court Attendant

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Kit Carson(1940)

    as Don Miguel Murphy

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Adventures of Red Ryder(1940)

    as Colonel Tom Ryder

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Hi-Yo Silver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Father McKim

  • Convicted Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Commissioner McNeill

  • South of the Border(1939)

    as Padre

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Rovin' Tumbleweeds(1939)

    as Senator Timothy Nolan

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Colorado Sunset(1939)

    as Sheriff George Glenn

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Mexicali Rose(1939)

    as Padre Dominic

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Shine on Harvest Moon(1938)

    as Milt Brower

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Santa Fe Stampede(1938)

    as Dave Carson

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • If I Were King(1938)

    as General Barbezier

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Secret of Treasure Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as George Brennan Westmore (Editor)

  • The Lone Ranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Father McKim

  • Public Cowboy No. 1(1937)

    as Sheriff Matt Doniphon

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Git Along Little Dogies(1937)

    as Banker Maxwell

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Maid of Salem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Crown Justice Sewall

  • The Vigilantes Are Coming(1936)

    as Father José

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Undersea Kingdom(1936)

    as Sharad

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Amazing Exploits of the Clutching Hand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Gordon Gaunt

  • Custer's Last Stand(1936)

    as James Fitzpatrick

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Kid Ranger(1936)

    as Bill Mason

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Custer's Last Stand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as James Fitzpatrick

  • The Irish Gringo(1935)

    as Pop Wiley

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Between Men(1935)

    as John Wellington / Rand

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Eagle's Brood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as El Toro

  • Powdersmoke Range (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Sam Oreham - Banker

  • Hollywood Extra Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Crusades Actor (uncredited)

  • The Crusades(1935)

    as Hugo, Duke of Burgundy

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Million Dollar Haul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mr. Mallory - Sheila's Dad

  • The Silver Streak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as B.J. Dexter

  • The Brand of Hate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Joe Larkins

  • Cleopatra(1934)

    as Lepidus

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Scarlet Letter(1934)

    as Gov. Bellingham

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Happy Landing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Col. Curtis

  • Are We Civilized? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Paul Franklin, Sr.

  • School for Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Charles Waltham

  • Good Dame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Judge Flynn

  • Stolen by Gypsies or Beer and Bicycles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Squire Beamish

  • Supernatural (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Nicky Hammond

  • Marriage on Approval(1933)

    as Rev. John MacDougall

  • Flaming Guns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Henry Ramsey

  • Mr. Robinson Crusoe(1932)

    as William Belmont

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Drifter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as The Drifter

  • The Wide Open Spaces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as U.S. Marshal

  • Law of the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Captain Len Andrews

  • The Pagan Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Malcolm 'Mal' Todd

  • A Connecticut Yankee(1931)

    as King Arthur / Inventor

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Ten Nights in a Bar-room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Joe Morgan

  • The Painted Desert(1931)

    as Cash Holbrook

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Du Barry, Woman of Passion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Louis XV

  • Tropical Nights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Actor

  • The Man Who Fights Alone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as John Marble

  • The Gunfighter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Billy Buell

  • Brass Commandments (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Stephen 'Flash' Lanning

  • Without Compromise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Dick Leighton

  • Moonshine Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Ned Connors

  • Shackles of Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as John Gibbs

  • A Stage Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Edmund Kean

  • Perjury (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    as Robert Moore

  • His Greatest Sacrifice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    as Richard Hall

  • The Scuttlers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as Jim Landers

  • Drag Harlan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as Drag Harlan

  • If I Were King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as François Villon

  • The Joyous Trouble-Makers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as William Steele

  • The Orphan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as The Orphan

  • The Adventurer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as Don Caesar de Bazan

  • Heart Strings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as Pierre Fournel

  • Wings of the Morning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Capt. Robert Anstruther

  • The Last of the Duanes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Buck Duane

  • Wolves of the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Bruce Andrews

  • The Lone Star Ranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Steele

  • The Man Hunter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as George Arnold

  • For Freedom(1918)

    as Robert Wayne

  • The Rainbow Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as Lassiter / Shefford

  • Riders of the Purple Sage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as Lassiter

  • True Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as Bob McKeever

  • Rough and Ready (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as Bill Stratton

  • The Heart of a Lion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Barney Kemper

  • Les Misérables (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Jean Valjean

  • When a Man Sees Red (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Larry Smith

  • The Conqueror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Sam Houston

  • American Methods (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as William Armstrong

  • A Tale of Two Cities(1917)

    as Charles Darnay / Sydney Carton

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Price of Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Senator Frank Deering

  • Fires of Conscience (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as George Baxter

  • The Man from Bitter Roots (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as Bruce Burt

  • The Battle of Hearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as Martin Cane

  • The Bondman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as Stephen Orry/Jason Orry

  • A Soldier's Oath (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Pierre Duval

  • The Wonderful Adventure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Martin Stanley

  • Samson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Maurice Brachard

  • The Sign of the Cross (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as Marcus Superbus

  • The Redemption of David Corson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as David Corson

  • The Spoilers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as Roy Glenister

Career shape

Star power in the 83rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 123 titles from 1914 to 1952.

Highest rated

Samson and Delilah (1949)

Midcredits 74th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting123 of 123: 123 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score40th

By decade

1910s27 · acting1920s17 · acting1930s46 · acting1940s30 · acting1950s3 · acting

Billing

usually 10th · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do William Farnum's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of the 42 of 44 with a score; across their 32 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 39th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

39thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Approval · how many liked their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Reach · how many have seen their films

14thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Midcredits score across 42 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th21
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

27 of their 42 titles are Mixed.

  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed27

Most divisive · actor

Undersea Kingdom (1936)

73rd percentile spread · 45% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

A Woman's Face (1941)

Midcredits 86th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the acting 61/100 in their films, across 29 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does William Farnum work with?

People who share at least 2 of William Farnum's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Smiley Burnette shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles