Biography

William V. Mong was born on June 25, 1875 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Fighting Joe (1916), The Chosen Prince, or the Friendship of David and Jonathan (1917) and Lost in the Arctic (1911). He was married to Esme Isabel Haigh Warde, Mildred Ellen Payne and Marie Louise Kelley. He died on December 11, 1940 in Studio City, California, USA.

Child: William Jr.

Silent screen director with Selig from 1910. Later a prolific character actor with a penchant for crime thrillers and horror films.

Stepdaughter: Barbara Esme Warde Chandlee (1918-2012), aka Esme Chandlee, noted motion picture publicist.

Although Mong was listed in the cast of the "completed" (according to the May 15, 1937 "Boxoffice") "Sweetheart of the Navy" (1937), his scenes were deleted from the final release print.

I deplore the partial passing of the old-time stock company, and I consider it was far and away the best school, not only for the speaking stage generally, but for the screen platform as well. It is a hard school, but it teaches young men and women how to comport themselves and how not to move their arms and legs. It gives them poise and dignity, and instead of making them unnatural, it enables them to act as though they were ordinary human beings.