William J. Burns
Toronto Daily Star, February 19 1931
William J. Burns (1861-1932) was arguably the most famous American detective of his time. Called "America's Sherlock Holmes", he was the head of the Bureau of Investigation (the predecessor of the modern FBI) from 1921 to 1924. He founded his own detective firm, the William J. Burns International Detective Agency.
There is an Internet Movie Database page for Burns that lists him as appearing in 19 movies in 1930 and 1931 (along with four film credits from the 1910s). He passed away a little over a year after this photo was taken, so presumably health might have interfered with his film career.
Created September 16, 2025.