William Desmond Taylor

William Desmond Taylor (born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner; 26 April 1872 – 1 February 1922) was an Irish director and actor. He was a popular person in the growing Hollywood motion picture business of the 1910s and early 1920s. He directed 59 silent movies between 1914 and 1922 and acted in 27 between 1913 and 1915.^[1]

William Desmond Taylor
Born	William Cunningham Deane-Tanner (1872-04-26)26 April 1872 County Carlow, Ireland
Died	1 February 1922(1922-02-01) (aged 49) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Homicide
Resting place	Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Nationality	Irish
Other names	William D. Taylor William Taylor
Occupation(s)	Director, actor
Years active	1913–1922
Spouse	Ethel May Hamilton ​ ​ (m. 1901⁠–⁠1912)​
Children	1
Relatives	Denis Gage Deane-Tanner (brother)

Taylor was shot and killed by an unknown suspect on 1 February 1922 at his Los Angeles home.^[2] The murder remains an official cold case (unsolved).^[3]