
The Lone Wolf is the nickname of the fictional character Michael Lanyard, a jewel thief turned private detective in a series of novels written by
Louis Joseph Vance
Louis Joseph Vance (September 19, 1879 – December 16, 1933) was an American novelist, screenwriter and film producer. He created the popular character Michael Lanyard, a criminal-turned-detective known as The Lone Wolf.
Biography
Louis J ...
(1879–1933). Many films based on and inspired by the books have been made. The character also appeared briefly on radio and television.
Books
By Louis Joseph Vance
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The Lone Wolf The Lone Wolf may refer to:
* ''The Lone Wolf'', a 1914 novel by Louis Joseph Vance
** The Lone Wolf (character), a recurring eponymous character in Vance's novels and various film adaptations
** ''The Lone Wolf'' (1917 film), a silent film bas ...
'' (1914)
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The False Faces
''The False Faces'' is a 1919 American silent action film written and directed by Irvin Willat, based on the novel by Louis Joseph Vance, and starring Henry B. Walthall as Michael Lanyard, the " Lone Wolf," and Lon Chaney as Karl Ekstrom, the v ...
'' (1918)
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Alias The Lone Wolf
''Alias the Lone Wolf'' is a 1927 silent mystery film directed by Edward H. Griffith. The film is based on the 1921 novel of the same name by Louis Joseph Vance. It is not known whether the film currently survives.
Cast
*Bert Lytell as Michael ...
'' (1921)
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Red Masquerade: Being the Story of The Lone Wolf's Daughter'' (1921)
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The Lone Wolf Returns'' (1923)
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The Lone Wolf's Son'' (1931)
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Encore The Lone Wolf
An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...
'' (1933)
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The Lone Wolf's Last Prowl'' (1934)
By Carl W. Smith
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The Lone Wolf and the Hidden Empire'' (1947)
Films

*''
The Lone Wolf The Lone Wolf may refer to:
* ''The Lone Wolf'', a 1914 novel by Louis Joseph Vance
** The Lone Wolf (character), a recurring eponymous character in Vance's novels and various film adaptations
** ''The Lone Wolf'' (1917 film), a silent film bas ...
'' (silent, 1917,
Bert Lytell
Bertram Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films.
Background
Born in New York City, Lyt ...
)
*''
The False Faces
''The False Faces'' is a 1919 American silent action film written and directed by Irvin Willat, based on the novel by Louis Joseph Vance, and starring Henry B. Walthall as Michael Lanyard, the " Lone Wolf," and Lon Chaney as Karl Ekstrom, the v ...
'' (silent, 1919,
Henry B. Walthall
Henry Brazeale Walthall (March 16, 1878 – June 17, 1936) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared as the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915).
Early life
Henry B. Walthall was born March 16, 1878 on a ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf's Daughter
''The Lone Wolf's Daughter'' is a surviving 1919 American silent era crime/drama/thriller motion picture starring Bertram Grassby, Louise Glaum, and Thomas Holding.
Directed by William P.S. Earle and produced by J. Parker Read, Jr., the scre ...
'' (silent, 1919,
Bertram Grassby
Bertram Grassby (23 December 1880 – 7 December 1953) was an English actor. He appeared in more than 90 silent era films between 1914 and 1927. Grassby was married to American actress Gerard Alexander. He was born in Lincolnshire, England a ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf The Lone Wolf may refer to:
* ''The Lone Wolf'', a 1914 novel by Louis Joseph Vance
** The Lone Wolf (character), a recurring eponymous character in Vance's novels and various film adaptations
** ''The Lone Wolf'' (1917 film), a silent film bas ...
'' (silent, 1924,
Jack Holt)
*''
The Lone Wolf Returns'' (silent, 1926,
Bert Lytell
Bertram Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films.
Background
Born in New York City, Lyt ...
)
*''
Alias the Lone Wolf
''Alias the Lone Wolf'' is a 1927 silent mystery film directed by Edward H. Griffith. The film is based on the 1921 novel of the same name by Louis Joseph Vance. It is not known whether the film currently survives.
Cast
*Bert Lytell as Michael ...
'' (silent, 1927,
Bert Lytell
Bertram Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films.
Background
Born in New York City, Lyt ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf's Daughter
''The Lone Wolf's Daughter'' is a surviving 1919 American silent era crime/drama/thriller motion picture starring Bertram Grassby, Louise Glaum, and Thomas Holding.
Directed by William P.S. Earle and produced by J. Parker Read, Jr., the scre ...
'' (1929,
Bert Lytell
Bertram Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films.
Background
Born in New York City, Lyt ...
)
*''
Last of the Lone Wolf'' (1930,
Bert Lytell
Bertram Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films.
Background
Born in New York City, Lyt ...
)
*''
Cheaters at Play
''Cheaters at Play'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and written by Malcolm Stuart Boylan. The film stars Thomas Meighan, Charlotte Greenwood, William Bakewell, Ralph Morgan, Barbara Weeks and Linda ...
'' (1932,
Thomas Meighan
Thomas Meighan (April 9, 1879 – July 8, 1936) was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading-man roles opposite popular actresses of the day, including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he comm ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf Returns'' (1935,
Melvyn Douglas
Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy '' Ninotch ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf in Paris'' (1938,
Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer (November 6, 1899 Prague – May 25, 2000) was an Austro-Hungarian Empire-born American film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States. His original name was Franz (Czech František) Le ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt
''The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt'' is a 1939 American adventure film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Jonathan Latimer. The film stars Warren William and Ida Lupino. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on January 27, 1939.
The Lone Wo ...
'' (1939,
Warren William
Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perr ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf Strikes
''The Lone Wolf Strikes'' is a 1940 crime drama film directed by Sidney Salkow, which stars Warren William, Joan Perry, and Eric Blore.
The Lone Wolf character dates back to 1914, when author Louis Joseph Vance
Louis Joseph Vance (Septemb ...
'' (1940,
Warren William
Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perr ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady
''The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady'' is a 1940 American drama directed by Sidney Salkow, starring Warren William, Eric Blore and Jean Muir.
The Lone Wolf character dates back to 1914, when author Louis Joseph Vance invented him for a series of b ...
'' (1940,
Warren William
Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perr ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date
''The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date'' (1941) is the sixth Lone Wolf film produced by Columbia Pictures. It features Warren William, in his fourth appearance as the title character Lone Wolf, and Edward Gargan, Lester Matthews and Don Beddoe as the fil ...
'' (1941,
Warren William
Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perr ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance
''The Lone Wolf Takes a Chance'' is a 1941 American mystery film directed by Sidney Salkow, which stars Warren William, June Storey, and Henry Wilcoxon. Salkow also wrote the original screenplay, along with Earl Felton, and the film was released ...
'' (1941,
Warren William
Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perr ...
)
*''
Secrets of the Lone Wolf
''Secrets of the Lone Wolf'' is a 1941 American crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Warren William. It is part of Columbia Pictures series of Lone Wolf films.
Cast
* Warren William as Michael Lanyard
* Ruth Ford as Helene de Leo ...
'' (1941,
Warren William
Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perr ...
)
*''
Counter-Espionage
Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ...
'' (1942,
Warren William
Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perr ...
)
*''
One Dangerous Night
''One Dangerous Night'' (1943) (also known as ''The Lone Wolf Goes to a Party'') is the tenth Lone Wolf film produced by Columbia Pictures. It features Warren William in his seventh and second-to-last performance as the protagonist jewel thief t ...
'' (1943,
Warren William
Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perr ...
)
*''
Passport to Suez'' (1943,
Warren William
Warren William (born Warren William Krech; December 2, 1894 – September 24, 1948) was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, immensely popular during the early 1930s; he was later nicknamed the "King of Pre-Code". He was the first actor to play Perr ...
