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.