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William Haines

William Haines

Actor · Died December 26, 1973, aged 73 · Staunton, Virginia, USA

William Haines (born Charles William Haines; January 2, 1900 - December 26, 1973) was a star American comedy actor of the late Silent and early "talkie" eras.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 2, 1900
Died
December 26, 1973 (aged 73)
From
Staunton, Virginia, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 50 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 27% in 30 days

What are William Haines' films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
33%
Self
26%
Morality
21%
Society
14%
Power
3%
Survival
2%
Romantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 6 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

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

Steady 7 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 4 · 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 7 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

9 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 4 of 9 analyzed roles.

Hero
4 of 9
Ally
2 of 9
Shapeshifter
2 of 9
Trickster
1 of 9
Show the 9 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
5
Hopeful
4
Tense
4
Romantic
5
Warm
3
Other
3

How their films linger

Feel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy8
  • Tragic1

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 Haines' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on Tubi (2).

Subscription and free streaming for William Haines' 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

50 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Big Parade of Comedy(1964)

    as Actor in Theater Lobby (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Craig's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Production Design

  • The Marines Are Coming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Lt. William 'Wild Bill' Traylor

  • Young and Beautiful (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Robert Preston

  • Fast Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Sandy

  • Are You Listening? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Bill Grimes

  • New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Wallingford

  • Just a Gigolo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Robert Brummel

  • The Stolen Jools (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Bill Haines

  • A Tailor-Made Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as John Paul Bart

  • Remote Control (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as William J. Brennan

  • Way Out West(1930)

    as Windy

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Free and Easy(1930)

    as A Guest

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Girl Said No (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Tom Ward

  • Navy Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Jack Kelly

  • Speedway(1929)

    as Bill Whipple

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • A Man's Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Mel

  • The Duke Steps Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Duke

  • Show People(1928)

    as Billy Boone

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Alias Jimmy Valentine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Jimmy Valentine

  • Excess Baggage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Eddie Kane

  • Telling the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Don Davis

  • The Smart Set(1928)

    as Tommy Van Buren

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • West Point (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Brice Wayne

  • Spring Fever(1927)

    as Jack Kelly

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Slide, Kelly, Slide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Jim Kelly

  • A Little Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as George Manning

  • Tell It to the Marines(1926)

    as Private Skeet Burns

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Lovey Mary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Billy Wiggs

  • Mike (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Harlan

  • Brown of Harvard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Tom Brown

  • Memory Lane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Joe Field

  • The Thrill Hunter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Peter J. Smith

  • Sally, Irene and Mary(1925)

    as Jimmy Dungan

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Little Annie Rooney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Joe Kelly

  • The Tower of Lies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as August

  • A Slave of Fashion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Dick Wayne

  • Fighting the Flames (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Horatio Manly Jr

  • The Denial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Lyman - Lover in Flashback

  • Who Cares (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Martin

  • The Wife of the Centaur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Edward Converse

  • So This Is Marriage? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Actor

  • Circe the Enchantress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as William Craig

  • Wine of Youth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Hal Martin

  • The Gaiety Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Owen Tudor St. John

  • The Midnight Express (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Jack Oakes

  • True As Steel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Gilbert Morse

  • Three Weeks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Curate

  • Three Wise Fools (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Gordon Schuyler

  • Souls for Sale(1923)

    as Pinkey - Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 61st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 50 titles from 1923 to 1964.

Highest rated

Show People (1928)

Midcredits 93rd

Film career

  • 1928Screen debut· Show People

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting49 of 50: 49 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thOther crew1 of 50: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1920s36 · acting1930s13 · 12 acting · 1 crew1960s1 · acting

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.

How do William Haines' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 10 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

Sally, Irene and Mary (1925)

92nd percentile spread · 56% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Show People (1928)

Midcredits 93rd · 83% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 56. 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 Haines work with?

People who share at least 2 of William Haines' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joseph Farnham shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Mixed roles