Bill Dillon

born: 03 October 1898 Bowmanville, Durham, Ontario, Canada

died: 05 November 1990 San Diego County, California, United States of America (age 92)

Canadian-born actor. In the summer of 1925, he was one of 18 young actors and actresses, chosen out of thousands of applicants, who made up the class of the Paramount Picture School in Astoria, Long Island, New York, a newfound training ground by the Paramount studio for young would-be screen performers. Others in the "class" of 18 included Thelma Todd, Lorraine Eason, Harriett Krauth (Jeanne Morgan/Jean Fenwick), Charles "Buddy" Rogers, and Josephine Dunn. On both his World War I and World War II draft registration cards, he gives his date of birth as 03 January 1899, three months after his actual birth date; he also claims to be native born in the U.S. on the World War I draft card. Later death records give the correct date as corroborated by his birth records. His Social Security records give his date of death as a month earlier than it is as stated by the California Death Index.

Real name: Wilbur Thomas Dillon Height: 5'8½"

Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography.

1

1927 A One-Mama Man Party guest Acknowledgements: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMDT-XBY (birth record) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLNL-8MN (birth record) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2JG-D1B (1910 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K958-HZB (1915 NY Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W6ZV-VZZM (WWI draft reg. card) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M63T-Y4G (1920 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8NP-ZV5 (1929 marriage) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCFX-2S7 (1930 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8FN-C27 (1936 marriage) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9CK-T72 (1940 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGFW-W8BQ (WWII draft reg. card) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8BZ-9BW (WWII enlistment) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XGW-TRD4 (1950 Census) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6V9-SJH (1971 marriage) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6XC-6TL (1971 marriage) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPZ7-VGJ (CA Death Index) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JGWX-SYD (Social Security Death Index) https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K4Z-J41R (Social Security Numident File) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3396605 (Find a Grave) https://billiongraves.com/grave/WILBUR-T-DILLON/17236399 (BillionGraves) https://archive.org/details/movpicwor75movi/page/569/mode/1up?q=%22wilbur+dillon%22&view=theater (Moving Picture World, 01 Aug 1925) https://archive.org/details/exhibitorsherald22unse/page/n892/mode/1up?q=%22wilbur+dillon%22&view=theater (Exhibitors Herald, 15 Aug 1925) https://archive.org/details/exhibitorsherald22unse/page/n1007/mode/1up?q=%22william+dillon%22&view=theater (Exhibitors Herald, 22 Aug 1925) https://archive.org/details/motionpicturenew00moti_8/page/n1034/mode/1up?q=%22william+dillon%22&view=theater (Motion Picture News, 29 Aug 1925) https://archive.org/details/screenland11unse/page/n382/mode/1up?q=%22william+dillon%22&view=theater (Screenland, Sep 1925) https://archive.org/details/screenland11unse/page/n418/mode/1up?q=%22william+dillon%22&view=theater (Screenland, Sep 1925) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1062450981/ (Springfield Daily Republican, 06 Sep 1925) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/851421344/ (Portland Evening Express, 10 Sep 1925) https://archive.org/details/screenland11unse/page/n472/mode/1up?q=%22william+dillon%22&view=theater (Screenland, Oct 1925) https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1056367955/ (Springfield Daily News, 02 Oct 1925) https://archive.org/details/pictureplaymagaz23unse/page/n273/mode/1up?q=%22wilbur+dillon%22&view=theater (Picture-Play, Nov 1925) https://archive.org/details/sim_everybodys-magazine_1926-02_54_2/page/70/mode/1up?q=%22william+dillon%22&view=theater (Everybody's, Feb 1926) https://archive.org/details/picturep33stre/page/n187/mode/1up?q=dillon&view=theater (Picture Play, Aug 1930) Jesse Brisson (bio ntes and research; identification in A One-Mama Man) This page was last updated on: 01 September 2025