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William Wright

William Wright

Actor · Died January 20, 1949, aged 38 · Ogden, Utah, USA

William Wright (January 5, 1911 – January 19, 1949) was an American leading man in films who was most popular in the 1940s when he was typically compared to Clark Gable, whose career was temporarily derailed by World War II. Wright even played Gable's part in a 1945 musical comedy remake of It Happened One Night entitled Eve Knew Her Apples. He also played Philo Vance in Philo Vance Returns (1947) and the title role in King of the Gamblers (1948). Wright's other films include Eadie Was a Lady (1945), Rose of the Yukon (1949), Daughter of the Jungle (1949), and Impact (1949). Wright died from cancer in 1949 at the age of 38.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 6, 1911
Died
January 20, 1949 (aged 38)
From
Ogden, Utah, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 33 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 32% in 30 days

What are William Wright's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
35%
Morality
35%
Survival
15%
Ideas
9%
Society
4%
Power
3%
Romantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 2 · 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 3 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 2 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles
Hero
1 of 3
Threshold guardian
1 of 3
Ally
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Joyful
2
Thrilling
2
Romantic
2
Warm
2
Other
2

How their films linger

Feel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet1
  • 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 Wright's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for William Wright'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

33 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • Air Hostess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Fred MacCoy

  • Impact(1949)

    as Prosecutor

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Daughter of the Jungle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Carl Easton

  • Rose of the Yukon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Tom Clark

  • King of the Gamblers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Dave Fowler

  • Gas House Kids Go West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Jim Kingsley

  • Philo Vance Returns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Philo Vance

  • Doctor Jim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Doctor Sylvester

  • Down Missouri Way(1946)

    as Mike Burton

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Lover Come Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Jimmy Hennessey

  • The Mask of Diijon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Tony Holiday

  • Eve Knew Her Apples (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Ward Williams

  • Escape in the Fog(1945)

    as Barry Malcolm

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Eadie Was a Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Tommy Foley

  • Dancing in Manhattan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Steve Crawford

  • One Mysterious Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Paul Martens

  • Saddles and Sagebrush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Krag Savin

  • Murder in Times Square(1943)

    as Detective Lieutenant Tabor

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Reveille with Beverly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Barry Lang

  • A Night to Remember(1942)

    as Scott Carstairs

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Daring Young Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Sam Long

  • Lucky Legs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as 'Pinkie' Connors

  • A Man's World(1942)

    as Dan O'Driscoll

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

  • Parachute Nurse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Lt. Woods

  • Night in New Orleans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as George Wallace

  • Meet the Stewarts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Winkie Rogers (uncredited)

  • Not a Ladies' Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as John Keen

  • True to the Army (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Lt. Danvers

  • Fly By Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Intern (Uncredited)

  • Glamour Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Hank Landon

  • Devil Pays Off (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Christopher Waring

  • World Premiere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Luther Shinkley

  • China Clipper(1936)

    as Pilot

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 53rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 33 titles from 1936 to 1949.

Highest rated

Impact (1949)

Midcredits 76th

Most popular right now

A Night to Remember (1942)

Film career

  • 1945Screen debut· Escape in the Fog

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting33 of 33: 33 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score27th

By decade

1930s1 · acting1940s32 · 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 Wright's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 27th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 36th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

21stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

39thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 7 titles are Broadly Agreed.

  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

A Man's World (1942)

84th percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Impact (1949)

Midcredits 76th · 74% liked

Reviewers score the acting 61/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 44. 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 Wright work with?

People who share at least 2 of William Wright's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Marguerite Chapman shares the most, 2.

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers