William F. Haddock

William Franklin Haddock (November 27, 1877 – June 30, 1969), aka William F. "Silent Bill" Haddock, was an early film director of the silent era.^[1] From 1909 to 1919 Haddock directed twenty-four feature and short movies.

William F. Haddock was born William Frederick Haddock in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In 1909 Haddock directed his first film The Boots He Couldn't Lose. Haddock's next film was 1911's The Immortal Alamo, the earliest known film version of events surrounding the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. The Immortal Alamo starred Francis Ford, and it is considered to be a lost film, along with much of Haddock's work.^[2]

Many of William F. Haddock's films during his early years were shorts, starring lesser known actors and actresses. Haddock often teamed with early film actor Lamar Johnstone, the first incident being the 1913 film Hearts and Crosses, co-starring Lucille Young. That same year Haddock married his wife, Rosa Koch.^[3]

Haddock's last work as director was the 1919 film The Carter Case, starring Herbert Rawlinson, Marguerite Marsh, and Ethel Grey Terry. Haddock then left the film business, eventually settling in New York City. Little is known about Haddock's continued life, except that he played the role of Elmer Halleck in The Mad Dancer and appeared as an old man in Arthur Penn's 1962 adaptation of The Miracle Worker.

William F. Haddock died June 30, 1969, in New York City.

• In the Tall Grass Country (1910)^[5]
• Billy and His Pal (1911)
• Hearts and Crosses (1913)
• The Education of Mr. Pipp (1914)
• Soldiers of Fortune (1914)^[6]
• His Lordship's Dilemma (1915)
• The Carter Case (1919)
• The Mad Dancer (1925)

• William F. Haddock at IMDb