)
*''
The Notorious Lone Wolf'' (1946,
Gerald Mohr
Gerald Mohr (June 11, 1914 – November 9, 1968) was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows.
Early years
Mohr w ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf in Mexico
''The Lone Wolf in Mexico'' is a 1947 American black-and-white mystery-adventure film directed by D. Ross Lederman for Columbia Pictures. It features Gerald Mohr as the title character, detective Lone Wolf. Chronologically the third-to-last Lo ...
'' (1947,
Gerald Mohr
Gerald Mohr (June 11, 1914 – November 9, 1968) was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows.
Early years
Mohr w ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf in London'' (1947,
Gerald Mohr
Gerald Mohr (June 11, 1914 – November 9, 1968) was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows.
Early years
Mohr w ...
)
*''
The Lone Wolf and His Lady
''The Lone Wolf and His Lady'' is a 1949 American mystery film directed by John Hoffman and starring Ron Randell, June Vincent and Alan Mowbray. It is the 15th and final Lone Wolf film produced by Columbia Pictures, and was written by Edward Dein ...
'' (1949,
Ron Randell Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
)
Eric Blore
Eric Blore Sr. (23 December 1887 – 2 March 1959) was an English actor and writer. His early stage career, mostly in the West End of London, centred on revue and musical comedy, but also included straight plays. He wrote sketches for and appe ...
played Jamison (sometimes spelled "Jameson"), the Lone Wolf's butler and assistant, in eleven of the films, starting with ''The Lone Wolf Strikes'' and ending with ''The Lone Wolf in London''.
Radio
*''
The Lone Wolf The Lone Wolf may refer to:
* ''The Lone Wolf'', a 1914 novel by Louis Joseph Vance
** The Lone Wolf (character), a recurring eponymous character in Vance's novels and various film adaptations
** ''The Lone Wolf'' (1917 film), a silent film bas ...
'' (1948,
Walter Coy
Walter Darwin Coy (January 31, 1909 – December 11, 1974) was an American stage, radio, film, and, principally, television actor, arguably most well known as John Wayne's character's brother in ''The Searchers'' (1956).
Early years
Originall ...
/
Gerald Mohr
Gerald Mohr (June 11, 1914 – November 9, 1968) was an American radio, film, and television character actor and frequent leading man, who appeared in more than 500 radio plays, 73 films, and over 100 television shows.
Early years
Mohr w ...
, with
Jay Novello
Jay Novello (born Michael Romano, August 22, 1904 – September 2, 1982) was an American radio, film, and television character actor.
Early life
Novello was born in Chicago to Joseph Romano and Maria (Salemme) Romano. He had three siblin ...
as Jamison)
TV
*''
The Lone Wolf The Lone Wolf may refer to:
* ''The Lone Wolf'', a 1914 novel by Louis Joseph Vance
** The Lone Wolf (character), a recurring eponymous character in Vance's novels and various film adaptations
** ''The Lone Wolf'' (1917 film), a silent film bas ...
'' (aka ''Streets of Danger'', 1954–1955,
Louis Hayward
Louis Charles Hayward (19 March 1909 – 21 February 1985) was a Johannesburg-born, British-American actor.
Biography
Born in Johannesburg, Louis Hayward lived in South Africa and was educated in France and England, including Latymer Upper Sch ...
)
External links
Michael Lanyard pageat the
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
Michael Lanyard, The Lone Wolf''Lone Wolf books by Louis Joseph Vance''at
LibriVox
LibriVox is a group of worldwide volunteers who read and record public domain texts, creating free public domain audiobooks for download from their website and other digital library hosting sites on the internet. It was founded in 2005 by Hugh Mc ...
(public domain audiobooks)
*
Literary characters introduced in 1914
Fictional detectives
American crime films
American radio dramas
American crime television series
Crime film series
Film series introduced in 1917
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